The American Civil War (Research Paper Sample)

THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR: THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG Student’s Name: Class Course: Date of Submission: The American Civil War: The Battle of Gettysburg Brief History and Introduction Fought between April 12th 1861 and May 9th 1865, the American Civil War, which can simply be referred to as the Civil War, was a fierce battle fought to determine the survival of the Union, which was being threatened by the quest for secession by the Confederacy. Slavery was at the centre of the war, because the Confederacy fought in defense of slavery, while the Union sought to abolish it. Out of the 34 states that existed then, seven Southern states declared the desire to secede from the Union of the United States of America to form the Confederacy States of America. Throughout the time of the Civil War several battles were fought between the Union and the Confederacy. In this essay, the Battle of Gettysburg will be examined. Using three scholarly sources, the battle will be carefully revisited and scrutinized to reveal its centrality and effects on the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg There is normally a consensus among historians that the battle of Gettysburg was the turning point of the Civil War, because it had serious implications for the two warring sides, the Union and the Confederacy. Fought from 1st to 3rd July 1863, the battle saw the largest number of casualties in the entire Civil War. Among the many historians who have investigated the Civil War and its specific battles, Allen C. Guelzo makes the cut as one of the best. In his text, Guelzo writes with detail and precision about the battle of Gettysburg and why it was indeed the last major invasion. In a careful analysis, the author points out why the Army of Northern Virginia, under the command of General Robert Lee, failed to capture the North, which was being defended by the Army of the Potomac, under the command of Major General George Meade. According to Guelzo, Lee’s army could be smelled even before being seen, leading to unfortunate predictability that spoiled its element of surprise. Guelzo writes simply and clearly, making it known that his desire is to lay bare the historical facts as they are. He outlines the events of the Civil War in general – and the battle of Gettysburg in particular – in a chronological and persuasive aspect. Reading his text makes it clear that while the Confederacy was on the offensive, the Union was on the defensive, only that the North was better at its campaign than the South. Gina DeAngelis (2002) delves into the subject of the battle of Gettysburg with zeal and enthusiasm. She explains that without the battle, the Civil War would probably have dragged on and on. The author details the progress of a rather spirited Confederacy army, which did well in its maneuvers, but performed terribly when it came to sustaining the momentum. While Lee decided to concentrate his army initially, Meade baited his opponents and lured then into an attack and they were ill prepared for, before quickly surprising them with a counter offensive. By the end of the three day war, no less than 50,000 soldiers had perished. Overall, DeAngelis fairs well in offering succinct details about the war. However, her concentration with details means that she does little in offering the bigger picture – the grand price – of the battle of Gettysburg. However, she does a commendable job in showing that the battle served to strengthen the Union army and helped defeat the quest by the Confederacy to expand slavery to the extended Western territory. Dan Abnett (2006) is a master historian, one whose perspectives on the battle of Gettysburg offer fresh insights of the battle that was definitely the turning point in the Civil War. Unlike the two texts analyzed above, Abnett does not think that the army of the South wanted to extend territory by invading the North. Rather, the author thinks that it was simply on an adventurous journey, one that saw it collide unintentionally with the Union army. The climax of Abnett’s text is the “Pickett's Charge,” an assault by 12,500 Confederacy infantry solders, which quickly tur...