Gettysburg Address Dbq Essay

At 7:30am, on Wednesday, July 1st, 1863, at the intersection of Knoxlyn Rd and US Rt. 30 Chambersburg Pike, a shot was fired by Lieutenant Marcellus Jones. This shot would not be forgotten, as it was the beginning of what would turn into one of the biggest turning points of the Civil War; The Battle of Gettysburg. This three day streak of combat would later be referred to as the “High Water Mark of the Rebellion.” With the outcome being an overall Union victory, the Battle of Gettysburg would mark the point at which the Union would place the Confederacy on the defensive and end General Robert E. Lee’s most ambitious attempt to seize Union territory. The Battle of Gettysburg was so critical, in fact, that it lead to one of the most vital documents written in United States history, the Gettysburg Address. How exactly did this battle guide President Abraham Lincoln to write the Gettysburg Address is a common question among many.
Ending in 51,112 casualties, the Battle of Gettysburg was a three day series of conflict between the Union and the Confederate, starting on July 1st, and lasting until July 3rd. Combined, George G. Meade, Union General, and Robert E. Lee, Confederate General,

congregated roughly 160,000 soldiers to fight. Not only was Gettysburg the Civil War’s bloodiest battle, but it also was the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln’s well-known “Gettysburg Address”, delivered on November 19th, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lincoln used just 272 words to elucidate to the North, and to all Americans, the meaning, price, and value of freedom. Although just a two minute speech, Abraham most definitely got his point across by his powerful word choice. Abraham wanted to do something about the conflicts rising between the Confederacy and the Union, and what happened at the Battle of Gettysburg sparked his interest in solving the problem. The setting of the address was in fact in Gettysburg at the ceremonies, for the reason being to dedicate part of the battlefield as a cemetery for those who had recently lost their lives in the battle.
In response to the brutal Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln thought to seek a solution.

Quoting the Gettysburg Address: “The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but can never forget what they did here…”, states just how important the incidents at Gettysburg were. The impact of the Battle of Gettysburg on the Civil War, and on the United States of America as a whole, will never be disregarded. It resulted in the Confederate never being able to reach the military strength they had in Adams County again. In the viewpoints of the two sides, this battle left the North to rejoice, and the South to mourn. Despite the fact that the Battle of Gettysburg was a defining moment in the nation’s history, it would not nearly end the Civil War, as it ran on for another 2

years.