Gettysburg and Antietam

Paper Summary:

The purpose of this paper is to introduce discuss and analyze the topic of the American Civil War. Specifically, it discusses the battles of Gettysburg and Antietam to determine which was the turning point of the war. It concludes that, although many believe the Battle of Antietam was the turning point in the Civil War, in reality the turning point was the Battle of Gettysburg, for a number of compelling reasons.

From the Paper:

"In geographic space, the sites of two of the greatest battles of the Civil War, Antietam and Gettysburg, are only about an hour away from the each other. The Battle of Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862, outside the small town of Sharpsburg, Maryland. (The Confederates refer to this war as the Battle of Sharpsburg.) The Battle of Gettysburg was fought over several days in July 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, culminating with a Union victory on July 3, celebrated on July 4. Neither battle ended the war, and each battle was hugely significant at the time. However, Gettysburg was the turning point of the war, ultimately leading to Union victory and Confederate defeat. The war raged on for two more years after Gettysburg, but the South was never as strong or as successful after this battle."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Editors. "Antietam National Battlefield." National Park Service. 2007. 2 May 2007.<http://www.nps.gov/anti/battle.htm>
• Kinsel, Amy J. "9 From Turning Point to Peace Memorial: a Cultural Legacy." The Gettysburg Nobody Knows. Ed. Gabor S. Boritt. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. 203-222.
• McPherson, James M. Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
• Nofi, Albert A. The Gettysburg Campaign, June-July 1863. Conshohocken, PA: Combined Publishing, 1997.
• Steele, Matthew Forney. American Campaigns. Washington, DC: B. S. Adams, 1909.

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