Topical Tuesday! You will need a sheet of paper numbered 1-8. You will be given a reading passage spread over several slides. Each reading slide will automatically change. The time ranges from 45 seconds to 1 minute. The time indicator is shown at the bottom. There are 8 multiple choice questions to answer at the end of the reading. You have 25 to 60seconds to answer each before it changes. This activity will be collected by your SOCIAL STUDIES teacher.

June 1862: A Tale of Two Cities It's June 1862, and the North and South are battling for control of two strategic Confederate cities: Memphis and Richmond. Read what the news dispatches have to say! :The Union has taken Memphis, Tennessee. The battle for the important Confederate city began before dawn on June 6. That is when Union gunboats on the Mississippi River attacked the city. The South was unprepared. It had few boats in place with which to defend the city. In short order the Union had sunk or captured all but one of the Confederate ships. The federal flag now flies over the city of Memphis. Meanwhile, the Union remains in control of Corinth, Mississippi.

SO WHAT HAPPENED. The Union captured Corinth in May SO WHAT HAPPENED? The Union captured Corinth in May. The remaining Confederate Army in the area is greatly scattered. Men are deserting. The Union takeover of Memphis was an important victory for the Union. The Union wanted to win back control of supply lines along the Mississippi River. The Confederacy had built several forts along the river. The South proved to be a skillful defender of these important stations. Finally, however, the Union force proved too great. On May 30, the Union captured Corinth, Mississippi, where two major railroad lines crossed. Shortly after capturing Corinth, Union forces overtook Memphis.

June 30, 1862 As they have been since May, the North and the South are fighting for control of Richmond, Virginia. Richmond is the Confederate capital. On June 25, Union General George McClellan approached the city. But General Robert E. Lee was there to meet him. Lee is the new commander of the Confederate Army. The Confederate troops refused to give up. Lee's troops forced the Northerners to retreat. On June 27, Lee again pushed back Union troops. This battle was at Gaines' Mill. But the North keeps coming. More combat is said to be taking place now.

Meanwhile, there is good news for the Union Meanwhile, there is good news for the Union. Last week, Union soldiers in Virginia came upon a rebel mail carrier. He was trying to conceal himself in the woods. The man was arrested, and his mail bag seized. The bag was found to contain letters to Confederate officers. Many of these letters contain information that could be helpful to the Union. The information could help direct Union strategy. Some say that this information might prove as important as guns. SO WHAT HAPPENED?

The battles in the June 30 news dispatch became known as "The Seven Days' Battles." The series of conflicts took place near Richmond. After months of waiting, General McClellan was finally moving his troops toward the Confederate capital. McClellan worked hard to capture the city. General Lee met him at every turn, however. He forced the Union to retreat. The last of the battles took place at Malvern Hill. After, McClellan continued his retreat. With this, McClellan's plan to capture Richmond came to an end.