1. Widespread adoption of the Spencer and Henry rifles by the Union army earlier in the conflict, ideally no later than December 1862.
2. State of Franklin - Move an army into Eastern Tennessee and sever it along with western North Carolina. This deprives the Confederacy of a key railway, puts the Union in control of most of the Appalachians north of Chattanooga, and gives them a base for operations into western North Carolina. Maybe this can be used to sever Virginia from the rest of the Confederacy?
3. A Union equivalent of John Henry Morgan. Bring hope and possibly arms to slaves across the South while instilling terror and breaking the will of the Confederates to fight.
In any event I am not sure an earlier Civil War victory by the Union solves its problems, it may lead to a 'stabbed in the back' mythos should the politicians try to surrender earlier or worse engender a 'lost cause' mythos worse than OTL. Saving a few hundred thousand lives might make the difference though, especially if they or one of their descendants proves influential in later times.
2. State of Franklin - Move an army into Eastern Tennessee and sever it along with western North Carolina. This deprives the Confederacy of a key railway, puts the Union in control of most of the Appalachians north of Chattanooga, and gives them a base for operations into western North Carolina. Maybe this can be used to sever Virginia from the rest of the Confederacy?
3. A Union equivalent of John Henry Morgan. Bring hope and possibly arms to slaves across the South while instilling terror and breaking the will of the Confederates to fight.
In any event I am not sure an earlier Civil War victory by the Union solves its problems, it may lead to a 'stabbed in the back' mythos should the politicians try to surrender earlier or worse engender a 'lost cause' mythos worse than OTL. Saving a few hundred thousand lives might make the difference though, especially if they or one of their descendants proves influential in later times.