Attempts to return the War to the Souths Favor after Gettysburg

Question

With regards to the Union victory at Gettysburg being the turning point of the American Civil War:

• Were there any major Confederate victories after the battle of Gettysburg?
• Did the Confederacy ever come close to returning the war to their favor?
• If they did come close are their any battles that historians regard as a battle that if it had gone the other way it would have led to a longer/drawn out war?

Or would I be more correct in thinking that following the battle of Gettysburg it seemed that any chance of a Confederacy victory was very slim?

Answer 1

Besides the battle losses, the period around the battle of Gettysburg had two important strategic effects. 1) It established the winner, George G. Meade, as the General of the army of the Potomac. 2) More to the point, it established U.S. Grant, who captured Vicksburg at about the same time as Meade's boss.

The Army of the Potomac began the 1864 campaign with the battle of the Wilderness, suffering losses at worse than the two- to one ratio by which the North outnumbered the South. This qualifies as a major Confederate victory, and under different circumstances, might have helped them win the war.

Meade actually wanted to retreat, like all his predecessors. But when the Union army marched east to reach the main north-south road, Grant stood in the intersection, facing west, with his left hand pointing SOUTH. This forced a followup battle at Spotsylvania, where the casualty ratio was about one to one.

This gave Grant the idea of forcing battles at a one to one (or slightly worse, for the Union) casualty ratio. When questioned about his bloody tactics, his reply was "I plan to fight it out along this line if it takes all summer." The South could not survive such a war of attrition. Can One Use Attrition Tactics When There are No Other Clear Means to Win a War.?

The battle that might have decided the war in favor of the South was the battle of Chancellorsville (just before Gettysburg). There, Confederate general "Stonewall" Jackson conceived a bold plan to cut off and capture the entire Union army after a successful initial flank assault. In reconnoitering the ground (at night) for this plan, he was shot by his own men, who mistook his blue overcoat for a northern uniform. This cost the South both a lost opportunity, and the services of Jackson himself.

Answer 2

Chickamauga in September, 1863 was also a major tactial victory for the Confederates, although due to inadequate resources and command controversies they were unable to sustain the campaign and change the strategic outcome in the western theater. Interestingly, James Longstreet, the commander of Picket's charge, was sent west with his troops after Gettysburg and was able to exploit a gap in the Union lines at Chickamauga - his charge turned the battle into a rout. Longstreet subsequently had a falling out with army commander Braxton Bragg, had perhaps his low point in command for a failed campaign in eastern Tennessee, and returned to Lee's army in the spring of 1864.

Union victory was not viewed as certain after Gettysburg. Heavy casualties led to a decrease in morale in the North. Lincoln had major doubts about his chances for re-election throughout 1864. The Union victory at the Battle of Atlanta in September provided momentum for the November election. If the South had somehow been able to drive Sherman back into Tennessee it might have been enough to give victory to the Democrats, who ran on a peace platform (despite the opposition of their candidate, George McClellan). A Lincoln loss in turn may have led England and France to reconsider their positions and for them to actively push the North to make a settlement.

Answer 3

Consider the strategic situation. The South was losing. The Mississippi was Union-controlled except around Vicksburg (until Grant took it too), cutting off a good chunk of the Confederacy. The Union blockade was in effect, making it very difficult for the Confederacy to trade abroad. The Emancipation Proclamation had made it politically impossible for any European power to come out in favor of the Confederacy, since it established the war as for and against slavery. Southern industry and resources were unable to supply armies big enough to win.

Lee's idea to prevent the fall of the CSA was essentially to make the Army of Virginia too dangerous to the North, threatening Washington and parts north, so that Lincoln would feel compelled to make peace despite the strategic situation. Essentially, the South's only hope was aggressive action east of the Appalachians. Any failure in that would allow the Union to exploit its strategic advantages. Gettysburg was the last attempt, and with its failure as a clear Union victory, it wasn't going to be repeated.

In 1864, Grant went with Meade to pin down Lee's army in Virginia, while Sherman swept through the Confederate heartland, effectively destroying the Confederate ability to resist.