What I have recently read.

[hughes]

1) the Battle of Gettysburg was a draw
2) the Battle of Franklin was a Confederate victory
3) R. Lee was likely unaware that some of his slaves were treated as, well, slaves
4) that same R. Lee maneuvered the Army of the Potomac into the lines around Richmond and Petersburg where it was prevented from entering Richmond

I am, unashamedly, unqualified to address those topics with any degree of knowledge. I do have some specific goals for my reading now. I appreciate the stimulation that this forum provides to me.

 

[RedRover]

A custom of warfare was to accord victory to the battle combatants who held the contested ground afterward. In that traditional sense the Union army of General Meade were the victors at Gettysburg. In a similar sense, the Confederate army of General Hood were victors at Franklin.

However, not all victories in battle were the same.

It was generally accepted, even by some of Hood's soldiers, that his "victory" at Franklin was as devastating as any defeat, having disordered his army tremendously. This sort of success was sometimes called a "Pyrrhic victory," after the ancient general who destroyed his forces for the sake of one...

General Lee reported Gettysburg as a defeat. On July 4, as the army was preparing to retire from the battlefield, he wrote to Richmond of his failure to take and hold the contested ground:

And to his troops after their successful withdrawal to Virginia:

Immediately post-war, General Lee wrote of his defeat at Gettysburg, that he was hard-fought, and that they had dealt great blows to Meade's army in its course, and at least prevented an advance upon Richmond for the season...

General Lee was aware of the condition of the slaves left to his charge after his father-in-laws' death. He was responsible for them as executor of the estate until they were finally manumitted in 1863. He was aware of slavery generally...

According to the officers who acted on is staff in 1864-65, General Lee attempted to prevent the Army of the Potomac from besieging Richmond or Petersburg, if it was possible, by the Battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, etc. He was aware the Confederate forces would be at a disadvantage in a siege, but considered it necessary after great losses and exhaustion, and the general situation of the Confederate forces. Col. W.H. Taylor, adjutant general of the Army of Northern Virginia observed:

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

1) the Battle of Gettysburg was a draw
2) the Battle of Franklin was a Confederate victory
3) R. Lee was likely unaware that some of his slaves were treated as, well, slaves
4) that same R. Lee maneuvered the Army of the Potomac into the lines around Richmond and Petersburg where it was prevented from entering Richmond

I am, unashamedly, unqualified to address those topics with any degree of knowledge. I do have some specific goals for my reading now. I appreciate the stimulation that this forum provides to me.

Yep. Those statements are a crock of it! You are right.

 

[Stryker65]

1) the Battle of Gettysburg was a draw

Was any ground gained? No. If the battle itself is considered a draw, the campaign itself must, however, be considered a defeat.

2) the Battle of Franklin was a Confederate victory

I believe this was taken into account on a different thread -- it was a so-called tactical victory, in which the Union forces retreated after the battle, and the Confederates held the field.

3) R. Lee was likely unaware that some of his slaves were treated as, well, slaves

If this is during the war, it's possible. I mean, he kind of had bigger things to worry about in commanding a giant Confederate army...

4) that same R. Lee maneuvered the Army of the Potomac into the lines around Richmond and Petersburg where it was prevented from entering Richmond

I can't really speak on this, since I don't know much about the Virginia theater, but @Bryce might be able to talk on this.