I would say the spring of 1862 was the first big low point after the fall of Forts Donelson/Henry, the Battle of Shilo, the fall of New Orleans and the Confederate Conscription Act. But the war was roller coaster and that summer events gave the Confederate armies new life. There were more low and high points; but the first big low point began for the Confederacy in the late winter and early spring of 1862.

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David Upton