Gettysburg was the most dramatic battle of the Civil War, with the most dead & the most ways things could have gone differently. It was a very big turning point in the war. But Vicksburg, which fell at the same time, was even more strategically crucial.
-
Show this thread
-
Vicksburg was basically the Saratoga of the Civil War, except if the British had won Saratoga. It secured the Union's control of the whole Mississippi, uniting the Midwest with New Orleans, while cutting the Confederacy in half.
2 replies 7 retweets 64 likesShow this thread -
After July 4, 1863, once Grant had won at Vicksburg & Lee lost at Gettysburg, the war was effectively over in military & diplomatic terms. The South could not force a victory or obtain foreign help. Its only remaining option was for Lincoln to lose the 1864 election.
2 replies 3 retweets 52 likesShow this thread -
Naturally, in order to pursue that course, the Democrats selected the South's greatest weapon: George McClellan.
2 replies 4 retweets 53 likesShow this thread -
Lee was undoubtedly a brilliant general, more tactically clever than Grant. He understood the psychology of a rebel army. But Lee couldn't win on the road. Basically all of Grant's victories were on the road, many of them deep in enemy territory.
13 replies 2 retweets 55 likesShow this thread -
Replying to @baseballcrank
Where else would his victories have come? That's like complaining Nathan Bedford Forrest couldn't pull off the big one in Illinois.
1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes -
-
Replying to @baseballcrank
What battle did Grant win in Maryland, Pennsylvania, or (West) Virginia?
1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes -
Replying to @WVPitt @baseballcrank
His point was Lee couldn’t win in those places. Grant won in TN and VA.
2 replies 0 retweets 1 like
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.