A Very Different America?

What would have happened if Gettysburg went down differently? What would have happened if Lee took Longstreet's advise to pull behind the union army, getting between the army and Washington, instead of the full frontal assault which failed before it even began?

The Confederate Army's goal when they invaded the north was to take Washington and put an end to the war, and forcing the Union to accept the Confederacy's succession. Would they really have done this? The ideals the South was fighting for, states rights, independance, would dictate that they would take Washington, accept the surrender, and move home. Yet, these were men in charge, and men don't always hold to their ideals in the face of potential power.

What do you think, if Lee's army marched into and took Washington, would they have walked away, or tried to take over the North and change the government style to account for the pseudo-royalty which was developing in the South at the time? Would they have been happy enough with what they had, or, when presented with the entire North, defensless, would they have taken it?

Meade's army would probably have been stomped had Lee taken Longstreet's advise. The Union would have been forced to march against Lee's troops by the politicians in Washington, and it would have been rushed. Meade was a very cautious general, and a sudden shift and forced assault would be difficult, at best, for him to pull off. The Confederate army would have won, destroying any defense besides militia the Union had east of the Mississippi. What would they have done with that opportunity?