Civil War Rifles

Can anyone please check my essay and if u can tell me what to edit and what to add. My essay is about the civil war and how it ended and the important events that helped to end it. This is my exit project and i just want to make sure it is all right. My essay:
The Civil War of America was one of the struggles the Americans had to face during the 1860’s. The civil war was between the Unions and the Confederate. The Union was the actual American state and the rebellion states were called the Confederates. It was a very difficult time for us. The events that happened during the civil war are very crucial to the modern age. A lot of laws have been during the Civil War which is still respected even today. In the next few paragraphs I am going to talk about the events that helped to end the Civil War.
Firstly, the slaves being free, is a very important event during the Civil War. From a long time President Lincoln believed that slavery was “wrong but necessary”. Therefore, on September 22, 1962, Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation. It warned that on January 1, 1963, anyone held as a slave in the state still in rebellion against the United States would be emancipated. Then on January 1, 1963, Lincoln issued the formal emancipation proclamation. It stated that on January 1, 1963 all slaves in the union and the state that is in rebellion to the United States should be free. Since the rebelling states were not under the Union control no slaves actually gained freedom on January 1, 1963. The proclamation completely changed the war’s purpose. Before, the war was about reserving the union, after the proclamation, it became a fight for slaves freedom. It also allowed free blacks to enlist in the union army. In the website http://www.lib.niu.edu/1997/ihy970237.html I found the quote “slavery is wrong but necessary.”
Next, right after the slaves being free and joining the union forces the unions had more people and it was difficult for the confederate forces to win. Nevertheless, the Battle of Chancellorsville was one of the battles that proved the above statement wrong. The Battle of Chancellorsville was a major battle of the American Civil War, fought near the village of Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia, from April 30 to May 6, 1863. The Confederate forces, commanded by Lee and Jackson defeated the Union forces in three days. Although, the South won the battle, they had to face a severe loss. At dusk, nervous confederate sentries fired at what they thought to be a Union soldier. The “Union soldier” turned out to be Stonewall Jackson. Jackson died as a result of his injury several days later. In respect for Jackson, Lee said “I have lost my right arm.” I found this information in the book “American Nation” pg 472.
The Battle of Chancellorsville showed us that the Confederate forces had lost one of their major generals. But right after the Battle of Chancellorsville, a major battle took place and that battle was called the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg is supposed to be the turning point for the Union troops. The Battle of Gettysburg happened from 1st of July till the 3rd of July in a town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Confederate forces had destroyed the union troops’ corps and although the Confederate forces had clearly won they had to retreat because their troops were short numbered and they had low amount of supplies. The Battle of Gettysburg left more than 160,000 Americans either wounded or killed. I found this information on the website http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/battle.htm.
The Gettysburg Address was a speech by Abraham Lincoln delivered on November 19, 1863. The Battle of Gettysburg and the speech were four months apart from each other. In his Gettysburg Address Lincoln said that the Civil War was a test of whether or not a democratic nation could survive. He reminded Americans that their nation was founded on the belief that “all men are created equally”. Lincoln’s aim in his speech was to give honor to the people who died fighting for our nation in hope that there would still be a nation in the end. Few people listened to the Gettysburg Address and it was a flat failure. But in the later generations people have honored Lincoln for his speech. I found this information in the book “American Nation” pg. 475.
Lincoln made it clear in his speech that the only way to win the war is a total war against the Confederate forces. He knew that the North could replace their supplies but the South could not. He also knew that the battle was coming to an end. On April 2, 1865 General Grant of the Union forces took over Petersburg, and on the same day Richmond, the capital of the Confederate, fell. Lee and his army were sheltering at Petersburg and after the attack Lee and his army withdrew from Petersburg to a small Virginia town called Appomattox Courthouse. There, a week later, they were trapped by Union troops. Lee knew that his men would be slaughtered if they kept fight