This is a great discussion! I have been studying a huge 4 volume set of books on Robert E. Lee, and noticed a recurring theme...

His generals, and the men under them, were focussed on defending their home states. The men fought like angry cats when defending "home", and were less motivated when assigned to other territories. Yet they still fought and died for the cause.

Not a turning point, but too many headstrong generals felt that they were in command of "their" army, and resisted forming a cohesive "Confederacy" of all the armies.

This is fufrther illustrated in the debate over what the war was about... states' rights! As an example, I always wondered why my gggrandfather joined at 40 years old, a preacher, and with 6 young kids and a wife at home. Then I researched the dates of his enlistment and the date that Alabama became threatenened by invasion. THAT was when he "jined up"!

Brew