GDG- Re: Meade's pursuit

[Biggsk at aol.com]

Dennis Lawrence writes:

I  think this was a public stance, but the defeat at Gettysburg was a heavy 
blow  to  the entire Confederacy, Falling Waters  notwithstanding.  Lee and 
Davis both knew  that.



Dennis,
 
Based on my reading of loads of Southern newspapers of the time, this did  
not seem to be the case.  The press noted the defeat as a big setback but  not a 
heavy blow, but then rallied to Lee stating things like "we know Gen.  Lee 
will get his chance again to beat the Yankees."  Their faith in Lee's  ability 
and that of his army was unshakeable.  Though damaged, his army was  still very 
much intact.  So long as that army was intact the Confederacy  still had a 
chance to hold the line in the East.
 
By contrast, the press reporting of Vicksburg was far more depressing and  
that was the heavy blow for the Confederacy in the summer of 1863.  Their  
country was split in two, they no longer controlled the Mississippi River  
(concluded after the fall of Port Hudson), and they lost an entire army  (actually two 
when you factor in Port Hudson's garrison).  All of these  were far more 
damaging to the Confederacy on all levels.  
 
Finally, the reporting on the loss of Middle Tennessee as Rosecrans moved  on 
Chattanooga, was also rated a bigger blow by the period press.
 
I have been reading period newspapers, north and south, for over 12 years  
for my various research projects and I always read articles of interest outside  
of what I am researching at the time.  At some point I plan to write an  
essay on how the Southern papers viewed the Summer of 1863 and then one for how  
the northern press did the same.
 
Greg Biggs