You're all forgetting Malvern Hill, a year before Gettysburg. The entirety of AOtP was on that hill and saw the damage that they inflicted on the rebel masses. At the end of July 1st (1862) they knew they had clearly won a 'complete' victory over the ANV. So from then the Army knew that they could win, they just didn't have the proper commanders to get the job done.[/quote]O. O. Howard wrote:
I would have to agree with Hancock the Superb on this one though. Going into the Gettysburg campaign I think you can be pretty sure that the Army of Northern Virginia felt pretty sure of itself and the likelihood of defeating the Army of the Potomac. You can also be pretty sure that the AOP had experienced a lot of defeats and would have found it hard to imagine themselves winning a clearly decisive victory over the ANV in its entirety.
Complete (Clearly Decisive) Victory? Hardly...the ANV was still on field, ready for a fight, the next day. AoP did not have the resources, ability, or willingness (and, perhaps, the leadership) to counter-attack and destroy the ANV. The ANV was allowed to retreat intact, although badly scarred. The ANV fought for another two years. Was it a Union Victory? Certainly! But a "complete victory"?
J