General Lee And His Army example essay topic

What was supposed to last 90 days, now dragged on for more than two years. It was apparent, now more than ever, that little was being accomplished but the taking of hundreds of thousands of lives. The war between the Union and Confederacy had been in a sort of deadlock where each side could claim victories as easy as defeats. By this time the south had the upper hand "militarily wise", just coming off a magnificent tactical victory at Chancellorsville in May. General Lee headed the Confederacy's, Army of Northern Virginia, General Meade headed the Union's Army of the Potomac. Both sides saw the need to win that one, crucial victory to turn the tide completely in their favor.

They would get their chances at a small town in Pennsylvania. The battle was dubbed the Battle of Gettysburg for the town of Gettysburg, PA. By June of 1863 General Lee asked President Davis to march his army north out of VA. Davis granted Lee permission. Lee, with 75,000 troops, made his way north, just west of the Blue Ridge Mountains into Maryland.

Lee made haste in doing so. He wanted the advantage to set up a defensive position forcing the Union to attack him there. His troops went from town to town for food and supplies. On June 28th they crossed into Pennsylvania and toward Gettysburg. Upon arrival about a mile northwest of town, Colonel Buford's cavalry unit met Lee's Corps headed by General Hood. Much to his disappointment his troops had began to fight without his acknowledgement.

Meanwhile, the Army of the Potomac was hot on Lee's heels but marched east of the Blue Ridge so as not to be detected. Meade with 100,000 men would arrive piece by piece in the next two days from the south of town. The battle was inevitable and it began here in a little known farm town. Both sides knew that Antietam was just a prelude, a year earlier, to the carnage which was to come. General and soldier alike could see what was unraveling. These armies saw a similar scenario the first time Lee brought his army north.

Many reasons can be attributed to why General Robert E. Lee wanted to lead his troops into hostile northern territory. He knew he would be vastly outnumbered and without support. One reason was that for 2 years now Virginia was being destroyed do to battle and armies. There was a constant shortage of food for soldier and civilian.

With this in mind, Lee wanted to bring the fighting out of Virginia for harvest and to give the people a chance to resupply for awhile. While in the north, General Lee would draw the Army of the Potomac out of the Confederacy. Lee's troops had a chance to eat regularly and plentiful when they went north, they feasted on the lush farms of Pennsylvania. This helped add to their already high morale, reaching its highest point of the war. After his stunning victory in late May of 1863 at Chancellorsville, General Lee, and his army had their highest morale. They had a sense of "invincibility", because they had finally defeated the Army of the Potomac in a major engagement.

This battle was really just the "beginning", of the Battle of Gettysburg, for both armies thought that Chancellorsville settled nothing. Lee knew that he would have to destroy the Army of the Potomac in northern territory to accomplish his ultimate goal. No time seemed more right than now to do that. He knew the north would just replenish its ranks and try again next summer to capture Richmond. The time was now, Lee must act quickly to accomplish his goal and rid of the Army of the Potomac. It was imperative now, more than ever that if Britain was to acknowledge the Confederacy and send aid then Lee had to produce.

Great Britain wouldn't support a losing nation but if the south could win a significant victory on northern soil then Britain would surely realize it had worth. The Confederacy had been counting on the British Navy to break the Union blockade of the south that had been strangling them. If the blockade could be broken then the south could trade to support its war. As long as the Confederacy was cut off from other countries they would eventually succumb to the hardships of the siege.

By this point in the war, the citizens of the Confederacy were growing more and more doubtful of their future as long as the war was being fought. Food was at a scarcity, money was gradually becoming worthless and thousands of soldiers had been killed. Lee's army was having a lot of success in Virginia since Fredericksburg in December 1862, but the war was exacting a heavy toll on life in the south. It was becoming evident to Lee and President Davis so they knew they had to get the spirit of the people to rise again. No better possible way to do so then by obliterating the Army of the Potomac on northern soil.

In doing so, General Lee hoped to not only raise morale in his ranks and the south, but crush the northern spirit. A win here would for sure demoralize even more, those opposing the war in the north, which might get public opinion to swing to anti-war. Also, Lee would pressure the north into sending troops from Washington, weakening its defenses or possibly draw troops from Grant's army at Vicksburg. On the other hand, General Meade's, Army of the Potomac also had reasons to win the battle.

Newly appointed, General George Meade, had a huge task ahead of him. He had just assumed command of the Union's main eastern army and now he must halt Lee's advance. Two very difficult obstacles for him but if he couldn't stop the Army of Northern Virginia then his country was in jeopardy. With the capture of Vicksburg seeming more and more eminent, the north was looking to also crush Lee at the same time and end the war. This would have worked but General Meade made a crucial mistake by not pursuing Lee's army after Pickett's Charge. If this was done then the war would have ended soon after.

Word of General Lee's advance took the north by surprise and it came at a time when the north's armies were in disarray. But, if they could muster up the will and strength to win the ensuing fight then it might be just what they need to turn the war around. Among all reasons to defeat Lee here was just plainly to get him the hell out of Pennsylvania and save the Union from a dangerous threat. As long as Lee was in the north, Washington was at risk.

This meant the bulk of Meade's men were committed to Lee, which left Washington open to attack. A huge factor is Lincoln's decision to pursue Lee northward and attack was to try and destroy him once and for all. While in the north he would be far from reinforcements and unable to escape with ease. As long as his main force was engaged then Union cavalry could swing behind him and cut him off from escape forcing him to fight or surrender. President Lincoln's thoughts were of the election to come the next year and what better opportunity then now to secure his presidency for another year with a huge victory. The north knew this was a great time to really make use of their vast numbers and supplies.

This battle would be fought and won by that side which could fight and replenish its ranks longer. With limited supplies and fewer men, Lee had the disadvantage and Meade knew this. He was willing to fight as long as it took to win and at any cost to his army. Facing almost certain defeat the first two days, Meade kept sending in more men which ultimately was too much for Lee's men.

The North knew of the Confederacy's deal with Britain and they were determined to put a stop to it. Spies got word to Lincoln of Britains aid to the south if they could win another decisive victory. If Britain joined for the south then it was clear that it would be too much for the Union to handle. The Battle of Gettysburg was shaping up to spell triumph for one side and total disaster for the other.

Also, if the North could pull off a victory by the 4th of July then public involvement of the war might increase and help to end it sooner. The Army of the Potomac had suffered defeat at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville prior to Gettysburg. At the rate and direction they were headed in, it appeared as though the north may lose the war. The naval blockade of the south had been taking to do their part in the war to achieve victory.

To try and distract Lee and commit him to battle, Meade sent his cavalry forward under Col. Buford to engage him anywhere possible. Seeing 10 major roads converged on Gettysburg, PA., it seemed like a good spot to head to. There they met, sparking the greatest battle fought on American soil to that point. The engagement was labeled soon after as the turning point or high tide of the Confederacy. From that point on, the war was fought in the south with the north on the offensive and the south on the defensive. Never would the Confederacy recover from its losses.

The Battle July 1st, 1863- Confederate General Hood's Corps moves eastward toward Gettysburg and are met by Union cavalry under Col. Buford. The rebels charge and charge until they breech the Union lines, and the Union now joined by General Reynold's troops retreats back south through town. July 2nd, 1863- Lee and Meade are reinforced overnight. The Union line is now running from Culp's Hill (right flank), along Cemetery Ridge, and down to Little Round Top (left flank). Their line resembles a large up-side-down fishhook.

The Confederate line ran parallel to that of the Union line but along Seminary Ridge. General Early of the Confederacy, attacks on Culp's Hill in the morning of July 2nd. Heavy fighting occurred at the base of Little Round Top too. General Sickle's 21st Penn. Regiment confront the Confederate's 10th Alabama and 2nd Texas at Devil's Den, Peach Orchard, Wheat field, Plum Run and Little Round Top. A fierce artillery duel was being fought around the Round Top Mountains.

July 3rd, 1863- Now with no choice Lee orders a 160-gun cannonade on the Union line from 7: 30 a.m. For 6 hours the two sides volleyed back and forth until the order was given for General George Pickett to coordinate as assault on the Union line. At 1: 30 p. m., 15,000 Virginian infantry soldiers under Kemper, Garnett and Armistead marched 1 mile through open farmland to attack the Union center. Union artillery pounded the rebels and still they came until after fierce hand-to-hand combat they were turned back.

This was Lee's last effort and it was now over.