Well, for one thing he issued the Emancipation Proclamation which made the war a moral one for the North. Whrn he did that one thing-Europe took notice and would not support the South.

Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but the North’s win was never inevitable. The South would’ve and could’ve won the war if not for some small, key errors, none of which had to do with Abraham Lincoln. In fact, the only real contribution to the War the Lincoln made was the emancipation proclamation. Even still, this was just a political move on his part, a desperate attempt to alienate European countries from the Confederate cause.

Lee’s invasion of Pennsylvania was a turning point in the war. Many in Washington and throughout the North were clamoring for peace before the entire war was lost and Washington captured.

Pickett’s Charge, as it came to be known, was Lee’s greatest folly, and as the men of General George Pickett’s division walked slowly across the 3/4 mile of empty fields, the hopes of the Confederacy marched with them. Only 5,000 ever made it back to the Confederate lines, and Lee was forced to turn and flee.

From Shmoop