Why were the battles at Gettysburg and Vicksburg significant? How did they change the tide of war strategically?
The Battle of Vicksburg was significant due to the important role it played in restoring dwindling morale in the Union Army. Before that point, Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg had ended in defeat for the Union, but Ulysses S. Grant saw a chance to make up for that in Vicksburg. Once there, one Union Army handled two Confederate armies at once, defeating them after a pitched battle. Tens of thousands of prisoners were taken, the Mississippi River fell under Union Control, and the Confederate army became bisected, cutting their effectiveness in half. This made them a lot easier to defeat for the remainder of the war (Henretta, 2010).
The Battle of Gettysburg became one of the largest and most important conflagrations the war would see. Both sides lost significant casualties, but the real turning point from the battle came from the Union’s destruction of the Confederate’s horse power; thousands of horses were killed on the Confederate Army’s side, which led to significantly weakened cavalry and an inability to resupply troops. Troops also lost their mobility, which made them much easier to take down. This significant loss of horses in this battle would weaken the Confederate army for the rest of the war. (Henretta, 2010).
comment: 1 Subject: 4. Why were the battles at Gettysburg and Vicksburg significant? How did they change the tide of war strategically?
Posted by Michael Sat Jul 9 11:15:43 2011.
Michael, I wholeheartedly agree with your assessment of why the battles were significant. The turning points of the war were here, both from a morale and supply standpoint. Vicksburg gave the Union the confidence it needed after major defeats, and Gettysburg led to a shortage of horses and mobility for the Confederate army.
comment 2:Subject: 1. What was "Manifest Destiny" as a set of ideas? Did it cause historical events or was it merely a description of events? What were those events?
NEW! Posted by Joseph Mon Jul 11 02:48:21 2011.
I agree with your post, Joseph, as Manifest Destiny was a major catalyst for many of the things that Americans did to expand their influence. It was because of this belief that America deserved to spread out to the Pacific that the Louisiana Purchase was made, and it led to the conquering of the Native Americans.
comment 3: Subject: Why did the North win the Civil War?
NEW! Posted by Jay Mon Jul 11 14:19:50 2011.
Jay, I think you have a good grasp of why the North won the Civil War; even the emancipation of slaves removed a major workforce from the Confederate supply lines, thus choking them and suffocating their ability to move and fight.
comment 4: Subject: Why did President Polk go to war with Mexico? Why did the war become so divisive in Congress and the country?
Posted by Anthony Sat Jul 9 14:55:41 2011.
Anthony, you are right in that Polk just wanted to expand westward even more; what’s more, Congress and the Whigs ended up being very upset once the real reasons for the war were revealed. They did not feel it was a good reason to lose lives and resources.
Comment 5: Post 4 - Why did President Polk go to war with Mexico? Why did the war become so divisive in Congress and the country?
NEW! Posted by Ruston Tue Jul 12 12:24:07 2011.
Ruston, I agree with your post – you are right about Polk merely wanting to expand the American Southwest, which was in keeping with Manifest Destiny. Also, the dubious morality of the Mexican war was what caused these rifts in Congress regarding what to do.
