Quote:
Originally Posted by Zephyr
On July 1st-3rd, 1864, Union troops fighting from heavy cover on wooded ridges repelled repeated Confederate assaults determined to dislodge them and open a road to Washington, DC, the nation's capital. The federal troops fought heroically against enemy formations with great numerical superiority (not to say that there wasn't any heroism on the part of the Confederates). On July 4th, after suffering a terrible defeat in Picket's Charge across an open, upward-sloping field, the remnants of the Confederate Army retreated. The Battle of Gettysburg cost the Army of Northern Virginia approximately 25,000 casualties, and ruined its capacity for further offensive action.
The same day, July 4th, word reached President Lincoln that Ulysses S. Grant's troops had secured the surrender of Vicksburg and Port Hudson, which denied the entire Mississippi River to Confederate Navigation. The Confederacy had been cut in two.
The Battle of Gettysburg and the end of the Siege of Vicksburg, taken together, represent a crucial turning point of the Civil War. From this point onwards, the Confederate States could no longer hope to win the American Civil War, and the institution of slavery that had pervaded our nation for so long had its coffin nailed shut.
This post is the first of many of its kind. I will update with similar posts on relevant historical dates.
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Uh... it was
July 1st - 3rd 1863. You can't even get the dates of the events right.
The Confederates did not attack a heavily wooded area on July 1st-3rd but an areas called Cemetery Ridge, Seminary Ridge, Little and Big Round top (wooded), Devils Den, Wheat Field, Culp Ridge/Hill (wooded) most of the fight which was not woods but open area. Hell, only a few areas of Gettysburg is wooded and the Federal forces (Army of the Potomac had 93k compared to the 75k Confederates), so the Confederates were out numbered. Going to Gettysburg wasn't about dislodging Union troops and finding a road to Washington D.C. It was about finding supplies and taking the War to Northern States.
If the Confederates wanted to get to Washington they would have gone to Manassas as they did 2 times before that (Bull Run and Second Bull Run).
Adams and Franklin Co Pa were important areas due to its industry and food supplies. Just as Fredrick and Washington Co Md were as well.
These counties were raided by Confederates through out the whole war. Chambersburg Pa was sacked 2 times (October 10th, 1862 and July 30th 1864), one of those times it being burned to the ground on July 30th 1864.
During the Gettysburg Campaign Confederates went all the way to Harrisburg Pa looking for supplies. The Confederates even out flanked the Army of the Potomac when they were Harrisburg and Wrightsville Pa along the Susquehanna River (on June 28th and June 29th)..
So your conclusions are wrong.The Confederates could have marched all the way to New York City with ease.
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