Sunday, May 20, 2012
"What If?..." Response
Even if the Confederacy won the Battle of Gettysburg it would not have changed much. Other than another large defeat and a loss of soldiers , that would have been it. The Union morale may have gotten lower, but how much lower could it have gotten at that point. If the battle had played out like it had other than the Union winning, both sides would have lost a large amount of soldiers. After Pickett's Charge, the Confederacy probably would have still had to retreat even if they won. Now that the war had officially become about slavery, foreign countries weren't going to join the South no matter how large a victory. However if the stakes were too high I'm pretty sure Lincoln would have attempted peace, but not until it was a necessary time, like if the capital had been captured.
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I think the war would've changed, but not by much. The Civil War would've definitely lasted longer if they had won. I agree that Lincoln wouldn't have given up though. Despite his calm nature, I think he still would have held on.
ReplyDeleteHowever, if the Union had lost as bad as the Confederates did than the Union army would have basically been destroyed and the Union would no longer have a capable fighting force. Even if the Confederates didn't get foreign support because of the issue of the war, after a victory like this how could they lose?
ReplyDeleteI agree that both sides would suffer great losses in soldiers. The Union would have many casualties and deaths due to losing, but because of Pickets Charge the Confederates would lose many men too.
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