| | '''The Battle of Gettysburg''' took place during the [[American Civil War]] from July 1 to July 4, 1863. General [[George Meade]] commanded the [[Union]] [[Army of the Potomac]] while general [[Robert E. Lee]] led the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] Army of Northern Virginia. | | '''The Battle of Gettysburg''' took place during the [[American Civil War]] from July 1 to July 4, 1863. General [[George Meade]] commanded the [[Union]] [[Army of the Potomac]] while general [[Robert E. Lee]] led the [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] Army of Northern Virginia. |
| − | Throughout the war the Confederates had fewer soldiers and resources than the north, and they knew that without outside aid they could never finally win their independence. Throughout the war they the Confederate government had attempted to gain the aid of the British, but up to this point they had failed. One of the main reasons that the British had abstained from aiding the south was that they were not convinced that the Confederates could finally win the war. The northern invasion which ended at Gettysburg was an attempt to prove to the world that the Confederate States of America was a legitimate country and that they were capable of finally winning their freedom from the Union. | + | Throughout the war the Confederates had fewer soldiers and resources than the north, and they knew that without outside aid they could never finally win their independence. Throughout the war they the Confederate government had attempted to gain the aid of the [[British]], but up to this point they had failed. One of the main reasons that the [[British]] had abstained from aiding the south was that they were not convinced that the Confederates could finally win the war. The northern invasion which ended at Gettysburg was an attempt to prove to the world that the Confederate States of America was a legitimate country and that they were capable of finally winning their freedom from the Union. |
| − | Up until Gettysburg the Confederate army had generally been successful, although they were always outnumbered in men and supplies. While Lee was used to fighting with inferior numbers he was also severely handicapped at Gettysburg by the recent loss of his best general, [[Stonewall Jackson]], as well as the absence of his famed cavalry commander [[J.E.B. Stuart]], who he usually counted on for reconnaissance. Another problem was the new division of the Confederate Army by General Lee. There were originally two corps, one under General [[James Longstreet]], the other under General Jackson. With Jackson's death, Lee decided to divide the second corps into two new ones: one under General [[Richard S. Ewell]], the other under [[A.P. Hill]]. Lee moved north through Maryland and into Pennsylvania, close to a small town called Gettysburg. <ref> [[the American History of the Civil War]], by Bruce Catton, MetroBooks, 2001, p. 304. </ref> | + | Up until [[Gettysburg]] the Confederate army had generally been successful, although they were always outnumbered in men and supplies. While Lee was used to fighting with inferior numbers he was also severely handicapped at [[Gettysburg]] by the recent loss of his best general, [[Stonewall Jackson]], as well as the absence of his famed cavalry commander [[J.E.B. Stuart]], who he usually counted on for reconnaissance. Another problem was the new division of the Confederate Army by General Lee. There were originally two corps, one under General [[James Longstreet]], the other under General Jackson. With Jackson's death, Lee decided to divide the second corps into two new ones: one under General [[Richard S. Ewell]], the other under [[A.P. Hill]]. Lee moved north through Maryland and into Pennsylvania, close to a small town called Gettysburg. <ref> [[the American History of the Civil War]], by Bruce Catton, MetroBooks, 2001, p. 304. </ref> |