*Header photography by Andre's Gettysburg Pictures.*
The phrase "high water mark" of the Civil War is often used to describe the actions at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in July of 1863. For many people, "high water mark" means the time of the Confederacy's greatest advance...that moment when the fate of the nation hung in the balance...that moment when the Confederacy was perhaps its closest to achieving victory.
But perhaps the best way to describe the impact of Vicksburg and Gettysburg is as the beginning of the end of the Confederacy. Although the Civil War would continue for nearly two more years, the losses in life, momentum, and geography suffered by the Confederacy in one fateful weekend may have extinguished any remaining hope for the rebellion. In the words of more than one historian, the road to Appomattox may have begun at Gettysburg.
But perhaps the best way to describe the impact of Vicksburg and Gettysburg is as the beginning of the end of the Confederacy. Although the Civil War would continue for nearly two more years, the losses in life, momentum, and geography suffered by the Confederacy in one fateful weekend may have extinguished any remaining hope for the rebellion. In the words of more than one historian, the road to Appomattox may have begun at Gettysburg.