The Current Shifts

The battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the war for several reasons. One reason it was the turning point in the war is because there was so many casualties on both sides. This is such a large factor because the Union only lost 2% of their army while the Confederates lost 8%. The Confederates were not only outnumbered but they were also they were running low on supplies supplies by the end of this battle. After the battle of Gettysburg the Confederacy was low on supplies and the Union was making it harder to resupply the guns and ammo by cutting off the Confederates trade and  railroads. The final reason that Gettysburg was the turning point is the Confederates were losing their morale. Meaning that they were losing their will to fight the war.

Although total war was looked down upon by many because it is destructive and violent, I believe that it was just for the Union to do it. By destroying their farms, houses and transportation they were not only destroying the Confederates supply of food and revenue, but the Confederates will to fight them. Since the Union did decide to put total war into effect, the war not only ended sooner, but with a lot less casualties. All in all it was just for Grant, Sheridan, and Sherman to conduct total war.

After the war both sides had different reactions. After the war was over most in the North were very happy while others broke down. There were fireworks in Washington to celebrate the victory. Also after the war Abraham Lincoln played Dixy to celebrate the end of the war.The Southerners reaction however was the exact opposite. Not only did they lose the war, but they were coming homing to looted and pillaged homes, factories, and farms. The south felt sad that they had lost, but were relieved that the war was over. The South reacted by honoring General Lee for his time in battle. Both the Union and Confederate soldiers were exhausted mentally and physically and now had to go home and try to adjust to normal life. Although the Civil war was over the Confederacy had one final attack, the assassination of Lincoln. Once they had assassinated him, Lincoln's followers were furious. They found John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices and hung them for their crimes against the United States. The loss of their president made the north go into a state of mourning. All in all the civil war was a success for the Union, but came at the cost of their great leaders life.



http://www.edline.net/files/_zJGlm_/e138f1107c0f1a0f3745a49013852ec4/Activity_7_-_The_Tide_Turns_Class_Notes.pdf.

http://www.edline.net/files/_zGHaC_/af6d0e7ca09b73443745a49013852ec4/Gettysburg_DBQ_-_Student_Version.pdf


http://www.edline.net/files/_zJGmH_/73806d67d37ac8b83745a49013852ec4/Lincolns_Assassination_Document_Analysis.pdf

Lincoln's Changing Views

At the end of the Civil War there was one unanswered question,  who really had freed the slaves?  Some say it was the Union because the slaves were  able to take refuge in their camps,  but others say that the slaves are the ones who took the step to free themselves.

When the Union invaded the South  they had were not planning on picking up slaves along the way.  But by and by slaves started coming out of hiding to meet up with the Union troops.  They would wait in abandoned confederate towns for the Union troops and while the slaves were there they raided there former masters house for jewelry, money, clothes.  The slaves felt that it was there right to do it because there owners bought that with the money the slaves had earned them. In a way this was the slaves push for freedom, being abandoned by and looting their masters and showing up in Union camps, they were forcing Lincolns hand to declare there freedom. All in all that is why so many think the freedom of slaves came from below.

Others think that freedom came from above for the slaves. One reason many people believe that power came from above was the fact that it was actually the Union who made the difference. Although the African Americans made the first push by showing up at the Union camps, it was the governments response to that, that truly set them free. So in turn really freedom came from below and above, because if it weren't the slaves showing up at Union camps, Lincoln might have never declared the slaves of the Confederacy free.