Final answer:
Despite early victories, the South faced the irony of lack of international support and depleted resources, leading to their eventual defeat. Lincoln prepared the Emancipation Proclamation and postwar plans, including rights for former slaves.
Step-by-step explanation:
The irony that faced the South after General Robert E. Lee's Peninsula Campaign was that although they won several battles, they did not achieve international support or recognition, which they desperately needed. Moreover, Lee's eventual defeat at Gettysburg and the successful Union Vicksburg Campaign turned the tide against the Confederacy, depleting their resources and morale.
As the war progressed, President Abraham Lincoln prepared to draft the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared the freedom of slaves in Confederate states and changed the character of the Civil War. Lincoln's proclamation also had international ramifications, as it made support for the Confederacy less palatable to countries that had abolished slavery.
Additionally, towards the war's end, Lincoln began to shape the postwar reconstruction plans, including extending the vote to black men and addressing the nation's obligations to former slaves.