Why is the battle of gettysburg considered the turning point of the civil war?

Answer 1

The battle of Gettysburg crippled the South so badly, that General Lee would never again possess sufficient forces to invade a Northern state.
Lee's defeat prevented him from ever mounting another invasion of the North. The Union seized the initiative and never again relinquished it.

Answer 2

Battle-minded historians call it the turning point because it ended Lee's ability to carry out offensive operations in the North, and swung the initiative to the Union. [Vicksburg was the real strategic turning point.]

Answer 3

Few serious historians believe Gettysburg to be the turning point of the war anymore. The stragegic turning point was Grant's capture of Vicksbug, Mississippi, closing the Mississippi River to Confederate traffic, and serving as the logistical conduit for further Federal incursions of the Deep South.

Answer 4

Gettysburg was previously considered the turning point by old-school historians who favored battle analysis. Most contemporary historians concede that the surrender of Vicksburg is the actual strategic turning point of the war.

Answer 5

The US Civil War Battle of Gettysburg was an important battle. Whether it was a "turning" point is subject to discussion. The reason for this was that the South continued to have the ability to field fighting armies which it did. Lee was able to escape to Virginia and fight once more in that state. The war was not decided until late in 1864.

Answer 6

It was General Lee's only hope to win a big victory in Northern territory, but he lost it, and therefore the morale went down. Lee had to go from offensive to defensive.

Answer 7

Gettysburg destroyed Lee's ability to carry out an offensive in the North. Vicksburg choked off the South's ability to move troops and supplies on the Mississippi.

Answer 8

It was Lee's second and last attempt to invade the North. From here on, he would be on the defensive, and Grant was able to wear down his numbers through simple attrition.

Answer 9

It was the end of Lee's ascendancy. He had been humiliated, his army too damaged to fight for many months to come, and his health was starting to fail too.