Was Gettysburg the only and main definitive turning point of the Civil War?

p Was Gettysburg the only and main definitive turning point of the Civil War

Gettysburg : Turning Point of the Civil War Although the battle of Gettysburg has become a central symbol in the American historical consciousness for a sort of "breaking point " in the Civil War , cold historical evidence enables the studious observer to realize that the battle of Gettysburg , although a highly significant event during the course of the American Civil War , was neither "the changing point , nor a battle which spelled the immediate doom of the Confederacy . Although the

battle of Gettysburg did spell the end of Lee 's invasion of the North and it certainly put Lee 's army on a nearly-permanent defensive footing , the battle hardly signified a point at which the tide of the war turned irrevocably away from the South Even though Gettysburg was a terrible loss for the South "There were still good opportunities for the Confederacy in 1864 . Lincoln 's re-election in November 1864 very much depended on (belated ) military success[ .] In short , the Confederacy was not inevitably a 'Lost Cause (Farmer , 2005

Significantly enough , Grant 's successful conquest of Vicksburg , which was completed militarily on the same day as the final day 's battle of Gettysburg , can be demonstrated to have played a much larger role in crippling the confederacy and spoiling its chance to gain foreign recognition and foreign intervention which might break the Union naval blockade which was enacted at the war 's beginning as part of the Union "Anaconda " strategy . The blockade and the Northern control of the Mississippi river proved devastating to the Confederacy

Because the US Navy prevented coastal shipping at least as efficiently as it interdicted foreign shipments , the South lost one of its major antebellum transportation assets . An underdeveloped rail system could not handle the demands of a wartime economy and simultaneously absorb the increased burden formerly borne by inter-coastal shipping (Bartholomees , 2003 In to find a successful conclusion to the war , the South was required to do more than simply defend itself , it must "wear down Northern will . A long bloody war was the best way to do this . The war was long and bloody but Northern will endured (Farmer , 2005 ) The problem that faced the South was less one of military capacity , but of material and time . These factors contributed , no doubt , to Lee 's decision to bring the fight to the Union , to invade the North , and to attack Meade 's line at Gettysburg . In retrospect , the attack , by Lee , at Gettysburg seems foolhardy and many have expressed just this opinion

However , Lee knew that the Union must be made to feel the way , to suffer , or its natural advantage in wealth and industrial capacity would win out over Southern determination and resourcefulness . In fact , Lee had already reaped great success at the battle of Chancellorsville when he had attacked a larger , better equipped , and ostensibly better trained army with his own divided force , and achieved a brilliant victory...