However, Lee won out, and the solid line attacked. It was a fatal decision as Union forces literally mowed down Confederate troops by the thousands.
One historian later concluded, "Apparently it never occurred to him that the position [the Union line on Cemetery Ridge] could not be taken" (Wert 101). While the numbers vary, most people agree the South lost between 3,900 to 4,500 men, while the Union lost about 3,155 during the three days of battle. Clearly, not nearly as many men died at Gettysburg as did at Antietam. The turning point did not rely on the number of men killed or wounded in battle. Ultimately, it depended on the momentum of the army and its leader. Lee made some mistakes on the battlefield, such as demanding a long, united line. It cost him thousands of men, the battle, and ultimately the war. The South turned toward home after Gettysburg, and never again made it that far north in any of their campaigns. They were defeated; it just took time for the Union forces to sink the final nail in the South's coffin.
Finally, the most compelling reason that Gettysburg was the turning point in the war is the fact that the South lost the battle, and so the war continued. One historian notes, "The greatest offensive effort of Confederate arms, the campaign represented perhaps the only opportunity that the South had to win the war by offensive means. The Confederate loss at Gettysburg meant that the war would go on" (Nofi 223). If the South had won, and continued their winning momentum, the war could have gone a very different way, and the Union might have been defeated. With the loss at Gettysburg, the Confederate forces not only lost thousands of men, they had to turn and retreat, heading back toward Southern soil. They certainly won battles after Gettysburg, but they were truly lost after that loss. They came too far north, expended too much energy, and lost too many men to make up the difference. They still put on a good fight, but it was inevitable they would lose after Gettysburg. What is remarkable is that they held on as long as they did after the battle.
In conclusion,...
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