The aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg is what has led many historians to say that this battle is the turning point in the American Civil War. The most common focal point of Gettysburg being the turning point in the war is the fact that General Lee’s forces would be rendered ineffective offensively for the remainder of the war. Lee’s army became a reactionary force that would only act when provoked by the forces that were commanded by the Union General Ulysses S. Grant. It is because of this that many have said that if the battle had turned the other way and the Confederates were victorious that the war would have come to an abrupt end . This is also where the Union could have won that decisive victory and gained complete control over …show more content…
It would be Lee’s forces that would draw out the siege of Richmond later in the war. President Lincoln said the following to General Halleck in regards to Meade finishing Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia, “Now, if Gen. Meade can complete his work so gloriously prosecuted thus far, by the literal or substantial destruction of Lee's army, the rebellion will be over” . Although Meade would adhere to the wishes of the President, he did not do so in an aggressive enough manner that would allow him to catch and destroy Lee’s army before it crossed the Potomac River. Meade ended his pursuit after the Battle at Manassas Gap and took up a position across the Rappahannock River from Lee and his forces who had reached the safety of Confederate controlled territory . Although viewed as a turning point in the Civil War, it did not bring the war to an abrupt end as many had hoped. The failure of Meade to destroy Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia, although crippled, still allowed the Confederacy to have a defensive element in the Eastern Theater, even if they lacked an …show more content…
His intentions were unknown other than the intentions of Jefferson Davis. The Confederate President was hoping that Stephens would make to Washington from the south at the same time that Lee was arriving from the north after being victorious at Gettysburg. However once Lincoln heard the news of Union victory at Gettysburg he did not allow Stephens to cross Union lines into Washington. The hope of being seen as a legitimate country in the eyes of European countries dies with the Confederacy loss. Henry Adams said, “The disasters of the rebels are unredeemed by even any hope of success. It is now conceded that all idea of intervention is at an end” . Although many in the Confederacy attempted to portray the defeat in a positive light, to include Lee, it would not belong until Gettysburg became the focal point of addressing the Confederate goals as a lost cause. The loss at Gettysburg would be viewed as a lost opportunity for the Confederacy, a victory would have left nothing between them and a siege on the Union capital of