Thanks for reminding everyone that Lee was not made the “Supreme Commander” of Confederate forces until the outcome of the war was a foregone conclusion. Lee should not be held accountable for the notable failures of others with similar command responsibilities. Gettysburg was a tactical failure for Lee, but the strategy (taking the fight to Union territory in an attempt to force an early stalemate and truce) was a sound one.
Very true, especially since northern Virginia was completely denuded of the resources needed to feed and supply his army by that point in the war. Quite frankly Lee realized that to continue fighting, he needed to head north and live off Pennsylvania's resources, while Virginia's farms and industries recovered during the respite. It was pretty much the ONLY strategy move that Lee had left after Chancellorsville, other than sitting back and fighting on the defensive in a war-torn, barren land, like Joe Johnston advocated.