He was put in a difficult position, since "Lincoln and the Republicans could not tolerate for long the presence of the most famous Rebel army on Northern Soil" (Gallagher 127). Meade himself "arrived upon the battle-field at one in the morning, pale, tired-looking, hollow-eyed, and worn out from want of sleep, anxiety, and the weight of responsibility" (Rhodes 672). He proceeded to lead with a commitment that matched that of his older, more experienced adversary. With significantly less troops at the outset of the battle, the North turned the tide of the war in their favor. They achieved this with patient and careful decision-making. Meade, to his credit, "decided to await attack, and if he had studied closely the character and history of his energetic adversary,...
As in many other instances in life, the choice of when to be on the offensive vs. The defensive was critical. The South's final advance on Cemetery Ridge was an example of how the proud and foolhardy Confederacy met its end. The blow to the reputation and character of Lee's army was almost as shocking as the thousands that lay dead in the wake of the great battle. The battle was a victory of mood for the North, as it "demonstrated that Lee and his army were not invincible, and that the Confederates had lost in playing the card of an invasion of the North" (Rhodes 677). They found themselves now on the defense, no longer aspiring conquerors.
So the professional opportunities for young Robert were limited, and the army came as a rescue solution. Pegging to his life of severe lacks, difficulties and sadness, Lee became a man of strict self imposed limits. He was moderate and never wasteful of either type of resource. Due to his rather stern appearance, he was not the most popular of army men. But he did always serve his country and
What was the war's bloodiest day? Was it Gettysburg? No. It occurred in September, 1862, at Antietam Creek in Maryland, when 22,700 soldiers died. "[General] Lee "hoped to win decisively...but the Union army prevailed." Meantime, the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1 through July 3, 1863, was the bloodiest battle of the war. It was the "most famous and most important Civil War Battle... [General Lee] believed his own [rebel] army was
Winning the Civil War The American Civil War is considered the most costly of all the wars fought by this nation in terms of the human lives that were lost and the casualties which left young men mutilated, amputated, and barely able to carry on. Approximately 750,000 young men died by the war's end either from wounds inflicted in battle or from infection and lack of sanitation in hospitals.[footnoteRef:1] At the
Civil War and Grant The Civil War in the United States can be considered as the darkest moment in its relatively young history. (Mitgang, 2000) His Gettysburg State of the Union Address is perhaps the shortest in history; but the depth of meaning and the profundity of emotions it invokes should never be forgotten. It starkly contrasts with the inane, self-congratulatory blather of modern presidential administrations. This hotly contested War had amazing
CIVIL WAR UNDERSTANDING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR The American Civil War represented the largest loss of life in the West during the 100-year period between the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and World War I in 1914 (McPherson, 2013). The number of Americans who lost their lives in this war is equivalent to the total American lives lost in all other conflicts in this nation's history. Any conflict of that magnitude is bound
The belief was that eventually the North would have to give up, as long as the South could maintain a unified defense (McPherson). The Confederate Army was not well organized in the beginning, however, and the widespread and largely independent militias defending the Confederate borders were stretched too thin in places, allowing the Union Army to break through (McPherson). Technological advancements had large effects on the strategies of both
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now