The most important Civil War battles and their strategic significance

¶ … Civil War battle

Winning the Battle to Win the War: The Fight at Gettysburg

In war, timing is crucial above all things. Picking your moment to attack when the enemy is weakened or surprised is more important than even being the strongest army or have the most soldiers in battle. Tactical decisions were the difference between victory and defeat at Gettysburg, the most important battle of the Civil War. Due to the fact that Gettysburg stopped the Confederate advance north, the strategic errors of General Lee combined with the North's resolve to hold strong and wait for reinforcements, and the devastating blow to morale it presented for the South, the Union troops garnered a stunning victory and changed the course of United States history.

Going into the battle, General Lee and his troops appeared to have everything on their side, especially the momentum of a drive into more Northern territory. His aims were high, as he was possessed of "well-disciplined troops in high spirits […] he could not have entertained an idea that the result would be other than a Confederate victory; perhaps even he might destroy the Union army, when Washington would be at his mercy" (Rhodes 665). Where the goal of the capital was in sight, the Confederacy was confident. While the choice to move into Pennsylvania was partially motivated out of a need for "collecting supplies and living off the Northern country," Lee nonetheless saw it as an opportunity to occupy more territory (Gallagher 4). Lee was unquestionably a shrewd commander but his folly at Gettysburg is to be his legacy.

Part of the reason that the Confederates lost at Gettysburg was their hubris in pushing on, advancing at the wrong times in the wrong places. At this point in the long and bloody war, neither side could afford to lose more troops. Yet the tenacity for which the South is famous was also its downfall: "The Gettysburg campaign was a strategic mistake because of the inevitable casualties that the Army of Northern Virginia could not afford" (Gallagher 12). Where General Lee was committing his forces to fatal errors, the emergence of an untested leader in the Union's General Meade was occurring. He was put in a difficult position, since "Lincoln and the Republicans could not tolerate for long the presence of the most famous Rebel army on Northern Soil" (Gallagher 127). Meade himself "arrived upon the battle-field at one in the morning, pale, tired-looking, hollow-eyed, and worn out from want of sleep, anxiety, and the weight of responsibility" (Rhodes 672). He proceeded to lead with a commitment that matched that of his older, more experienced adversary.