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These defeats did discourage some Southerners. Other Southerners, though, were proud of their soldiers for taking the war to the North. Many Northerners were also hopeful. In the Battle of Vicksburg, Union General Ulysses S. Grant succeeded in gaining control of the Mississippi River for the North, effectively splitting the South into two parts. General Meade had repelled Lee's invasion. Many Northerners believed that the Union was closer to a final victory in the war. Other Northerners were less confident, including many Ohioans. Meade had defeated Lee's army, but the Confederates still had been able to launch an invasion of the North. At the same time that the Battle of Gettysburg was occurring, a Confederate force under John Hunt Morgan was raiding southern Indiana and Ohio. Northern soldiers eventually brought Morgan's Raid to an end. However, Morgan's Raid and Lee's invasion caused some Northerners to question whether their military would win the war. These two Confederate invasions inspired the Peace Democrats, including those in Ohio, to bring additional pressure on President Abraham Lincoln to negotiate a peace agreement with the Confederacy.

[[Category:Civil War]]