The battle of Gettysburg had three main contingency factors that could have resulted in a different outcome for the battle and the war. It is easy to say what if this happened or what if that happened. Obviously, if some of those what if's occurred the results may have been drastically different. There are a lot of what if's that can be made about history, and making all of these what if's can make for interesting stories about history. However, they are more prevalent in history than one might originally expect. Much of the history that has been made can easily have had completely opposite outcomes using some of the what if's. .
The battle of Gettysburg in the summer of 1863 is a great example of what if history. It was the only battle during the war when the two armies collided on the march. General Robert E. Lee commanded the southern army and the northern army was led by General George Gordon Meade. Both leaders knew the importance of winning the next battle to ensure victory for their sides. .
Both armies were on the move; concerned about each other's movements they each sent out spies to keep track of each other's movements. The Southern cavalry leader J.E.B. Stuart was what Robert E. Lee called the "eyes" of the army. The southern effort depended on him and his cavalry to keep them up to date of all Union movement. Without his cavalry the south was blind. J.E.B. Stuart's cavalry never reported back to Lee when he was expected to, and because of this the south marched right into the heart of the Union army, resulting in the battle of Gettysburg. They were forced into a battle that they had not expected, and they fought it the best they could. The pursuing days were filled with some of the bloodiest fights in American history placing father against son and brother against brother. Each side was fighting to the death for the cause they believed in. The next three days would change our nation forever.