Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Gettysburg

The battle of Gettysburg was a major northern victory because it was the turning point of the war, giving the northern states the advantage, which led to the ultimate winning of the war because of the military, political, and economic downfalls of the south.
The battle of Gettysburg left the military of the south in complete awe considering the fact that they would never be on the offensive again because of the great loss during the battle. This battle resulted in the loss of about 23,231 soldiers of the confederate army. Due to the amazing military intelligence of the north, they were able to suffice to the complete destruction of the south in this battle completely turning the war around. Also, due to the greatness of the casualties, the south saw the north differently. The south began to see that the north was able to fight for itself and defend itself. In conclusion, the military of the south was in complete awe over the victory of the north because it hurt them militarily badly.
Furthermore, the economy of the southern states was damaged highly in accordance to this battle and is said to have been ruined by many historians. Some historians have come to discover that war bonds after the battle of Gettysburg dropped significantly. This shows that the people of the south were concerned about how the economy was being taken care of because of war costs of casualties and other things such as guns and ammunition and other factors. Also, after the news of the big loss had reached London, the European leaders decided to diminish their recognition of the south. This exhibits that the failure of the south in this battle cut off some of their support from people they were counting on causing them to ultimately lose the war. In conclusion, the loss at Gettysburg highly damaged the economy of the south because the people lost faith in their government and everything was basically cut off.
Finally, the battle of Gettysburg also had a major effect on the political section of the south. This battle basically decided the war in favor of the union and this meant that the two opposing enemies would now follow the order of the north. This means that the south had to completely disregard any of their political opposition because the north won and they basically had control over the south. Also, the favoring of the south to win before the war was at about 42% and after the war it was 15%. This shows that the people of the south began to lose faith in their part of the country and have the mentality that they were not in a good position. In conclusion, the political views of the south were completely abolished due to the battle of Gettysburg because they had to take upon the likings of the winners of the war.
In conclusion, the battle of Gettysburg was a very important victory for the north because it was their first major victory in the war and it allowed them to beat the south by crushing their economy, political environment, and military simultaneously.

No comments: