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He was put in a difficult position, since "Lincoln and the Republicans could not tolerate for long the presence of the most famous Rebel army on Northern Soil" (Gallagher 127). Meade himself "arrived upon the battle-field at one in the morning, pale, tired-looking, hollow-eyed, and worn out from want of sleep, anxiety, and the weight of responsibility" (Rhodes 672). He proceeded to lead with a commitment that matched that of his older, more experienced adversary.
With significantly less troops at the outset of the battle, the North turned the tide of the war in their favor. They achieved this with patient and careful decision-making. Meade, to his credit, "decided to await attack, and if he had studied closely the character and history of his energetic adversary,...
As in many other instances in life, the choice of when to be on the offensive vs. The defensive was critical. The South's final advance on Cemetery Ridge was an example of how the proud and foolhardy Confederacy met its end. The blow to the reputation and character of Lee's army was almost as shocking as the thousands that lay dead in the wake of the great battle. The battle was a victory of mood for the North, as it "demonstrated that Lee and his army were not invincible, and that the Confederates had lost in playing the card of an invasion of the North" (Rhodes 677). They found themselves now on the defense, no longer aspiring conquerors.
History is made in the choices of both great and fallible men. The leadership for both the Union and the Confederacy were tested at Gettysburg and the South was found wanting. Gettysburg, in turn, changed the momentum of the war and though important battles followed, none was so resonant a victory and so historic a moment as was fought there in the hills of Pennsylvania.
Works Cited
Gallagher, Gary W. Three Days at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership.
Kent, OH: Kent State UP, 1999.
Rhodes, James Ford. "The Battle of Gettysburg." The American…
Works Cited
Gallagher, Gary W. Three Days at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership.
Kent, OH: Kent State UP, 1999.
Rhodes, James Ford. "The Battle of Gettysburg." The American Historical Review 4.4 (1899):
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