Some Confederate politicians, including Jefferson Davis, believed the prospect of foreign recognition for the Confederacy would be made stronger by a military victory on Northern soil, but there is no evidence that Lee thought the South should base its military plans on this possibility.
Nogle konfødererede politikere, herunder Jefferson Davis, mente at muligheden for fremmed anerkendelse af Konføderationen ville blive styrket ved en militær sejr på Nordstaternes område, men der er intet grundlag for at tro, at Lee mente at Syden skulle basere sine militære planer på denne mulighed.