To what extend did the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg (1863) mark the turning point of the Civil war?

It is said that the battle of Gettysburg combined with the fall of Vicksburg marked the turning point of the civil war. Both the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg certainly helped the turning point of the civil war. Gettysburg was a very important battle and many of the soldiers’ including the commander, Lee realised this. Lee decided that he was strong enough to invade the north 0once more. He felt that if he invaded the north again it would bring a quick end to the war as if it was prolonged it would favour the North and he did not want this. In the battle of Gettysburg, Lee lost over 30,000 men and also lost many weapons and military materials, the army could never again invade the North as they would simply be too weak. This was a turning point for the civil war as lee was forced to retreat back to Virginia. The battle of Gettysburg was an important battle. The battle consisted of three days. On the first day the confederates pushed the union south of the town. The first day was a confederate win. It could have gone either way depending on who was in luck. on the second day it was a confederate attack on the Little round top at the extreme end of the union line. On this day lee came very close to victory but lost marginally and the battle was seen as stalemate. The last day was a union win. Lee ordered Ricketts charge on the cemetery ridge to break through the union centre. This was a disastrous failure and the Union won. The battle of Gettysburg was a turning point for the civil war partly because it showed that the South did not have the power or strength to get the north to compromise. Lee was shown not to have a strong enough army and did not have the correct tactics to win the overall battle. Because the union was lead by Meade, who was a strong leader. Because the last day was fought on cemetery ridge, which was a hill Lee found it very difficult to beat the union as they were a strong team and also had an advantage over the Union. The battle of Gettysburg was a major defeat for lee. He lost almost 30,000 men as the opposition was much stronger than his team of men. This caused Lee to loose confidence in himself and his team. He tried to resign and this would not have been a safe option for The confederate as they would have no commander. All these points were turning points in the civil war as the Union were beginning to win a majority. The south had had a major blow at the battle of Gettysburg.

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Another turning point in the civil war was the battle of Vicksburg. In 1862 the confederate had control over the town of Vicksburg which prevented the union from controlling Mississippi. Vicksburg was vital to allow the confederate to gain full control of the south. The Union would be able to have free navigation from North to the South of the Mississippi. The Mississippi river was seen as “nailing the two halves together”. The Mississippi river made it very difficult for Grant to capture. Grant had to ferry his army across the Mississippi. By travelling down the river he was able to go into battle with the south. The battle of Vicksburg was a great battle of tactics and decisive decision making on Grant’s behalf. The confederate army and the Union army were placed on either side of the Mississippi river. The Union managed to cross the river and push down on the confederate army but for three moths they were held ion the same place. Grant came up with the idea to abandon all his stores and belongings and travel further down the Mississippi river and cross over the river there and carry on travelling until they reached the town of Jackson. By doing this the Union army were able to surround the confederate army and push them out until they surrendered. This was a victory won by the union because of Grant. Many felt that this was a big mistake for Grant and because he abandoned all of his stores many thought that his troops would starve to death and there was no chance of a victory. This was a turning point in the civil war as another battle had been won by the union. This battle made Grant a national hero. His tactics were risky but decisive. This allowed him to become a courageous figure and allow the turning point for the civil war to come about. Because Grant was made a national hero it was very difficult for anyone to defeat him in future battles and the North continued to win later battles. The claiming of the Mississippi river was a great turning point in the civil war because it allowed free transport down the river from the north to the south which had previously caused a lot of conflict between the union and the confederates. Because the river was seen as nailing the two halves together by the union gaining control of the south full control would be made and the south would be seen as a whole.

Overall we can see that the battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg were the turning point to the civil war to a certain extent. It was the battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg that were very important events and ensured many union victories but also battles such as Antitam which help to make the turning point of the civil war. The battles of Gettysburg played a very important rule in t he civil war as it allowed Grant to become a national hero and the problems of the Mississippi river to be sorted out. It also showed the south that they did not have the “Knockout blow” to get the north to compromise peace. Many can see that these battles were very important turning point in the civil war.

To what extend did the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg (1863) mark the turning point of the Civil war?

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