Army of Northern Virginia surrenders after Antietham

WI with more luck and skill by comanders on behalf of the lawful government of the US Lee's return to the South were prevented and he was forced to surrender at some place North of the Potomac.

NB The emancipation proclamation (morally good tactically brilliant but legally iffy) applied only to states in rebellion by Janaury 1863, might that cause rebels to accept the US government rather than have their most powerful backers lose millions of dollars in human property?

If not how does 1863 go?
 
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I think there is a decent shot that the Slaveholder's Rebelion ends in 1862. With the ANV gone the chances of the CSA surviving just plummeted. If they rejoin the Union the slaveholders retain their slaves. :(
 
Maybe there could be a phase out of slavery

In my opinion, I dont see the United States surviving part free and part slave. It was too much of a dividing issue. Also in my opinion, slavery held the South back since too much capital was tied up in labor versus being invested in mines, railroads, and factories. Hopefully there would be an agreement for the South to phase out slavery over a 20 year period in exchange for the North to provide financial assistance to the South during the transition. Otherwise there would be another Civil War in 20 years.

Again this is my opinion

Stubear1012
 
Actually this one is really and truly plausible. Lee deliberately chose to fight on a field where he had only one line of retreat easily vulnerable to interdiction. An attack done tactically correctly instead of in balky, piecemeal fashion will annihilate the Army of Northern Virginia to a point where it would be a paltry few survivors, if any, who surrender.
 
Actually this one is really and truly plausible. Lee deliberately chose to fight on a field where he had only one line of retreat easily vulnerable to interdiction. An attack done tactically correctly instead of in balky, piecemeal fashion will annihilate the Army of Northern Virginia to a point where it would be a paltry few survivors, if any, who surrender.

Yeah, Little Mac had at least two chances of greatly weakening or destroying the ANV here and during the Seven Days. With the Seven Days it would be more likely be after Lee is forced to retreat after a siege at Richmond. That scenario would be a killing siege followed by flight followed by capitulation. Less likely but still possible. At the very least he would have taken Richmond if he had any guts at all.
 
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