How would people have reacted in the North if Lee won the Battle of Gettysburg???
Answers
Answer:
amazing
Explanation:
If Lee's attack on July 3 had somehow forced Meade to retreat, Meade would have simply fallen back to a favorable defensive position. Lee, meanwhile, would have been in a quandary. After three days of battle, his army had suffered over 25,000 casualties (even if he won) and he had used most of his ammunition up. His army was no longer able to sustain an offensive battle, and staying on the defensive in Northern territory was not an option. My best guess is that he would have continued taking all the supplies he could before gradually falling back into Virginia.
If Meade had been forced to or decided to retreat on the night of July 2 he would have again retreated to a good defensive position screening Philadelphia and Washington. Lee at this point would have had enough ammunition for another 1-2 day battle, his army would have still suffered nearly 20,000 casualties, and an offensive battle out of the question. As with the July 3 scenario, Lee would have taken as many supplies as his army could carry and eventually retreated back into Virginia.
The real wild card would have been if The Confederates had won after July 1. Meade would have retreated with his army intact, and continued to screen Washington and Philadelphia, risking battle only defensively. Lee however, only part of his army engaged would still have a strong force with plenty of ammunition. The problem was, his army was spread out and not united until late on July 2. Meade therefore would get two days at least to find a new battlefield, or at least good places to screen Washington and Philadelphia. I think in this scenario Lee would be aggressive, not to the point of fighting an offensive battle, but in trying to provoke Meade into attacking him out into the open. I think Lee would have stayed on the defensive, and like the other scenarios eventually retired to Virginia.
After a semi successful summer campaign, I don't think the Mine Run campaign would have been waged, an even more cautious Army of The Potomac would have stayed in far northern Virginia or even Maryland.
But then in the west, Vicksburg still falls and Bragg is beaten badly at Chattanooga, leading to Grant coming east and the war playing itself pretty much the way it did.
Answer: The people would be very excited and happy
Explanation: