The Civil War (1861–1865) was much lengthier and bloodier than most people had expected. Both the North and the South expected a quick victory. The first big battles—at Bull Run (1861) and Shiloh (1862)—were shocking for their carnage and ferocity. At Bull Run, spectators from Washington, DC, actually went to watch the battle. They were surprised by the South's victory, and many of them had to scurry back to Washington, DC, quickly.

As the war entered its third year, 1863, neither side had achieved victory. In the West, Union troops under Ulysses Grant were making some progress, but it was slow and difficult. In the East, Confederate troops under Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson proved to be practically unbeatable. By the end of 1863, the stalemate was over, and the North was clearly winning.

In the East, Lee's victory at Chancellorsville was his most impressive and his costliest. Lee thoroughly defeated another Union general, Joseph Hooker. But Jackson, Lee's finest general, was accidentally shot by his own men. Lee knew that he could not remain on the defensive: a victory on Northern soil was needed. Lee then fought and lost the decisive Battle of Gettysburg in July.

In the West, Grant finally forced Vicksburg to surrender on July 4, one day after Gettysburg. This gave the North control of the Mississippi River. It was—like Gettysburg—a major defeat for the South.

The twin victories in July 1863 gave the North a clear advantage. Grant transferred East to personally direct the campaign against Lee in 1864–65. The South fought on until final defeat in April 1865.

The year 1863 was considered a turning point in the Civil War for several reasons. One reason was that the final Emancipation Proclamation was issued. This stated that the slaves were free in the South. While it had no impact on the Southern slaves because the South didn’t recognize orders from President Lincoln, it now made the Civil War for the North a war to save the Union and a war to end slavery. It also showed the European countries that the United States was against slavery. This was significant because many European countries had also ended slavery.

In 1863, two critical battles were fought. The Battle of Vicksburg was an important northern victory. It gave the Union complete control of the Mississippi River. As a result, the Confederacy was now divided, as those Southern states west of the Mississippi River were isolated from the Southern states east of the Mississippi River. This would hurt Southern trade and the Southern economy.

The Battle of Gettysburg was also an important Northern victory. General Lee hoped to find food in the North. He also believed a Confederate victory in the North would hurt the morale of the Northerners. It might lead to calls for a negotiated peace agreement. It also might lead to European countries recognizing the Confederacy as an independent country. However, General Lee was defeated. With this defeat, the South suffered many casualties and had no real chance of winning the Civil War.

For the above reasons, many people point to these events as the turning points of the Civil War.

The popular version considers the Battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania), which occurred on July 1, 1863, as the turning point of the American Civil War. The Union side was impressed by the Fall of Vicksburg (Mississippi) that occurred around the same period. In both battles, the Confederate Army suffered significant losses. Additional defeats were experienced by Confederate forces in Tennessee and Arkansas. The Confederates were losing the war.

Additionally, Union technology played an important role in serving defeat to Confederate forces. The introduction of the Spencer seven-shot repeating rifle in 1863 played an important role in Union success. The mounted infantry unit on the side of the Union was capable of taking on and defeating numerically superior Confederate units. The improved firepower placed the Confederate forces at a disadvantage because they were still using the muzzle-loading musket, which delivered three rounds per minute against the 14-shot-per-minute Spencer rifle.