Battle of Gettysburg

The defense of their country (the Confederate States of America). They removed themselves from the United States because they were being severely taxed with very little representation in the house and felt that their rights were being infringed upon. After bickering within a northern controled congress for several years, they decided they could not find an acceptable solution and still remain in the Union. They removed themselves from the United States in 1861, and retained national sovereignty for about 3 years until they were finally worn down by invading US troops.

It was the Last Hurrah for the Confederacy. It was an attempt to force a negotiated settlement with the Union by displaying a conviction to take the fight into the North and to wreak havoc on the North in the process. It failed and began the slow march to Appomattox.
The Battle of Gettysburg was considered the high water mark of the Confederacy. The Confederate Army was all the way into Pennsylvania. A Union loss would have been devastating, cutting off the capital from the rest of the Union as well as the huge loss of life.

The specific name of the army Confederate General Robert E Lee commanded was the Army of Northern Virgina.

Even to the last weeks of the war Confederate President Jefferson Davis clearly demonstrated his power by appointing General Johnston to command the Army of Tennessee.

The opposites of the Confederates (rebels) were the Yankees. (not the baseball team)

The opposing sides were the

Confederacy (Confederate States of America - the South)

Union (United States of America - the North)

The Battle of Gettysburg was just one (though a very important one) battle in the US Civil War, which was a bitter struggle between the northern states (United States) and the southern states (Confederate States).

By closing the Mississippi to Southern traffic, Grant prevented reinforcements and supplies from getting to the rest of the South from Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. It meant that Federal forces could use it to strike at will anywhere along the Mississippi Valley.

The Gettysburg address was writen to comemorate the horrific battle of Gettysburg.

peripety

Dramatically for the better.

Lee virtually routed McClellan's army, bringing the Peninsula campaign to an ignominious end, and then prepared to invade Pennsylvania. If he had succeeded in this, the British would have sent military aid to the Confederates, and history would have been different.

Only by chance did Lee fail in this attempt.

He was invited to speak and he wanted to give a speech recognizing the bravery of the Union soldiers. The speech was entitled the Gettysburg Address.

During the American Civil War, two major battles were fought on Union soil. The first occurred on September 17, 1862, in Antietam, Maryland, and resulted in a draw (although the Confederate invasion of the Union ceased at that point). The second occurred on July 1-3, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and resulted in a Union victory.

Many Union soldiers were against freeing the slaves because of different reasons... Thousands of Irish Catholic immigrants entering the Union army, had competed with black workers for jobs in the North. Also Union "Northern" soldiers, as they moved South, saw slaves building trenches, earthworks, bridges, and roads for the Confederate army a well as working southern farms... bring pressure within the Union Army to declare slaves free or emancipation as a way of depriving the South and Confederate army of their labor force.

The Peace Democrats felt that the southern sates could be coaxed back into the Union by diplomatic means, or, failing that, that they should be allowed to secede peacefully.

The women of Gettysburg began preparing bandages and baking bread for the soldiers. Miss Ginnie Wade became the only known civilian to die in the battle and she was shot while baking bread in her home. A 70 year old veteran of the War of 1812 took up his flintlock and joined the Union Forces fighting with both the 150th Pennsylvania and the 2nd Wisconsin until he was wounded. He walked home to recuperate. When Lincoln went to the dedication of the cemetery he asked to meet with John Burns and to thank him for his service. Burns died in 1872.

Lee was an Episcopalian, brought up in that religion, though he was not confirmed in that Church until he was 46. Little is known of Lee's childhood, but he lived his early years on a family plantation until the property was lost due to his father's business failings. The family probably attended the nearest Episcopal Church. After the farm was gone the family moved to Alexandria, Virginia, and no doubt attended the same denomination there. Lee however spent several years at boarding schools, which in that era all had compulsory chapel attendance. Chapel was also mandatory at West Point where Lee was a cadet from 1825-29, and there was an influential Episcopal clergyman. Lee's adult life was spent as an Army officer at many remote Army posts, and he and his family likely attended any church available. During the Civil War Lee frequently attended St. James Episcopal Church in Richmond (Reverend Dr. Peterkin), still standing on the corner of 5th and Marshall in Richmond, and also sometimes at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, which still stands on Grace Street in Richmond, Virginia. Confederate President Jefferson Davis was also a faithful attendee at St. Paul's, which is directly across the street from the Virginia capitol. Both Lee and Dais were in the congregation on Sunday, April 1, 1865, when word was brought to Lee that disaster had come to his Army at Five Forks, leading to the evacuation of Richmond and Petersburg the next day and Lee's surrender eight days later. Returning to Richmond after the surrender Lee continued to attend at St. Paul's in the summer of 1865. There is a fairly well known incident that occurred one Sunday. In the back of the church was a railed off area, behind which the slaves of the well-to-do families who made up much of the congregation had been accommodated for services. When the Reverend Dr. Charles Minnigerode called for those who wished to take communion, an elderly black man made his way forward and knelt at the altar rail. This was shocking to the white congregants, as communion had always been an all-white ceremony at St. Paul's. For a time no one quite knew what to do, then another elderly man rose and went and knelt with the old black man. It was, of course, General Lee. At the end of that summer Lee took the position offered him of President of tiny Washington College, in Lexington, Virginia. The school had been devastated by the war, but Lee's prestige and able leadership soon had it flourishing. The College trustees built a house on campus for their new President and his family, then built a new chapel. Lee, the College President, made his office in a basement room of this new chapel. His office is preserved today just as he left it when he went back to his home after his last day at work, and Lee's tomb is on the other side of the basement (his horse, Traveler, is buried out back). The College today is Washington and Lee University.

This attack will be forever known as "Pickett's Charge". It was the Confederate attack on the Union center on Cemetery Ridge. The South would of won this battle but Robert E. Lee did not listen to General Longstreet. If he did the South would maybe win the War. Longstreet saw a gap and wanted to get forces there towards Washington.

It is about the Civil War in North America. His speech was not only talking about the dead soldiers but also trying to stop slavery in North America.

Yes.

It was a small skirmish at Philippi in the mountain country of Western Virginia, won by Union troops under George McLellan.

Then the press started agitating for some more action.

The Wisconsin idea is a political policy. This policy was developed in Wisconsin (hence the name) and is used to foster the contributions of public universities to the state as well as ensure that legislation benefits the greatest number of people in a community.

The goal of the North was at first to bring the Southern states back into the Union. later on Lincoln said in the Emancipation Proclamation that he would free all Southern slaves if the Union won the war

During Lee's invasion of the North, Lee needed to find shoes for his poorly shod army. He heard here was a warehouse in Gettysburg and detoured to there. Upon hearing that his troops had made contact with Lee there, Meade determined to take up a strong defensive position across Lee's path that would force Lee to attack him or abandon the invasion.

As an aside, Lee was initially glad that Meade had replaced Pope. He believed there would be confusion with the Army of the Potomac.

the Union general, General Meade

As a very strong willed man, he would do anything he was told by a solider higher of a rank than him, always believed in slavery. He refused to ever surrender until the last battle he was in.