Civil War Project  By: Joann Alegria, Chelsea Stancil, and Gabby Barrera

When/Where Was the Battle of Gettysburg?  The battle of Gettysburg was a three day battle in From Wednesday July 1 st until Friday, July 3 rd.  Gettysburg was basically the midpoint of the war.  The battle of Gettysburg took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Eight miles north of the Maryland border.  Gettysburg’s position on the east side of the mountains was an important factor in why the battle occurred there. The terrain also good because it included good defensive grounds.

The Armies  The confederate army of Northern Virginia- 70,000 men commanded by general Robert E. Lee.  The federal army of the Potomac- 94,000 men commanded by major general George G. Meade.  Around 2,500 civilians were also in the battle area.

Deaths  Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the civil war.  At least 46,000 and possibly as many as 51,000 casualties between the two armies. KilledWoundedMissingTotal Union 3,15514,5315,36923,055 Confederate 4,70812,6935,83023,231 Total 7,86327,22411,19946,286

Continuation…  Fun Fact! Jennie wade was the only civilian killed during the battle of Gettysburg, she was struck by a stray shot while indoors caring for a sick relative.  More than 3,000 horses were killed at Gettysburg.

Turning Point  The Battle of Gettysburg is considered a turning point in the Civil War because Gen. Robert E. Lee’s glory came to an end with this battle. This victory of the Union ruined lee’s plans of invading their territory. This victory was not considered a true victory however, over 51,000 soldiers were either killed wounded, captured or missing equally between the two armies. This was a devastation to the South because they had a few men to start with. Now with this battle which lasted for three days weakened the South's army by a lot.  There was no turning back from this battle the South had a true lost, this hit them hard they were use to going into battles and coming out victorious. This battle was truly the turning point of the Civil War, after this battle the Union went on to be the victorious opposer. The war went on for two more years until they called it a quits, the Union won the Civil War

The Gettysburg Address  In November 1863, President Abraham Lincoln was invited to deliver remarks, which later became known as the Gettysburg Address.  He was invited by Edward Everett to “formally set apart these grounds to their sacred use by a few appropriate remarks.”  Lincoln saw this as an opportunity to make a statement about the enormous significance of the war.  His speech was less than two minutes, and it was only 272 words long.

Continuation…  Lincoln expressed in his speech his conviction that the Civil War was the ultimate test of whether the Union would survive or “perish from the earth.”  Lincolns historic address redefined the Civil War as a struggle not just for the Union, but also for the principle of human equality.  address/videos#gilder-lehrman-gettysburg-address address/videos#gilder-lehrman-gettysburg-address