After the Confederate army’s decisive victory at Chancellorsville on May 4, 1863, General Robert E. Lee decided to capitalize on this momentum and led 75,000 Confederate troops up to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. General Lee primarily committed this offensive in an attempt to attack Washington D.C. from the North even though another main objective was to secure supplies for his exhausted army. The Confederate Army attacked strategic locations throughout the Civil War as a major tactic to gain the resources and supplies they lacked. Therefore, the objective to secure supplies from Gettysburg followed the trend of the Confederate army, and did not prove to be a significant factor in altering the course of the war. On the other hand, the fact that the Confederate’s leading general, Robert E. Lee, led the Confederate army in addition to the army’s size and objective to capture Washington D.C. differed from many of the previous events of the Civil War and set the stage for a major event to occur, the Battle of …show more content…
One such event includes the delivery of the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863, which the Battle of Gettysburg promoted. Lincoln delivered his speech to commemorate the soldiers who fought at the Battle of Gettysburg, and to dedicate ground to the dead soldiers. In addition, the Gettysburg Address also rededicated the Union to the war effort causing a surge in determination throughout the remainder of the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg did not play the only part in revitalizing the determination of the Union; the Confederate surrender at the Battle of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863 also likely influenced the determination revival due to the battle’s importance. The Union victory at the Battle of Vicksburg effectively split the Confederate States of America is half, severely limiting the Confederate’s power. As a result, the Union realized that the end of the war was in sight and a similar spirit of determination arose. This new revitalized determination indirectly caused by the Battle of Gettysburg and Battle of Vicksburg prompted additional battles on Confederate land and proved to be a major aspect in the turning point that led to the end of the war. The Union determination enticed Sherman’s March to the Sea and his campaign to capture Atlanta which ultimately led to the conclusion of the Civil War. Although the Battle of Gettysburg cannot receive