-Suspension of Civil Liberties during the Civil War
Southerners:
John …show more content…
If they were lucky, they would vanquish the North after the North’s defeats at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. Confederates planned to capture Harrisburg, and then move on to Philadelphia and New York unless the North would propose peace. On the other side, Lincoln sent Union forces under the command of General George C. Meade to obstruct Lee’s path.
Lee and Meade’s forces clashed abruptly at Gettysburg. During the first two days, the Confederates pushed the Union forces with great strength. However, they were incapable of gaining the upper hand. On the third day, Lee decided that a full-blown attack on the Union center would cause the Union army to retreat. Accordingly, Lee ordered a strike on the frontal Union lines along the ironically named Cemetery Ridge.
Although Lee believed the Union army would meet defeat, it was the South that lost at Cemetery Ridge. The division that led the offense was almost obliterated. The battle of Gettysburg along with the loss of Vicksburg decided the start of the shattering of the Confederacy.