How the Rebels Could Have Won Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was the most influential turning point of the Civil War, and involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war. It is indisputable that regardless of the outcome, significant amounts of lives would have been lost in this unexpected battle between the Union and Confederate Armies. However, if certain intelligence factors were different, would there have been an alternative outcome to the battle? The objective of this paper is to dive into the Battle of Gettysburg and address some of the key points where communication was of the utmost importance to the success of either side. More specifically, the correct or incorrect use of Morse code, used by Gen. George G. Meade, …show more content…
Gen. Meade was not only defending the north, but he was defending the capital of Washington DC. Meade had nearly all of his men at the Battle of Gettysburg on those hills and he knew that if he lost this battle, there would be nothing standing in the way of Gen. Lee and the capital. Gen. Lee also had all of his troops swarming to the north, to win the war. He too, knew that if this battle were lost, the war would soon be over, as the Union would invade the south with very little to no defense. The battle of Devil’s Den and Little Round Top was a success to the Confederates. If communications were not in place for the Union, Gen. Hood would have been in a perfect position to dig his troops in and cut off communications and supplies to the Union Armies. Hood would have the rear flanking advantage with opportunity to call for reinforcements, and eventually hit the Union troops from all angles. With the ability to cut off the Unions supplies, they would not have additional artillery shells, ammo, or even food to the troops fortified on the hills. In the original battle, there was a memorable moment called, “Pickett’s Charge.” “The charge was repulsed by the Union rifle and artillery fire, at great losses to the Confederate Army” (“The Battle of Gettysburg Summary & Facts,” 2014). Without the huge supply of artillery shells from the Baltimore Pike, this showdown would not have been so detrimental to …show more content…
More specifically, the battle of Devil’s Den and Little Round Top, which was a key point in the entire battle between the Union and Confederate Armies. Based on the negligence of Daniel Sickle, ignoring orders by Gen. Meade and pulling his troops off the defensive line could have been detrimental to the Union Army and costed them the entire battle, if not the War. I think that as a result to the alternate ending of the Confederates winning the battle of Gettysburg, today, as we know it would be completely different. Slavery could very well be prevalent in today’s society, or at least taken a lot longer to outlaw as opposed to our current history. It is impossible to predict the other ramifications that could have arose due to the complexity of the topic but it is definite that life would be significantly
The Battle of Gettysburg was the most influential turning point of the Civil War, and involved the largest number of casualties of the entire war. It is indisputable that regardless of the outcome, significant amounts of lives would have been lost in this unexpected battle between the Union and Confederate Armies. However, if certain intelligence factors were different, would there have been an alternative outcome to the battle? The objective of this paper is to dive into the Battle of Gettysburg and address some of the key points where communication was of the utmost importance to the success of either side. More specifically, the correct or incorrect use of Morse code, used by Gen. George G. Meade, …show more content…
Gen. Meade was not only defending the north, but he was defending the capital of Washington DC. Meade had nearly all of his men at the Battle of Gettysburg on those hills and he knew that if he lost this battle, there would be nothing standing in the way of Gen. Lee and the capital. Gen. Lee also had all of his troops swarming to the north, to win the war. He too, knew that if this battle were lost, the war would soon be over, as the Union would invade the south with very little to no defense. The battle of Devil’s Den and Little Round Top was a success to the Confederates. If communications were not in place for the Union, Gen. Hood would have been in a perfect position to dig his troops in and cut off communications and supplies to the Union Armies. Hood would have the rear flanking advantage with opportunity to call for reinforcements, and eventually hit the Union troops from all angles. With the ability to cut off the Unions supplies, they would not have additional artillery shells, ammo, or even food to the troops fortified on the hills. In the original battle, there was a memorable moment called, “Pickett’s Charge.” “The charge was repulsed by the Union rifle and artillery fire, at great losses to the Confederate Army” (“The Battle of Gettysburg Summary & Facts,” 2014). Without the huge supply of artillery shells from the Baltimore Pike, this showdown would not have been so detrimental to …show more content…
More specifically, the battle of Devil’s Den and Little Round Top, which was a key point in the entire battle between the Union and Confederate Armies. Based on the negligence of Daniel Sickle, ignoring orders by Gen. Meade and pulling his troops off the defensive line could have been detrimental to the Union Army and costed them the entire battle, if not the War. I think that as a result to the alternate ending of the Confederates winning the battle of Gettysburg, today, as we know it would be completely different. Slavery could very well be prevalent in today’s society, or at least taken a lot longer to outlaw as opposed to our current history. It is impossible to predict the other ramifications that could have arose due to the complexity of the topic but it is definite that life would be significantly