The Civil War Part 2 of 2- The Battle of Gettysburg

Overview of the Battle of Gettysburg
by Tania Dooley
Updated May 3, 2021

War Cannons on the battlefield
Image by David Mark via Pixabay

     The year was 1863. From July first through the third thousands of Americans fought brother against brother at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  When people hear of Gettysburg, they ususally associate it with the famous battle that occured there while others associate it with the Gettysburg address.  Still others with the epic Hollywood movie, although some of you are too young to know about that one. All these are right, however, it was just not another battle, it was the final one, the one that determined the victor of this drawn out Civil War, which in this case was the North eventually putting an end to slavery in America. 

Battle of Gettysburg
Lithograph
Via Library of Congress

     It was also here that four months after the war President Lincoln delivered his famous Gettysburg Address, a speech, but it was not just any speech, it was one that inspired once-torn nation to rebuild.  It was a speech intended to mend the divisions that had occured between the North and South. It has been memorized and quoted, parts of it being part of our regular conversations, especially in history classes.  If you've ever heard of, "Four score and seven years ago" then you know part of the introduction to President Lincoln's famous speech. 

Abraham Lincoln on the battlefield,
Antietam.
Via Pixabay, author unnamed

     Gettysburg stands out in the history of the Civil War because it was the turning point. It was here that that the two forces, the Union army and the Confederate army came face to face in a quick, three-day battle.  According to the National Parks Foundation, "it was also the bloodiest single battle of the war, resulting in over 51,000 soldiers killed." Though there was tremendous loss of life on both sides, it was a win for the Union, stopping the Confederates from invading the north.  According to History.com the casualties for Union army was 23,000 and for the Confederate army 28,000.   

National Park at Gettysburg
Image by Bruce Emmerling via Pixabay

   
   To remember this Battle and the fallen the National Park Service has a museum and visitor center and according to the site, has nearly a million visitors every year. The museum contains relics from the battlefield, click here for the site.  The last part of the Gettysburg address emphasizes the purpose of this war and concludes it by stating, "these dead shall not have died in vain- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom" and reinforced that this is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.  This was the beginning of a nation that recognized freedom and equality for all.

References
Britannica.com (2020). Gettysburg Address. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/event/Gettysburg-Address. 
Library of Congress (2020). Currier &b Ives (1863). The Battle of Gettysburg, PA July 3rd. 1863. Photograph retrieved from https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3g02088/
History.com (2020) Battle of Gettysburg. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-gettysburg
National Park Foundation (2020). Gettysburg Information. Retrieved from  https://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/gettysburg-national-military-park