Gettysburg
...E. Lee encountered each other on July 1-3 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in the infamous and most virulent battle of the Civil War, with over 43,000 casualties out of approximately 150,000 men. The battle destroyed the Confederacy's attempt to wage an offensive war and constrained them to a defensive strategy. Further, inadequacies in manufacturing and transportation intensely impeded any chance for success. The United States and Britain were engaged in a profitable exchange of goods. Conflict between the civil and military forces of the South led to the assertion that the government was becoming a military dictatorship. Instability and dependence on foreign nations led to the political demise of the Confederacy. Without foreign recognition and intervention, the South would be doomed to defeat. Coupled with previous Union victories, Gettysburg confirmed to the British that the Confederacy's chances were inauspicious, and that recognition and intervention would be imprudent. Thus, all prospect for a Southern victory was destroyed.
Confederate hopes were lifted after its victory at the Second Battle of Bull Run, but depressed after the Union victory at Antietam. Ambrose Powell Hill's victory at Fredericksburg and Lee and 'Stonewall' Jackson's victory at Chancellorsville opened an opportunity for the South. Lee took the initiative and divided his army into three corps under Longstreet, Ewell, and Hill and prepared for an invasion of Pennsylvania. Lee's decision was consistent with previous Southern strategies that proposed an offensive strike into the North, which would increase Northern war-weariness and force the North into recognition of Southern independence. The better prepared and equipped Northern troops, though, were able to acquire strategic high positions like Little Round Top and Cemetery Hill. After initial victory, the Confederates were slow to...
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