Confederate morale immediately after the battle

Cycom

First Sergeant
Joined
Feb 19, 2021
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Commiefornia
Specifically, Lee, after taking responsibility for the defeat, rode through the lines and admitted guilt to his men. It appears that most responded very favorably to him. Yes, he was trying to boost morale for the counter attack he believed Meade was going to launch, but still.

The confidence given to him by his soldiers is nothing short of extraordinary. Here they suffered their most crushing loss, a complete disaster, and they remained loyal, perhaps even more so than before. Was it the nobility/gallantry he exuded?

Finally, how great of an effect was the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg to overall morale of the ANV? Would appreciate your opinions.
 
Insights into morale may be gleaned from the soldiers themselves:


 
Specifically, Lee, after taking responsibility for the defeat, rode through the lines and admitted guilt to his men. It appears that most responded very favorably to him. Yes, he was trying to boost morale for the counter attack he believed Meade was going to launch, but still.

The confidence given to him by his soldiers is nothing short of extraordinary. Here they suffered their most crushing loss, a complete disaster, and they remained loyal, perhaps even more so than before. Was it the nobility/gallantry he exuded?

Finally, how great of an effect was the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg to overall morale of the ANV? Would appreciate your opinions.
They sure as heck were ready to fight again at Williamsport.
 
They sure as heck were ready to fight again at Williamsport.
Thanks, I’ll keep that thought in mind. Just finished the 3rd day of Gettysburg and am looking forward to what comes next. I like looking to the near future after reading about events. Williamsport is a battle I know nada about.
 
Here they suffered their most crushing loss, a complete disaster, and they remained loyal, perhaps even more so than before.

I don't think too many of them viewed it as a crushing loss or a complete disaster at the time. If you look at diary entries and letters, some of them even thought they had won the battle. You have to remember that the common soldier didn't know much about the big picture of a battle outside of what happened to their own brigade or maybe their division. To the common soldier on July 4th he would have understood that they were falling back but most importantly they knew they hadn't been driven off the field by the enemy, so my guess is that most of them considered it a draw like how they viewed Sharpsburg. Outside of the men who participated in Pickett's Charge, how many of the men in the ANV would really have known just how bad it was? Very, very few.

If you read Glathaar's book about the ANV, he makes an effort to point out that most men in Lee's army didn't know how terrible the losses were until they got settled back into camp in Virginia and noticed how thinned out the army had become.
 
Insights into morale may be gleaned from the soldiers themselves:


Very interesting reads. Thanks 👍🏼
 
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