Chapter 15, Section 5 The Way to Victory The Civil War Chapter 15, Section 5 The Way to Victory

Southern Victories Between 1862 and 1865, soldiers and civilians faced a grim conflict marked by death destruction and change. The winter of 1862-1863 saw gloom in the North and a spark of hope for the South. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia seemed unbeatable.

Southern Victories Robert E. Lee had two huge victories that almost permanently changed the tide of war in the South’s favor. Lee’s first victory came at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Lee’s army was entrenched, or set up in a strong position, on a number of hills.

Southern Victories Union general Ambrose Burnside made several attempts to overcome Lee’s troops but thousands fell on the hillside. (12,653 Union casualties vs. 5,350 Confederate casualties). Following his defeat, Burnside resigned and was replaced by General Joseph Hooker.

Southern Victories Following Fredericksburg, Lee took another victory at the Battle of Chancellorsville (Virginia). Chancellorsville is considered to be Lee’s “perfect battle” due to the fact he was outnumbered 2 to 1. (133,868 Union troops Vs. 61,000 Confederate troops). Unfortunately for Lee, General Stonewall Jackson was killed. Jackson was shot in the arm by friendly fire. The arm had to be amputated and Jackson died a week later.

Gettysburg Following Chancellorsville, Lincoln replaced General Joseph Hooker with General George Meade. After Meade was placed in control of the Union army, he and General Robert E. Lee would clash in the largest battle of the Civil War: Gettysburg

Gettysburg The Union and Southern armies met at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania by accident. Confederate forces were trying to raid a shoe factory due to the fact nearly 1/3 of the Confederate soldiers had no shoes to wear. A simple raid turned into a three day battle. On the third and final day of the battle, Robert E. Lee decided to launch an offensive attack to crush the Union army once and for all.

Gettysburg Robert E. Lee told General George Pickett to lead the attack. This third day at Gettysburg would come to be known as Pickett’s Charge.

Pickett would lead 14,000 Confederate troops across a one-half mile of open ground towards Union lines. Pickett’s men proved to be easy targets for Union fire. Barely half of the Confederate troops returned from the charge.

Gettysburg By the time the smoke cleared the battlefield on the third day, the casualty rate was outstanding! Union Casualties: 23,055 Vs. Confederate Casualties: 23,230. This was the only battle in which Robert E. Lee had a higher casualty rate than his opponent. Union Army claimed victory at Gettysburg and forced the Confederate army back into the South. The South would never try another offensive attack.

Vicksburg On the same day as Gettysburg, the Union army under the command of Ulysses S. Grant had a huge victory at Vicksburg, Mississippi. 29,500 Confederate soldiers were captured in this battle. The Union now completely controlled the Mississippi River The Battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg marked a turning point in the war.

Lincoln On November 19, 1863 at a ceremony dedicating a cemetery at Gettysburg, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. Considered the greatest speech by a president Though only a few minutes, the speech helped war weary Americans look beyond the images of the battlefield and focus on their shared ideals.

Final Phases of the War In August of 1864, General David Farragut led a Union fleet into Mobile Bay. The Union now controlled the Gulf of Mexico.

Sherman In April of 1864, General Grant gave a man by the name of William Tecumseh Sherman command of 60,000 Union troops. Sherman’s orders were to march into Georgia and strike a crippling blow to the heart of the Confederacy. What Sherman did has been called horrible by some, and awe inspiring by others.

Final Phases of the War General William Tecumseh Sherman engaged in a method called total war. As Sherman began his march to the sea he burned the major Southern city of Atlanta. As he moved through the South, Union troops took what food they needed from the land. They then tore up railroad lines and fields. They killed animals and destroyed anything useful in the South. Along the way they freed slaves, and burned nearly everything in their path. This caused numerous southern soldiers to desert the military and return home. Why?

March to the Sea Sherman’s “March to the Sea” began with the burning of Atlanta, Georgia on November 15, 1864 and concluded in Savannah, Georgia on December 20, 1864. During this campaign Sherman destroyed 300 miles of southern rail lines, seized 5,000 horses, 4,000 mules, 13,000 cattle. He confiscated/ burned 9.5 million pounds of corn and freed an estimated 10,000 slaves. In a letter to Lincoln, Sherman wrote; “I present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah, with 150 cannons and plenty of ammunition, as well as 25,000 bales of cotton.”

The Results On April 2, 1865 the Southern capital of Richmond, Virginia fell to Union troops. On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee and his troops officially surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in a Virginia village called Appomattox Court House. Victory for the North

Results of the War 620,000 Dead Americans ….That is more than World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Korean War and the Revolutionary War and Iraq combined. Billions of dollars in damages, mostly in the South. The North’s victory saved the Union (United States) The war freed millions of African Americans. By today’s figures, the Civil War cost approximately $75 billion.