in the shenandoah valley that completely reversed the tide of public opinion about prospects for union vick -- i pre mean, completely reversed them. those two events did. similarly r.e. lee's triumph in july 1862 reversed a downward spiral of confederate morale that gained momentum following a series of terrible defeats in the western theater and mcclellan's near approach to richmond between march and late may with the most important army of the united states. lee's ascension to command of the army in northern virginia during that campaign must be reckoned one of the great turning points of the war, one of the great moments of decision of the war, not only for the revolution that lee would bring in confederate expectations of victory but also because his skill and his skill alone probably lengthened the conflict by more than two years which in turn made possible the addition of emancipation to union as a condition for eventual peace. my second example concerns the process of emancipation. this topic has provoked considerable debate among historians who assessed the roles of abraham lincoln,