Why Was the Battle of Gettysburg Important?

In a war that left slaughtered soldiers all over the hills, why was the Battle of Gettysburg important? The importance of a single battle is often only understood long after the events have taken place. Looking from the 21st century back at the worst time in our nation’s history, the heartache over lives lost in the war mingles with the questions that plague us... why did the differences of a country bring us to such a bloody and angry solution? The answer stems from the fact that our country was split by civil war in 1861 over the issue of slavery.

The Battle of Gettysburg was fought between July 1 and July 3, 1864. This battle caused the greatest number of casualties of the entire war.

As historians examine the record of the war, many have offered their opinions that the Battle of Gettysburg was perhaps the most important battle of the war and some have even gone so far as to suggest that it was the turning point of the war.

The Battle of Gettysburg was very important for a number of reasons. An overview of the reasons follows and should answer the question, why was the Battle of Gettysburg important.

The South Before the Battle

Prior to the Battle of Gettysburg, the South had not yet had any significant defeats over the North; they hadn’t obtained their independence from the United States and they had yet to attract any foreign power to aid their cause.

When the war began, they had expected to be able to win their independence from the Union in a relatively short period. However, it had been three years of hard fought battles and they were still not any closer to achieving independence.

It was perhaps, foreseeable that the South was doomed to defeat in the war. They lacked the number of men that would be required to defeat the North. They also lacked the resources to be able to wage a war of any prolonged length of time. The North had an almost unending supply of recruits and, with the manufacturing might of the northern states, they had supplies with which to field those recruits.

The North continued to supply troops to their ranks and there seemed no end to the flow. The South, on the other hand, had limited resources and against an enemy that seemed to have inexhaustible aid, there was no hope for victory.

The only hope they clung to that could lead them to success involved enlisting the aid of a foreign power. France was a likely candidate, but after the American Navy blockaded all seaports of the Confederacy, they declined to enter into the war.

The Battle of Gettysburg

While battles prior to Gettysburg had been fought on the soil of slave states, this was the first battle that was fought on the soil of a free state.

General Lee desired to show the power of the South by taking the war into the North. His reasoning was that if he could take Gettysburg, then the North would have to admit the power and rights of the South. His efforts were defeated. Instead, the army of the South was sent home a loser.

The battle could have turned the opposite way had the leadership by Lee been better carried out. Orders that he gave to his commanders weren’t executed in a timely manner and, because of the delays, Lee’s army lost the initiative they had at the start of the battle. This gave the army of the North much needed time to entrench themselves on the high ground and make it virtually impossible to be defeated.

Of course, although neither side knew it at the time, the Gettysburg battle would have been a decisive blow to the South because at the same time as the Battle of Gettysburg was being waged, the Battle of Vicksburg was being fought and also was won by the Union. This succeeded in the North achieving control of the Mississippi River's entire length.

Many aspects were in play that programmed the defeat of the South at Gettysburg. There really was no other outcome that could have resulted from the factors. Because of the decisive loss in the two battles waged during that time, the South ultimately realized they would be unable to defeat the North. That is the short answer to the question, why was the Battle of Gettysburg important.