Why did the Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg proved to be turning points of the Civil War?

Answer 1

Gettysburg ended the South's attempt to attack into the Union and doomed the Army of Northern Virginia to a purely defensive role. Victory by the Union at Vicksburg gained full control of the Mississippi River, split off Texas from the rest of the deep South, and ended any concern of attack in the West.

Answer 2

Northern victories that served as turning points in the war.

The Gettysburg and Vicksburg were the turning points in the US Civil War because during these battles, the Confederate Army lost most men and also lost control over their last fort around the Mississippi River which caused the Confederate states to be completely divided into two.

Vicksburg liberated the Mississippi, ended the war in the West, and enabled Grant to go to the rescue of the Army of the Cumberland in Chattanooga.

Gettysburg ended Lee's hopes of invading the North, and rendered his army incapable of effective action for many months. The loss for the South at Gettysburg meant an early retreat for the Army of Northern Virginia back to Virginia. Lee's purpose was a successful raid on Harrisburg Pennsylvania, the capital of that state. Because it was so far away from safe haven, Virginia, Lee would have had to return to Virginia.

The Battle at Gettysburg, however, made the raid unsuccessful, plus Lee lost valuable troops.

In strictly military terms, the Union was not bound to win after this. But there was always the chance that Lincoln might have been voted out in the 1864 election, and that could have meant a compromise peace, with the South keeping its independence.

Answer 3

It gave the Union side strength to fight back

Gettysburg ceased Southern incursions into the North for the rest of the war. Vicksburg choked off the Deep South from reinforcement and resupply.

The turning points of the US Civil, that by hindsight, have caused many historians, whether they are history scholars or military historians, continue to have opposing views to the answer to that specific question. This is why it would be intellectually dishonest to arrive at a conclusion. For example, Confederate General Jubal Early, was able to drive the Federals out of the Shenandoah Valley, cross the Potomac River, and threaten Washington D with 14,000 troops. A good question at that point of the war, in July of 1864 could be this; suppose General Early had 24,000 troops?

With that said, it's clear that both armies continued to battle on, because there still was no end in site. Further to this point is the fact that Union General William T. Sherman, after Shiloh, wondered how long the South could continue to field large armies and continue the war. This was because he and many others, were certain that the South could not afford to continue the war after the devastating results of Shiloh in 1862.

The end result here was that these battles did not prevent raids into the North.

Answer 4

The capture of Vicksburg choked off Confederate access to the Mississippi, preventing them from moving troops and supplies, while Gettysburg destroyed Lee's ability to conduct offensives against the North.
Gettysburg shifted the initiative to the North, in the East. Vicksburg choked off the South from reinforcements and supplies, in the West.

Answer 5

The Battle of Vicksburg was able to split the Confederacy in half and gain control of the Mississippi river from the confederacy. The Battle of Gettysburg was considered the 'high water mark' of the Confederacy and was the furthest Northern advancement of their army.

Answer 6

Vicksburg ended the war in the West, liberating the Mississippi and enabling Grant to come to the aid of other Union armies.

Gettysburg marked the failure of Lee's second and last attempt to invade the North. He would be kept on the defensive after this.

Answer 7

By chance, they happened on the same day (4th of July), so they had a big effect on Northern morale.

Gettysburg was the more dramatic battle, but Vicksburg was the more significant victory - ending the war in the West, and freeing Grant to go to the aid of the Army of the Cumberland in Chattanooga. It gave him the credibility that would propel him to the top job - General-in-Chief of all the Union armies.

Answer 8

A close review of each of these battles demonstrate that neither of these battles were turning points in the US Civil War.

It's difficult to pinpoint turning points in the complex US Civil War. There are, however, several pivotal operations that affected the length of the war and its final outcome.One huge pivotal point was the Union's multiple failures from 1861 to 1865 to capture Richmond. This would have caused chaos for the Confederacy as its central government would have had to reorganize somewhere else and quickly assuming they could have escaped. A Union victory in the first three attempts to win at Richmond would have clearly shortened the war.

Other possible turning points in the war are based on the two victories the Union accomplished at Antietam and Gettysburg. In each of these major battles, the Union failed to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia, allowing Lee to retreat and continue the war. Gettysburg never would have happened if General McClellan had totally defeated Lee at Antietam. Instead, Lee was able to escape and continue the war.

In the opinion of many military historians, the almost total destruction of the Confederate's second largest army, the Army of Tennessee in 1863, can be considered the best choice for a so-called turning point. The Western Theater Confederate defeat allowed for Sherman and his three armies to sweep into the heartland of the South and capture Atlanta.

Answer 9

The battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg were important defeats in the South's attempt to gain independence. While Vicksburg could not be recovered. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, retreated to safety and still was a danger to Maryland and Pennsylvania. His losses at Gettysburg hurt his army, but because Union General George Meade did not destroy Lee's army, it remained a viable force.

Answer 10

Neither of these battles turned the tide in the US Civil War. Vicksburg was an isolated city-fortress that prevented Union gunboats from traveling the length of the Mississippi River. As true as that was, the Union controlled the two main points on the river, St. Louis and New Orleans. Logistically no problem of transporting supplies were effected. Texas, Arkansas and western Louisiana had all the supplies they needed and Mexico and the long Texas Gulf coast were free to transfer supplies. And, Union cargo ships hardly even used the Mississippi River to transport supplies once Vicksburg fell via siege.In fact, prior to its fall, Vicksburg enabled supplies from the East to flow through it to the West. However, even that route had already been largely abandoned.

The failure of Union General Meade to allow the Army of Northern Virginia to escape to Virginia after Lee's defeat at Gettysburg was a turning point in reverse, meaning a turning point for the South enabling Lee to remain the key player in Virginia well through 1864.