Gallagher argues that while Gettysburg was a major Union victory, Lee's army escaped intact. Union morale hit its lowest point in summer 1864. It was Sherman taking Atlanta and Sheridan's Valley campaign that re-elected Lincoln, crushing the Confederacy's last real hope of a negotiated peace. ✦ AI generated
Gary Gallagher · Lex Fridman · 2026-07-28 · original ↗
starts at this moment · 292:38
“That takes us to Gettysburg... Which everybody knows is the turning point of the Civil War. Or is it?”
So I think that United States civilian morale, the lowest point of the war for the United States is in July and August 1864. And if we'd been able to stick our microphones in people's faces and said, 'Well, but what about Gettysburg? That was the turning point of the war,' they would've said, 'What are you talking about?' ... Grant, against Lee would not reelect Lincoln. But other Grants, other things that Grant, part of his overall plan as general-in-chief, Sherman captured Atlanta in early September. And that just changed everything. That was a huge military turning point, and then on the heels of that, Philip Sheridan won a series of crushing victories in the Shenandoah Valley ... and it was Sherman, and to a lesser degree Sheridan, that reelected Lincoln, and not just Lincoln, but huge Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate in 1864.
verbatim transcript · starts at 292:38
(03:00:22) while this is going on, Sherman is moving against Atlanta, and he is taking his time, not fighting these big battles, but he's not capturing Atlanta either. The whole summer goes by. Atlanta hasn't fallen. Richmond hasn't fallen. There's an election coming up in the fall in the United States, and Lincoln decides ... The morale gets so bad he calls his cabinet together in late August and makes them sign what's been called the Blind Memorandum, and what the
(03:00:49) memorandum said is, "We're not gonna be reelected, and we're gonna have to win the war before the Democrats come in, because we know they won't win the war." Lincoln did not think they would win. That's in August. And so I think that United States civilian morale, the lowest point of the war for the United States is in July and August 1864. And if we'd been able to stick our microphones in people's faces and said, "Well, but what
(03:01:13) about Gettysburg? That was the turning point of the war," they would've said, "What are you talking about?" "That was a year ago. This is now, and we're not winning, and it's not worth it, and we're just about ready." McClellan, incidentally, was the Democratic nominee for president that year, so he's running against Lincoln. - So first of all, if Lincoln didn't win, do you think- - Well, we know it would've been good for the Confederates if Lincoln didn't win, but just, uh ...
(03:01:37) McClellan still ... It's interesting. McClellan was running kind of against the Democratic platform. What the Democratic platform called for was basically negotiations, an armistice and then negotiations. And many people believed if they ever stop fighting, they're not gonna start fighting again. And so some negotiated end to the war that might even yield a confederacy. McClellan, to his credit, and I hate to give him credit, at least said that he