Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from The Campaign of Gettysburg
Firstly: It is a recognised maxim Of war that decisive results can never be Obtained by the main tenance Of a simple defensive. As the war went on, the people Of the Northern States showed a deter mination and constancy Of purpose, for which their opponents had not formerly given them credit, and it was now manifest that their resolution to compel the submission of the seceded States would never slacken, until their last dollar had been spent, and their last man put into the field. The wealth Of the North was boundless, her resources immense. In a contest Of endurance the South must inevitably be beaten. Her only chance lay in striking some staggering blow at her opponent, such as the capture Of Washington, or the destruction Of the Army Of the Potomac, which would convince the North that the struggle was hopeless, and would force her to come to terms. To achieve this result an Offensive campaign was necessary.
Secondly While the recent events in Virginia had been uniformly favourable to the Southern arms, the situation in the Western theatre Of war was very gloomy. Vicksburg, the great Confederate fortress on the Mississippi, was closely besieged by the Federalforces under General Grant. Attempts to relieve it from the East by General Johnston and from the trans Mississippi States by Kirby Smith had failed, and it was now evident that unless a diversion could be made Vicksburg must fall. This might be effected by an invasion Of Maryland or Pennsylvania, so as to threaten Washington and Baltimore. Both Presi dent Davis and General Lee knew well how sensitive the Federal Cabinet was in regard to the safety Of the Capital, and a Confederate Victory on Northern soil would almost certainly force the President to draw large reinforcements from the Western armies, and so relieve the pressure on Vicksburg.
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