Civil War Turning Points
(A discussion of the turning points and major events)In this paper I shall discuss four points concerning the civil war in detail. The first issue addressed will be Professor McPherson's arguments in the text Ordeal by Fire and whether Antietam and Emancipation, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga, represent the three critical turning points in the Civil War. Second, I will rank the three points from greatest to least in terms of their importance on the Civil War. Third, I will add a fourth event I feel was significant to the turning of the war.The Union and Confederate Armies met at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862, in the bloodiest single day of the war: more than 4,000 died on both sides and 18,000 were wounded. McClellan failed to break Lee's lines or press the attack, and Lee was able to retreat across the Potomac with his army intact. The professor suggests that this may have been the major turning point in the Civil War. I would have to agree, had the confederates been successful in this battle it is quite possible the European nation would have become involved in the war. The European nations had a special interest in the war from a financi
Not only were they now unable to get supplies across the Mississippi river, but they where now fighting the war on two fronts. One thing which made the Confederate so tough in battle, was the fight for their new country and their willingness to endure. The people needed a will to fight, they had previously been given a reason. In addition to the devastation it caused, it allowed his troops to move continuously, living off the world around them, vacating the need for re-supply and creating a self sustained war machine. McClellan and his advisers had decided that union interest had to come before peace interest, however, this does not instill in me the confirmation that McClellan would have fought to end the war. Had they been able to fall back with minimal losses, they may have been able to regroup into a more offensive position and continue the quest to Washington. President Lincoln needed a strong showing by the Union troops to shift the focus of the war to a cause higher than man himself. This battle opened the door for Sherman, who marched through the Confederate states, leaving havoc in his wake. Emancipation may have very well been another reason why the European nations stayed out of the war. There are several reasons why these three battles are so significant to the Civil War. Once again the American people where fighting for freedom, something they understood and valued above all else. al point, since Most of the European nation and the south where dependent on the trade of cotton. History has shown us that psychological warfare is an invaluable tool, Sherman knew this as a key to victory. Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and ChattanoogaBelieving that the North's crushing defeat at Chancellorsville gave him his chance, Lee struck northward into Pennsylvania in July 1863, almost reaching the state capital at Harrisburg.
Common topics in this essay:
Civil War,
President Lincoln,
Sherman Confederate,
Republic Election,
Washington McClellan,
Potomac History,
Lookout Mountains,
Maryland September,
Pennsylvania July,
Confederate Army,
civil war,
confederate army,
vicksburg chattanooga,
gettysburg vicksburg,
european nation,
lee's army,
american people,
gettysburg vicksburg chattanooga,
european nations,
defeat confederate army,
war american,
involved war,
war american people,
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