Behind the Gettysburg Casualties: Were all the Deaths Caused by Enemy Attack?

884 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Battle analysis gettysburg

There were more casualties in the battle of Gettysburg than in any other battles fought during the Civil War. Not all of the men lost were result of the enemy. The battle of Gettysburg was fought over a three-day period, from July 1, 1863-July 3, 1863.

On June 30, 1863 a Confederate Commander led his troops toward Gettysburg, but quickly retreated when he spotted a group of Federal Calvary headed into town. The Commander informed his superiors and stated that he would return the next day to get the shoes and other supplies that they needed. On July 1, 1863 the Confederates headed out again in search for shoes. However, they did not know if the Federal Calvary was still around so they took caution and two brigades were sent to gather the supplies. The Confederates crossed paths with the Federal Calvary just west of the town of Gettysburg at Willoughby Run. It is here that the battle began. Around 7:30 am the first shots were fired and the battle broke out. The Federal was pushed back into Gettysburg where they regrouped on higher ground near the cemetery.

Meanwhile, General Robert E. Lee was left without his eyes and ears while his Calvary, led by Jeb Stuart was off on a wild goose chase. General Lee got a little too cocky; he believed his army was invincible. He led his army, without Stuart and his Calvary, to the southern side of Cemetery Ridge where he believed it to be less well defended. On day two of the attack at Gettysburg, General Lee instructed to General Longstreet to attack, but this command was delayed for a few hours, giving the Union time to reinforce their numbers and strengthen their position. When Longstreet did finally attack, the battles were nastiest at Little Round Top, the Peach Orchard, the Wheat F...

... middle of paper ...

...and all she could hear among the men were the agonizing cries of the wounded and the dying.

Works Cited

American Civil War Battle. Gettysburg Pennsylvania, July 1-3 1863. http://americancivilwar.com/getty.html (accessed April 17, 2011).

"The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863." EyeWitness to History. www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (1997) (Accessed April 17, 2011)

“The History Place.” Battle of Gettysburg. http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/battle.htm (accessed April 17, 2011).

The Price In Blood. “Casualties in the Civil War”. http://www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm (Accessed April 17, 2011).

Timeline of the American Civil War. “The American Civil War”. http://www.mce.k12tn.net/civil_war/timeline_of_the_american_civil_w.htm (Accessed April 18, 2011).

Trudeau, Noah Andre. Gettysburg A Testing of Courage. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 2002. Page 268.

Show More
Related

  • Gettysburg Mission Command

    1685 Words  | 4 Pages

    To the south stands Cemetery Hill, Culp’s Hill, both less than a mile from town. They are part of a larger ridge that ends about 3 miles from town ending in Little Round Top and Big Round Top. On the 1st of July, the Confederate Forces occupied one mile east of the eastern ridge where they set up their artillery while the Union Forces occupied the southern hilltops and the eastern hilltops where naturally, they placed their artillery. Confederate and Union Forces met at around 0730 as Confederate General Heth advanced on Union General John Buford and the defensive line of the Union Army along the eastern ridgeline . The two Armies were both surprised with the situation they found themselves in because before their meeting, they knew little of each others capabilities and had, for quite sometime, been traveling blind yet parallel to each other

    Read More

  • Powerful Imagery and Themes in The Killer Angels

    2334 Words  | 5 Pages

    In The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara fictionally illustrates the historical facts of the battle at Gettysburg. Shaara gives action and words to characters of another time, and then places these players on the stage of this great battle. Through the use of powerful biblical and non-biblical imagery and themes the epic nature of the battle at Gettysburg and its characters are enhanced. Such imagery and themes, combined with Shaara's fictionalization, help to contribute to why this single battle holds such monumental significance and influence upon the lives of Americans over a century removed from its occurrence.

    Read More

  • Pickett's Charge And The Failure Of The Civil War

    1058 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the best commanders in the Confederate army was Lee still; the Union stood at a better standpoint during the battle. “Perhaps the most significant lesson from July 3, 1863, concerns the method of decision-making. Though he may not have seen it as such, Lee’s decision to attack was at best a close call.” (Gompert 2006, pg.7). The battle of Gettysburg did not happen intentionally, planned however Lee did an astounding job and his best to defeat the Union army. Ultimately Robert E. Lee was responsible for the South’s loss

    Read More

  • Battle Of Gettysburg DBQ

    456 Words  | 1 Pages

    The famous Battle of Gettysburg was a major part of the Civil War. Before the Battle of Gettysburg, the Confederate army had the advantage. Although the casualty tolls of both armies were relatively close in numbers, the North and the South’s attitudes towards the war completely differed after the Battle of Gettysburg. The events occurring in the months following the historic battle were what gave the Union Troops the greatest advantage leading to their victory at the end of the Civil War.

    Read More

  • Irony in Tim O’Brien’s How to Tell a True War Story

    2118 Words  | 5 Pages

    O’Brien, Tim. “How To Tell a True War Story.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford St. Martins, 2003. p. 420-429.

    Read More

  • Stephen Crane and Walt Whitman: The Natural and the Language of Social Protest

    1813 Words  | 4 Pages

    Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage. Sculley Bradley, Richard Beatty, and E. Hudson Long Eds. New York: W.W. Norton, 1962.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Gettysburg as the Turning Point of the Civil War

    1599 Words  | 4 Pages

    One did and after three bloody and costly years for both sides we come to the date of July 1, 1863. Before the battle, major cities in the North such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even Washington, were under threat of attack from General Robert E. Lee?s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia which had crossed the Potomac River and marched into Pennsylvania. On Tuesday morning, June 30, an infantry brigade of Confederate soldiers searching for shoes headed toward Gettysburg (The History Place Battle of Gettysburg 2).... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • Analysis of the Battle of Kamdesh in the Afghan War

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    Tapper, J. (2012). The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. New York: Little, Brown. Retrieved November 05, 2010, from books.google.co.ke/books?isbn=0316215856

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Killer Angels In The Battle Of Gettysburg

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    This statement absolutely applies to all the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. Both the Union and Confederate soldiers were symbolic as killer angels, people who fought for what they believed was right, even if that meant killing other soldiers. The people who were fighting were citizens of the same nation, sometimes brother against brother. Tom Chamberlain and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain were an exception to this. These brothers were both fighting on the Union Army. Sometimes soldiers fought people who they were formerly friends with. Ultimately, the war turned the two sides of the nation against each other. This led to the mass destruction and killing of our nation’s population. Each soldier was a killer angel in his own way in which he fought and carried on through one of the bloodiest battles of the war.

    Read More

  • Battle Of Gettysburg Research Paper

    1660 Words  | 4 Pages

    Both forces were moving towards Pennsylvania, when they converged upon Gettysburg. General Lee decided to take the fighting to Northern soil, and moved his troops to Maryland. While heading north, the two forces converged at Gettysburg, and the fighting began soon thereafter. After news of the fighting, General Meade arrived on the battlefield on the second day of battle..

    Read More

  • Battle Of Gettysburg

    1489 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Battle of Gettysburg began on July 1, with Confederate troops attacking a Union cavalry division on McPherson Ridge, west of town. After fierce fighting and heavy casualties on both sides, and the Union forces managed to hold, and even drive back the Confederate forces until afternoon, when they were overpowered by additional southern troops, and driven back through town. In the confusion, thousands of Union soldiers were captured before they could rally on Cemetery Hill, south of town

    Read More

  • The Vietnam War and The Tonkin Gulf Resolution

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    Leahy, Stephen M. "The Historical Battle over Dispatching American Troops." USA Today (Farmingdale). July 1999: 10-12. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 07 May. 2014.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Gettysburg Analysis

    1961 Words  | 4 Pages

    The battle of Gettysburg occurred over three hot summer days, July 1 to July 3, 1863, around the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It began as a meeting engagement, but by its end involved approximately 170,000 Americans. The battle is considered to be the turning point in the American Civil War and is one of the most studied battles in American history. The events that took place at Gettysburg had a tremendous impact on the outcome of the Civil War and the fate of the United States. It is far easier for us in the present than it was for those at Gettysburg, to look back and determine the path that the leaders should have taken.

    Read More

  • Why Is Gettysburg A Turning Point

    567 Words  | 2 Pages

    51,103 casualties, one of the bloodiest wars of the civil war, this was the battle that would change the course of the civil war. The Battle of Gettysburg. It had been three years since April 12, 1861, the year the civil war started. The disagreement between the southern and northern states had begun this war and there was nothing the people could do about it. Northern states which would become the union wanted to abolish slavery, but the southern states, which would become the confederates didn’t . The Confederate had been doing well in the war because of all their winnings, but this battle would change all of it. General Robert E. Lee (confederate) had won most battles, including the chancellorsville battle in VA, the battle before this one (background essay). He felt confident, so he decided to attack on Union soil, also known as the northern states, and unfortunately for Lee luck was no longer on his side. This was the turning point of the civil war and it came with a lot of surprises both for the Union and Confederate. From casualties to leadership and hope to geography all this affected the war a lot and changed the path the civil war.

    Read More

  • Faulkner's “A Rose For Emily”

    715 Words  | 2 Pages

    Beardsley, Frank. "American History: The American Civil War: Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (VOA Special English 2005-04-20)." Interesting Things for ESL/EFL Students (Fun English Study). Www.manythings.org. Web. 12 June 2011. .

    Read More

More about Behind the Gettysburg Casualties: Were all the Deaths Caused by Enemy Attack?

Open Document