What motivated general lee to invade the north In the battle of Gettysburg?

Answer 1

Lee thought that if he brought the war to the North, the North would surrender because they would become tired of fighting. But little did he know, bringing the war to the North actually gave the North an advantage. They knew their land better then the new land that they had never seen in the South. That's why the South was winning in the beginning of the war because most of the battles were fought in the South and they knew their own land.

Answer 2

Robert E. Lee wanted the civil war to end. By invading the north, he could fight some battles against the north, but ultimately, he was seeking to go and capture the capitol of the U.S.; Washington D.C. R.E. Lee had been enduring many hardships such as the death of his best general and closest friend, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. Robert Lee was not at all trying intentionally to bring such calamity to the Confederacy as he did, but it happened anyway. That is why he said "it is all my fault''. He had wanted the war to be over so badly that he knew he would need to engage the Union army in a castostophic battle. he would need to send a clear message to the President, the Army of Northern Virginia was on the way. But that was all before the battle. Three horrible days.

Answer 3

Up to that point, most of the Civil War had been fought in Confederate states, especially Virginia- Richmond, the Confederate capital was also there. General Lee had hoped to go on the offensive and attack the North, thereby taking some of the pressure off Virginia. Not only that, as the Confederacy's most successful field commander, he hoped that a successful campaign in Pennsylvania would cause Northern politicians to give up hope and negotiate an end to the war.