Important Battles of the Civil War
by Kendall Toelle
The Battle of Antietam
The two main generals for this battle is General Lee for the Confederates and General McLellan for the Union. This battle was an important victory for the Union because it helped lead to the Emancipation Proclamation. General Lee decided to bring the fight to the north(Maryland) making an advance. The battle of Antietam only lasted eight hours and was the bloodiest single day of the war. There were 21,000 casualties. The battle of Antietam was September 17th, 1862.
The Battle of Vicksburg
The two main generals of the battle of Vicksburg was General Pemberton for the Confederates and General Ulysses S. Grant for the Union. The Union finally gains control over the Mississippi River, so this was a major victory. The Union surrounded 30,000 Confederate troops and the Confederates were not able to get supplies.The Union used the Anaconda Plan. There were around 19,000 casualties. Confederates lost Port Hudson and Louisiana & Texas were cut off. Vicksburg is a turning point of the war towards the Unions favor. The battle was May 18, 1863 to July 4, 1863.
The Battle of Gettysburg
The two main generals for the Battle of Gettysburg are General Lee for the confederates and General George Meade for the Union. This is the most decisive battle of the Civil war. Confederate troops go into a town looking for supplies and encountered the Union. General Lee had to withdraw defeated on July 4th. This battle led to the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln spoke about if the Union from 1776 would survive or perish. He said that a democracy for the people and by the people would not perish. He also said that all men were created equal. This is one of the most famous speeches in history. The battle of Gettysburg lasted from July 1, 1863 to July 3, 1863. They were not prepared for this battle since they were only looking for supplies.
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