Why did general lee march his confederate army to Gettysburg?

Answer 1

General Lee was torn between fighting for his state and family and his country. In the end, he chose to fight for Virginia. South Carolina troops started the war by firing on Fort Sumter. So General Lee had to defend the state of Virginia from attack by Union forces.

Answer 2

He wanted to have an offensive victory in the Civil War. The Confederacy was not as established politically or economically as the Union was at the time. The South was hoping for foreign aid, especially from Great Britain. If Lee won a victory on "foreign soil," he would prove that the Confederacy was capable of winning the Civil War against the Union. Lee knew an offensive victory would also boost Confederate morale and weaken Union morale. People in the Union would blame Lincoln for the war and the Union would begin to collapse internally. The border states, four states that Lincoln wanted to keep in the Union at all costs, may also have seceded if Lee had a victory on Union soil.

Answer 3

General Lee invaded the north in 1862 to strike a psychological blow to the North and make them nervous because of the unlikelihood the South could last through a prolonged war. They wanted some Northerners to support the Rebel cause and not seem like the wronged party.

Answer 4

Because he still hadn't won a battle on Northern soil, and this would demonstrate Confederate viability to the outside world, which might be willing to send military aid.

He was also keen to avoid further battles in Virginia, which would ravage his home state and reduce Confederate morale.

Answer 5

First time round (Sept 62) to impress the British, who were close to granting recognition and sending aid.

Second time (July 63) to invade the prosperous state of Pennsylvania in search of food and other supplies, including boots and shoes from a factory at Gettysburg.

Perhaps the word "impress" was not the appropriate term to use with regards to the Battle of Antietam. Also, the British were already helping the Confederacy by building the South warships and sending them guns and ammunition.

In the eyes of many US Civil War historians, Lee's second invasion of the Union was a monumental decision As for the Battle of Gettysburg, it was not pertinent to say that Pennsylvania was "prosperous". Confederate General Robert E. Lee's purposes were two fold. One reason was to help relive pressure from the Union on Vicksburg, and secondly, capturing a capital city in the North, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania would add pressure to the Union to come to terms with Confederate independence.

Answer 6

He sought to end the war quickly in order to save time, money, and lives. Furthermore a succesful aggression would dishearten the North and dissaude them from pursuing a military campaign against the South.

Answer 7

After his victory at the Second Battle of Bull Run, General Lee and Jefferson Davis agreed that the South should make simultaneous advances into the North. Confederate generals Bragg and Smith would move into Kentucky to hopefully bring that state into the Confederacy. At almost the same time, General Lee was making plans to raid Maryland. There he hoped to recruit Maryland sympathizers and threaten either Baltimore or Washington DC itself. Lee also hoped that he could wage battle with the Army of the Potomac and defeat it in detail.

Answer 8

Lieutenant General Robert E. Lee made two raids into Union territory during the US Civil War. Lee's plans which were approved by Confederate President Jefferson Davis, were designed to hamper the enemy's war efforts. Lee desired to embarrass the Federals by winning battles in the North and also to recruit soldiers from Maryland. He also sought to create a situation where his army would be able to draw Union forces to protect the North and then engage these forces and defeat them decisively. This not only would severely damage Union armies, but also encourage the activities of peace groups in the North who wanted to end the war via a negotiated settlement.

Answer 9

For shoes