Unequal Combatants: Lessons From The 1863 Gettysburg Campaign For The Russian/Ukrainian Conflict

Chirinko, Robert S.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.5127632

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Unequal Combatants: Lessons From The 1863 Gettysburg Campaign For The Russian/Ukrainian Conflict

5 Pages Posted: 14 Feb 2025

See all articles by Robert S. Chirinko

Robert S. Chirinko

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute); University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Finance

Date Written: February 06, 2025

Abstract

This note offers a new interpretation of the 1863 Gettysburg Campaign during the U.S. Civil War relying on concepts from outside the history discipline to deliver a fresh perspective on the nonmilitary agenda of General Lee's invasion of the Northern States. Two factors-Salience and Retribution-influenced public opinion, though the impacts were localized and restricted to the state of Pennsylvania.

Strong parallels between unequal combatants-the North vs. the South during the Civil War and Russia vs. Ukraine during their current conflict-present an opportunity to relate the lessons from our analysis of the Gettysburg Campaign to the recent Ukrainian Incursion into Russia.

Keywords: Gettysburg Campaign, General Lee’s Strategy, Russia-Ukraine War, Salience.

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Chirinko, Robert S. and Chirinko, Robert S., Unequal Combatants: Lessons From The 1863 Gettysburg Campaign For The Russian/Ukrainian Conflict (February 06, 2025). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5127632 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5127632