Nathan Bedford Forrest said at one time, "War means fighting, and fighting means killing. " Altogether nearly 45,000 men lost their lives at the Battle of Gettysburg alone. The North and the South have been fighting a bloody battle for about two years before Gettysburg. Going into this battle, the Confederates had most of the momentum. After they had a huge victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Lee was ready to make the bold move by moving his army up North. The Battle of Gettysburg started on July 1st, 1863. By the end of this fight, there was a new light for the Union. The Battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point in the war because of the geography, losses, and The Gettysburg Address.
Geography plays a major role in why Gettysburg was a turning point in the war. Up until this battle, most of the war has been fought in the South. Robert E. Lee took his troops and marched them up North to Gettysburg. (doc A.) This was a very bold move for the Confederates. It was going to be the first time the South was going to fight in the North. The South's goal was to scare the Union, and put more pressure on them. Another way geography took part in being a turning point is that since this battle was fought in the North, the Union finally had an advantage of knowing the land. (doc. A) Even though they would not be going into the battle with a lot of momentum, they still had the upperhand at knowing the ins and outs of the land. Altogether, the Union clearly had the advantage of the geography considering the battle was being fought in the North, and that this was the first time Lee's troops wouldn't be fighting on their home turf. .
There were major losses from the war and they show in number and in words. According to document B, between both sides there was an estimated 48,040 deaths just at the battle of Gettysburg alone. The two suffered tremendous losses, but particularly the Confederates.
