Turning Points of the American Civil War Essay Example

Although each event of the American Civil War may provide valuable sentiment to the outcome of the overall occurrence, there are four critical turning points that define lasting consequences of the war. Ranking in order from least significant to most significant, as well as subtly diverging from Professor McPherson’s interpretations, the four events marking crucial turning points of the Civil War were Antietam and Emancipation; the Battles of Gettysburg, Vicksburg and Chattanooga; Sherman’s capture of Atlanta and his following March to the Sea; and the Presidential Election of 1864.
Antietam and the Emancipation Proclamation were the fourth most important turning points of the Civil War. Throughout the onset of the Civil War, Union victories were rare in the eastern theatre and pressures were placed upon President Lincoln to do something to change the path of the war. Many became critical of the President for not making quicker decisions and he maintained that the paramount objective of the war was to save the Union, as opposed to focusing on the slavery issue. (DDP Video 8) However, unbeknownst to the public, Lincoln had drafted the Emancipation Proclamation and was simply waiting for the appropriate moment to present the document to the public. In an effort to keep from looking desperate, Seward advised the President to wait for a Union victory to enact the Emancipation Proclamation. (DDP Video 8) The Battle of Antietam in September of 1862, although was not a blatant Union victory, proved to be a worthy enough event to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation not only served as the freedom document to Southern slaves, but served as the President’s formal notification to the nation of the changed intent of the Union’s war effort. In addition, the Emancipation Proclamation acted as a deterrent to the British Empire from aiding the Confederacy and further recognizing it as a legitimate government.
By the spring of 1863, the