some of you may have heard from last night's discussion, i used the definition put forward by hp wilmot, the british historian, about the battle of midway. a turning point is a visible sign post that points to a parting of the whip. in my terms, a noticeable course change. there ar turning points, and there are turning points. when you think about the totality of the civil war, in itself a turning point in in american history, but in that there are myriads twists and turns. i would submit to you that some turning points are more important than the others. three of the ones that come to my mind the most, the ones that defined the terms under which a conflict will be fought, the lineups on both sides. which side gets ascendancy on the battlefield. and the turning point that defines the terms under which the conflict will be fought to its conclusion. of those three, the appointment of grant and some of the turning points in the wilderness as a direct result thereof, falls into the latter category. that makes grant's appointment a key turning point in the civil war, for reasons that we will