The Gettysburg Stuffs

1) Research descriptions and overview of the battle, its importance to the war, key figures from both sides, dates, reasons why the battle was fought and the outcome.

Watch this video!@#! 

The battle of Gettysburg was quite important as it marked the turning point in the war. The Union looked stronger than ever in retaliation to Robert E. Lee who started the battle as an invasion of the North. Lee was looking at approximately 95,000 Union soldiers against his 75,000. It also goes down as one of the bloodiest battles in American History. It is the last time that the South invades Union territory for the duration of the war, and due to heavy casualties on the Confederate side, the remainder of the war is Lee running away from Grant..

Duration of the Battle: 3 days - July 1st 1863 through July 3rd 1863.

- Major figures at the battle were Confederate General Robert E. Lee, Union Major General George Gordon Meade, and Confederate General James Longstreet. James Longstreet was a replacement for the late Stonewall Jackson and got into a disagreement with Robert E. Lee in the midst of battle. Many historians believe that had Stonewall Jackson been alive to contribute to this battle, the outcome would not be in the favour of the Union and Longstreet's foolish decision against Lee could've been avoided. Since the battle was a big invasion from the South, the Union had little time to prepare a defensive line for the battle, yet General Meade somehow succeeded which made him a notable hero during this battle. (Connors)  Gettysburg was overall important because it was a decisive battle that was won by the Union. Gettysburg was fought in 1863 July 1^st-July 3^rd . (Fielding, Kent, Class discussion).

Important world events during the time of the war:

1). First Taranaki War ends in New Zealand. (March 19, 1861)

2). The first Melbourne Cup, Australian horse race in Victoria (November 5th, 1861)

3). The guy that invented Basketball was born. (November 6th, 1861)

4). The Spanish and the British end their alliance with France in the French intervention in Mexico. (April 1st, 1862)

5). The Gatling gun is invented/patented. (Date Unknown)

6). Construction of the first section of the London Underground Railway is finished. (January 10th, 1863)

7). The Football Association is formed! (October 26, 1863)

8). Henry Ford, father of the assembly line, is born. (July 30, 1863) <--just 27 days after the battle.

9). Pope Pius IX condemns theological liberalism and socialism. (December 8, 1864)

10). Nathaniel Hawthorne dies (May 19, 1864) Bwahahaha!

Casualties:

Union casualties numbered 23,040 (3,155 killed, 14,530 wounded and 5,365 missing). Confederate casualties are tougher to measure and estimates have ranged as high as 28,000. However recent studies have the number at 23,231 (4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded, 5,830 missing). (Sarich) 

Approx. 3,000 in Horses

                  37,574 Rifles; Approx. 24,000 with bullets still with them.

You'll need to list your sources in proper MLA format.

Bibliography
Connors, Tiffany. How the Battle of Gettysburg Worked. 17 March 2011. 7 February 2012 <http://history.howstuffworks.com/american-civil-war/battle-of-gettysburg2.htm>.

Fielding, Kent. Civil War Class Discussion U.S. History Class. 2 February 2012.

Historyking. Facts About the Battle of Gettysburg. 24 November 2011. 7 February 2012 <http://www.historyking.com/American-History/timeline/1850-1899/battle-of-gettysburg/Facts-About-The-Battle-Of-Gettysburg.html>.

s003.jw04bps. "The Battle of Gettysburg." 20 February 2011. Glogster. 7 February 2012 <http://s003.jw04bps.edu.glogster.com/the-battle-of-gettysburg/>.

Service, National Park. Thomas J Jackons. 18 March 2010. 7 February 2012 <http://www.nps.gov/hafe/historyculture/thomas-j-jackson.htm>.

Wikipedia. 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864. 12 January 2012. 7 February 2012 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1861>.

Pictures of battlefield and important key figures:

General James Longstreet

General Robert E. Lee

Gettysburg

Project doohickie