Gettysburg

Armies under Union General George Gordon Meade of the Army of the Potomac, and Confederate General Robert 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 reco...

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...The Confederacy failed in its attempt to gain recognition and thus, had no chance of success.

The Battle of Gettysburg represented the beginning of the final climactic disintegration of the Confederacy. As a result of that battle, Southern attempts to invade the North were abandoned, and they were forced to engage in a defensive war. The loss changed the likelihood of Confederate victory to unfavorable. The Union naval blockade, victory at Vicksburg (which split the South), and overpowering manufacturing base all contributed to the defeat of the South. Gettysburg was a catalyst which sparked the true end for the South. Although Meade was overcautious and did not pursue Lee, Lee's army was severely demoralized and depleted of men. The disheartened and weakened Army of Northern Virginia would go on to lose every major battle fought in Virginia for the rest of the War.