The Battle of Gettysburg - analiza zrodel historycznych (zdjecie, piosenka i dokument) w jezyku angielskim

INTRODUCTION

The Civil War was a war between two parts of the United States, the Union in the North and the Confederate in the South. It was the effort of the Union to keep together the United States. In Poland we call the Civil War the “War of Secession.” In my opinion it is very good name for it. In the “Gettysburg Address” Lincoln said, “Fourscore and seven years ago, our father brought forth upon this continent a new Nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now, we are engaged in a great Civil War, testing whether that Nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.”
The Battle of Gettysburg was the biggest and the deadliest battle in Civil War. It was a few days long. When Confederate General Lee decided to take the war to the enemy on June 13 1963, he defeated the Union forces at Winchester, Virginia, and continued north to Pennsylvania. General Hooker, who had been planning to attack Richmond, was instead forced to follow Lee. Hooker, never comfortable with his commander, General Halleck, resigned on June 28, and General George Meade replaced him as commander of the Army of the Potomac.
On July 1, a chance encounter between Union and Confederate forces began the Battle of Gettysburg. In the fighting that followed, Meade had greater numbers and better defensive positions. He won the battle, but failed to follow Lee as he retreated back to Virginia. Militarily, the Battle of Gettysburg was the high-water mark of the Confederacy; it is also significant because it ended Confederate hopes of formal recognition by foreign governments. On November 19, President Lincoln dedicated a portion of the Gettysburg battlefield as a national cemetery.

“The old hero of Gettysburg”

“The old hero of Gettysburg” is a photography taken by Timothy H. O’Sullivan in July 1863. In this picture we see an old man who is sitting in a chair outside of a building. We don’t know he is from the South or the North. Probably this situation took place after the Battle of Gettysburg. The man is dressed in regular, light color clothes. His face looks mature and tired. He is thinking about something, probably something sad. We know it from his expression. He is looking at something, but we do not know for what. Maybe he is waiting for someone or something? In this picture, we see two important things, which we need to interpret it; the gun and the crutches. I think they are the symbols of hero’s bravery, courage and sacrifice. We assume he was a good soldier who was fighting with determination and courage. He became injured and maybe now he is not sure that this war was right. Maybe that is what he is thinking about? People from one nation had to fight with each other. Even that the Southerns and the Northerns were different they felt they are one country. I think the problem of the veterans was hard to solve for both, the South and the North.
In my opinion the author of this picture did not want to show us the situation of one soldier only, but he wanted to explain to us the veteran’s problem. Men who fought in Gettysburg lost not only health but a chance for normal life, too. They had to fight and kill. It changed their minds forever, but they got no recompense.
This man’s image shocks us. He does not look like the hero in our imagination. He is more like a regular man. But his face shows something more. I think the main problem of the man on the picture are those questions “Was this war right? Did we get what we really fought for? Was it really necessary?” And nobody can give him answers except himself because only he knows what is more important for him, the well-being of the Union and the whole or one soldier’s life.

“General meadle, the hero of Gettysburg”

This song was written by J. H. Johnson and published in June 4, 1865. Its tone is triumphal and happy. It was written for General Meade, who was one of the main leaders of the Union’s army. This song refers to the triumph advance of the Northern army under General Meade. Actually, the whole song is about the General. Is speaks about his qualities and his acts.
The metaphors which author used are very interesting. He compared him to a knight of the Middle Age: “he comes like a conqueror, with bright armor gleaming”. He used some things, which are from old Greek culture. The example of those is “a fresh laurels wreathed on his brow”, which symbolize the winner. Another interesting thing is that the author used a few different choruses, not only one repeated.
The difference between the portrayals of the hero in “General Meadle, the hero of the Gettysburg” and in “The old hero of Gettysburg” surprised me. Both titles are very similar but they show us two different kinds of hero. One of them is a famous, popular general with a great career, and the other one is an old man without the health and with no predictions for future. For General Meade, Johnson wrote the song, about old man almost none know. Which of them is the real hero?
For the Union it was great but the deadliest victory and for the South that was the greatest disaster. But I think both were unhappy of the end of this battle. To many people died, to many things they lost…

“Gettysburg address”

Abraham Lincoln’s address was delivered in Gettysburg on November 19, 1863. Lincoln wrote it after the victory in Gettysburg. This address was about the reasons of the war and the price of the win. This document was created for soldiers who were fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg; “The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our power to add or detract.” Lincoln tried to comfort the nation by this address. He one more time repeated that the most important thing is to save the Union. The “Gettysburg address” is like the letter to the nation in which the President appealed for “this Nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom; and that government of the People by the People and for the People shall not perish from the earth”. That was one more proof for the South that Lincoln wanted to save the Union, no to destroy the South. This document became one of the most important papers of American history.