...When President Abraham Lincoln accepted the task of giving what would be his most famous speech, The Gettysburg Address, he certainly rose to the occasion. The speech was given on the heels of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The sixteenth president had been invited to give a speech at the dedication ceremony of the Gettysburg cemetery, in honor of the soldiers who perished during the battle at Gettysburg. Not only did he have the daunting task of presenting his speech after one of the greatest orators of the time, but also addressing thousands of people. The many manuscripts of the Gettysburg Address...
Words: 991 - Pages: 4
...The Battle of Gettysburg lasted from July 1, 1863 to July 3, 1863. On July 1st, the Confederates ran into the Union Army and began to battle. Robert E. Lee, General of the Confederates, commanded an attack at enemy troops in Cemetery Ridge. This attack was known as “Pickett’s Charge”. Pickett’s Charge caused many casualties for both the Union and Confederate Armies. However, the Union left with more soldiers and the Confederates retreated to Virginia and this was a big step toward ending Civil War. In the same year, President Abraham Lincoln gave a speech known as the Gettysburg Address that had taken place in Pennsylvania, which was another leading step in the Civil War. President Lincoln wanted Congress to get the message that government...
Words: 304 - Pages: 2
...The Battle of Gettysburg was a major battle of the American Civil War. Taking place during the midsummer of 1863 from July 1st to July 3rd, it saw Union and Confederate forces engage each other just outside the town of Gettysburg, PA. Ultimately, the Union Army prevailed against the Confederates, crippling the southern war effort for the remainder of the war; as noted by “Decisions at Gettysburg” author Matt Spruill “Never again would Lee have the capability to conduct strategic offensive operations”. Despite sometimes being overshadowed by Lincoln’s well known “Gettysburg Address”, the three days of battle remain important to American history. Immediately preceding the battle, Confederate General Robert E. Lee had moved his army across the Potomac River in an invasion of the North. The Union General George Gordon Meade mobilized his army to counter the Confederate threat, which “Gettysburg, July 1st” author David G. Martin sums up well, “Meade’s next goal was to push his corps forward quickly up to the...
Words: 1009 - Pages: 5
...Throughout history, war has had a significance in shaping the world. Although war is a topic that comes with a negative connotation, there are many battlefields, such as Gettysburg and Pearl Harbor, that have come to be regarded as hallowed ground. Likewise, some nations have dedicated war memorials, such as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, to commemorate sacrifices made in battle. The idea of sacredness tied to wars is simply the fact that men have fought and died for that idea, and those who survived feel a sense of debt and guilt to those that died. The Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1 to July 3, 1863, and is considered one of the most crucial engagements of the American Civil War (“Battle of Gettysburg”, 2009). After the Battle...
Words: 1489 - Pages: 6
...In “The Words That Remade The Country” (The Atlantic, 2016), Garry Wills recounts aftermath of Gettysburg, Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and the affects it had on the citizens of America. Wills first gives a background on the battle of Gettysburg and the planning of the battlefield dedication. In the summer of 1863, General Lee and the confederate army pushed north only to meet the union in Gettysburg. 50,000 people were killed and the confederates retreated. This was the bloodiest battle of the civil war, so the dedication of the cemetery was a big deal. David Wills, who has no relation to the author, was in charge of the ceremony and wanted the dedication to happen before the soldiers were buried. However when he reached out to the greatest...
Words: 263 - Pages: 2
...disputes between the two regions. The South called themselves the Confederates, while the North called themselves the Union army.2 The battle of Gettysburg was one of the most horrific battles of the Civil War. Over fifty thousand soldiers were found dead, wounded, or went missing in a period of three days, July 1-3 of 1863. That is the most number of casualties that has occurred during any battle in American history.3 The battle took place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where President Lincoln made a speech entitle the Gettysburg Address five months later, on November 19th of 1863.4 General Robert E. Lee, of the Confederate Army, decided to invade the North in June of 1863. Thus, Lee and his seventy-five-thousand-man army began to march towards Gettysburg, coming from Fredericksburg, Virginia. In order to make his troops more manageable, General Lee divided his army of two corps into three corps. James Longstreet was to command the First Corps, Lieutenant General Richard S. Ewell was put in charge of the Second Corps, and Lieutenant General A.P. Hill gained control of the Third Corps.5 Major General Joseph Hooker commanded the Union Army of Potomac. There were over ninety thousand men in his army. Later, President Abraham Lincoln would replace Hooker with Major General George G. Meade, since Hooker had proved to be a failure during the previous battles.6 In the middle of June, the Confederate Army crossed the Potomac River and entered Maryland and southern Pennsylvania.7 Hooker's...
Words: 1691 - Pages: 7
...Perhaps the Most famous battle of the Civil War took place at Gettysburg, PA, July 1 to July 3, 1863. At the end of the battle, the union’s Army of the Potomac had successfully repelled the second invasion of the North by the Confederacy’s Army of Northern Verginia. Several months later, President Lincoln went to Gettysburg to speak at the dedication of the cemetery for the Union war dead. Speaking of “new birth of freedom,” he delivered one of the most memorable speeches in U.S. history. On November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln spoke at the dedication of the national cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The orator of the day was Edward Everett, a famed speaker, former senator, and candidate for vice president in 1860. Lincoln received a late invitation to make "a few appropriate remarks." Lincoln's brief Gettysburg address became a cornerstone of American expression of the nation's ideals, mission, and patriotism. On the first three days of July 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by General Robert E. Lee, had fought the Army of the Potomac, the principal northern army, to which General George G. Meade had been assigned command only four days earlier. In early May, Lee had won a smashing victory at Chancellorsville, Virginia, over a Union force approximately twice as large, and then had boldly determined to carry the war to the enemy by invading Pennsylvania. Drawn into an offensive battle at Gettysburg, Lee attacked both wings of the Union army before launching...
Words: 742 - Pages: 3
...Slavery was a point in time that was painful and needed a solution for freedom.As a result, The Civil War would solve that problem. The time of slavery was a time of despair and a time of hardship for the many trapped souls in slavery. In the Narrative Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, slaves were not able to have an education, such as Frederick Douglass in his years of slavery. He was restricted to learn to read or write as a slave. Therefore, there was little hope for Douglass to find a different route in life to have an education. Abraham Lincoln also played an important role to help free slaves in the text, The Gettysburg Address. He changed the minds of many to help rescue the souls put into slavery. For these reasons, The Civil War would forever change Americans and redefine freedom and equality....
Words: 599 - Pages: 3
...succession of the Southern states in 1861. The Union (North) was led by General Ulysses S. Grant, and the Confederates (South) were led by General Robert E. Lee. In the third year of the Civil War, a turning point occured, in which the 'losing team' began to dominate the war. Grant Defeated Lee during the Battle of Gettysburg. The Confederacy's confidence took a huge toll and left the Union with the advantage. The Battle of the Gettysburg switched the advancing side, for the Union. Throughout the Civil War there were many battles, casualties, and of course the famous Gettysburg Address. The Union and Confederacy would have a harsh march in series of military operation in a certain area conducted to achieve a certain point, also known as a campaign. General Robert E. Lee would march his Confederate amry down to the Union to battle them, because he was so confident that he would win. In the diagram in Doc. A the arrows show that the Confederates would march to the North to begin the battles. If it wasnt for General Lee's...
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
...Alinne- Abraham Lincoln Caitlin- Total War Joseaf- Weapons Haylie- Battle of Gettysburg/Battle of Bull Run Facts about Abraham Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the united states of America Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809 He became president in march of 1861 Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the united states of America He died on April 15, 1865 His goal was to stop slavery In 1846, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he gave the infamous Spot switch speech about the war that had begun with Mexico. He demanded President James K. Polk reveal the exact spot on American blood had been shed, starting the war, and whether that spot was on American or Mexican soil. Facts about Weapons: The...
Words: 1033 - Pages: 5
...Life and times of Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was without a doubt extremely influential to the United States of America. Several historical contributions and events such as the statement four score and seven years ago and emancipation proclamation along with President Lincoln’s assassination have molded American ideology and actions. President Abraham Lincoln was very influential in molding the United States of America and although some of the decisions made during the course of the presidency were controversial; these actions moved the country forward. Abraham Lincoln was the second child born from his father’s first wife. Life stated for Abraham Lincoln in Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809. The Lincoln’s lost their land in Kentucky and eventually forced to move to Indiana. Once in Indiana, tragedy struck the Lincoln’s again. He had to deal with his real mother dying from sickness and soon thereafter his father remarried to Ms. Sarah Johnston. Although he missed his biological mother his new family all got along well so well that Lincoln even called Ms. Johnston, mother. As Kane stated, “He held jobs as a store clerk, soldier, postmaster, rail-splitter, surveyor, lawyer, state legislator, United States congressman, and finally the President of the United States from March 4th 1861 until his death on April 15th 1869”. He was married to Mary Todd from Lexington Kentucky for over 22 years and together they had four sons. He was assassinated at Ford’s Theater in...
Words: 2340 - Pages: 10
...Battle of Antietam Single bloodiest day of the entire war Casualties: 12,000 Union, 13,000 Confederates McClellan had been ordered by Lincoln to destroy the rebel army did not pursue the Confederate troops Marked a major change in Northern war aims Emancipation Proclamation Shift in public opinion Blow against slavery would make Britain and France less likely to aid the South Weaken the confederacy Emancipate- "Free" all enslaved African Americans in the South On January 1st 1863 Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation Applied only to areas that the Confederacy controlled, it did not actually free anyone. Hoped it would encourage slaves to run away and many would Had the desired effect in Europe. Britain and France decided to withhold recognition of the Confederacy. Southern Victories In the winter of 1862- 1863 the south is winning The ride of war turns Lee decided to invade the North. In June of 1863 he begins moving north with 75000 troops. The two armies meet by accident on July 1st near the town of Gettysburg. Battle of Gettysburg Three days of fighting The Union held the high ground On the third day of battle, Lee decided to launch an attack the he hoped would destroy the Union army. Battle with largest number of casualties of the war. About 50,000 Often described as a turning point. It ended Lee's invasion of the North Pickett's Charge Around 14,000 Confederates advanced across and open field about a half-mile long. Barely half of the...
Words: 710 - Pages: 3
...After two long years of civil war fought between family and friends bound by their beliefs to uphold and fight for their constitutional rights, it would finally come to turning point at Gettysburg. For three days, the Union and Confederate armies fought ferociously over decisive battle ground that ultimately left both armies devastated with casualties to include the surrounding area. As illustrated by Gerard Patterson, in his book, Debris of Battle: The Wounded of Gettysburg, he writes “The scene in the town was but a fragment of the devastation evident over the twenty-five square mile area in which the battle had been waged.” (3). Four and half months after the “Battle of Gettysburg,” (Holzer, H et al, 139) President Lincoln successfully made his appeal to the resolve of...
Words: 539 - Pages: 3
...Former President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, in his speech, the “Gettysburg Address,” speaks out for the men who lost their life in the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln’s purpose was to dedicate the ground and to motivate the north to successfully finish off the war. To achieve his purpose, Lincoln uses rhetorical strategies such as repeated diction, parallelism, and juxtaposition. Throughout the speech he adopts a passionate and inspirational tone in order to motivate and give hope to his war-weary audience. Lincoln uses repeated diction to capture the reader’s attention and achieve his purpose of dedicating the ground. Repeated diction is the use of same grammatical structure within a sentence to show that topic is all of the same level of importance. Lincoln uses this rhetorical strategy when he states several times throughout his speech, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war…” “We are met on a great battle-field…” “We have come to dedicate a portion of that field…” “It is altogether fitting proper that we should do this,” (lines 4-8). By using the word “we” repeatedly Lincoln is making everybody in his...
Words: 602 - Pages: 3
...Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” has a strong and lasting influence on all those in attendance, including the friends and families of those who perished in the onslaught that occurred at Gettysburg. Lincoln memorialized those who lost their lives in the battle, while instilling a passion in the hearts of the remaining soldiers. Lincoln used pathos, repetition, and balanced phrasing to help him achieve his purpose. Many examples of emotional appeal can be found in the lines of the “Gettysburg Address.” Lincoln opens his speech by mentioning the ideals upon which this country was created. This reminded the audience of the freedom received with the writing of the “Declaration of Independence” and of victory over a conflicting power. Lincoln states “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” This statement immortalizes the sacrifices that the fallen soldiers made and reminds the audience their loved ones died for a cause and their sacrifices will never be forgotten. Lincoln uses repetition throughout his speech for effect. Lincoln states that “we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground.” Even though the words that he uses are synonymous, the repetition allows Lincoln to strengthen his point, that the sacrifice these men made vastly outweighs mere words alone. In the final sentence, Lincoln proclaims “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government...
Words: 456 - Pages: 2
