The Turning Point of the Civil War

What was the turning point of the Civil War?

That was the topic of the discussion given by Dr. David G. Martin at the Eastern Branch of the Monmouth County Library on Wednesday evening.  Martin, who has written several books on New Jersey’s role in the war, gave an in-depth history lesson on the economical, geographical, political, militarily and social turning points of the Civil War.

The audience of 25 history buffs listened intently to Martin, whose insight on the war, which began in April 1861 and ended in April 1865, was not the usual point of view.

“Traditionally the turning point of the Civil War is known to be July 4, 1863, when General Robert E. Lee retreated from Gettysburg,” said Martin.   “Chronologically that was the middle of the war, but was it the turning point?”

Martin, who teaches at The Peddie School in Hightstown, a private boarding and day school, resumed his role as teacher at the library by making use of the chalkboard and providing his attentive students with an informative handout.   There was a letter from the diary of Private John William of the 6th New Jersey Infantry, dated July 5, 1863 to graphs that charted the inflation rates and economics of both the Union Army and Confederate Army.

“The Confederates didn’t have much currency at the beginning of the war,” said Martin. The South relied on promissory notes, which could not be collected on until two years after the ratification of a treaty between the Confederate States and the United States.  According to Martin, that basically meant the South couldn’t pay for the war.

Meanwhile, the Federal government was able to print as many “greenbacks,” which was the start of paper money as we know it today and created what Martin called “deliberate inflation.”   Therefore, when the North captured Nashville, Tn., in the spring of 1862, Martin pointed to this as being the economic turning point of the Civil War.  

He went on to explain that the geographical turning point came when Atlanta, Ga., fell to the Union Army in 1864. With the scholarly knowledge of a historian, Martin explained that in war, the victor must outman the opposition 3-to-1. This occurred nearing the end of the war between 1864-1865, when the draft started. 

However, it was the enlistment of over 200,000 black troops that made the military and social difference  when they joined forces with the Union Army.  Martin pointed to the movie Glory, which starred Denzel Washington and Matthew Broderick, as being the best depiction of this all Black infantry. 

Unfortunately, during this time, black troops were not paid as much as their white counterparts and because of this refused to take up arms.  Martin credited President Abraham Lincoln, who, as Commander in Chief, gave the order to pay the black soldiers the same wages.  

According to Martin, the Civil War was the “upshot” of civil rights for all people. It was President Lincoln’s formidable tenacity not to give up and armed with an arsenal of astute generals like Ulysses S. Grant, William Sherman and Philip Sheridan that the United States of America came together as one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.