The Day That Turned The Tide

I have always been fascinated with history, but my favorite time to study is the Civil War. That's true for a lot of reasons. I have books on it, I took an elective in college on it, and one of my all time favorite movies is "Gettysburg," a five hour docu-drama on the three days that changed the outcome of the war.

Prior to Gettysburg, the Union Army was scuffling. Though they had superior forces and equipment, the Confederate Army had better tactics. But a couple things happened to change that. First, Stonewall Jackson, one of the best Confederate commanders, was killed. Second, the South was running short on money and men, so General Robert E. Lee felt pressured to push toward Washington, D.C. in an attempt to end the war.

As he pushed north, the cavalry — under the direction of J.E.B. Stuart — wasn't really doing what cavalry should do. So by the time the Confederate Army met the Union Army at Gettysburg, a battle both sort of stumbled into, luck was on the Union side.

There are many theories about why Lee chose to push the fight at Gettysburg despite being out manned and in bad position. Some think he was over confident, having beaten the Union Army so many times. Some think he was ill, suffering the effects of dysentery that dulled his normally sharp skills. Or he might just have been tired.

But whatever the reason, the Confederate Army pushed at Gettysburg for three bloody days. Both armies lost thousands of men, and when the dust cleared 150 years ago today, the Confederate Army had been dealt a death blow.

Sure, the war went on nearly two more years, but the tide had turned. The losses were too great for the Confederate Army, and their push toward Washington, D.C. had been arrested. On this day 150 years ago, the tide of the Civil War turned for good.

In honor of that, if you haven't seen "Gettysburg," I suggest you check it out or read the awesome novel from Michael Sharra, "The Killer Angels." It's a piece of historical fiction that's worth checking out.