Gettysburg: The Topography That Saved the United States

Abstract

Many scholars have analyzed the Battle of Gettysburg and the factors that determined its outcome. This work argues that the topographical features on the extreme left flank of the Union army, which the Union troops held on July 2, were the primary factors in a Federal victory at Gettysburg. Focusing on the second day of the battle and the terrain the two armies fought over on the left flank of the Union army, this article combines an analysis of topography and leadership in what would prove to be a pivotal Confederate defeat at the high tide of the Civil War. It argues that the deficiency of Confederate knowledge about the terrain of southeastern Pennsylvania the Union troops’ supreme position, and natural protections such as rocks, trees, and elevation, were decisive contributors to Union victory. Ben Wyman graduated from the University of Maine with a dual BA in History and Political Science, and later an MA in Communication. His first article, The American Dream, Equal Opportunity, and Obtaining the Vote was published in the inaugural edition of the Cohen Journal in 2015. He currently lives in Portland, Maine.