Lesson 17.3: “The North Wins”

Essential Question How did the Battles of Gettysburg, Vicksburg Sherman’s March, and the Virginia Campaign lead to the Confederate surrender at Appomattox?

Vocabulary Battle of Gettysburg: 3 day battle in fields of Pennsylvania Pickett's Charge: Confederate direct attack to the middle of the Union line. 3. Siege of Vicksburg: Decisive battle which gave the Union complete control of the Mississippi River.

Vocabulary 4. General William Sherman: Union general whose philosophy of total war led to massive destruction in Georgia. General Ulysses S Grant: General promoted to commander of the entire Union force. 6. Appomattox Courthouse: Small Virginia town where Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865 7. General Robert E Lee: Confederate general defeated in Virginia Campaign

Focus Questions 1. What occurred during the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville in Virginia? 2. What happened to Confederate General Stonewall Jackson? 3. Why did General Lee decide to take his troops North once more in June of 1863? 4. Why was Pickett's Charge a dreadful mistake? 5. Why was the Battle of Gettysburg the turning point in the war?

Focus Questions 6. How did General Grant succeed in taking Vicksburg, Mississippi? 7. What did General Grant accomplish for the Union by his victory at Vicksburg? 8. What was meant by "total war”? 9. What were the political effects of Sherman's military victories? 10. What battles were part of Grant's Virginia Campaign? 11. What were General Grant's terms of surrender?

What We Already now The Union strategy for winning the war was known as the Anaconda Plan: Naval blockade of the Confederate coastline. Gain control of the Mississippi River to cut the Confederacy in two. Capture the Confederate capital, Richmond.

The Road to Gettysburg After General Lee retreated back to Virginia, General Burnside attacked Lee’s forces near Fredericksburg, Virginia in December of 1862. The Confederate troops dug trenches and shot from them. The bloody result was a loss for the Union with 12,600 Union casualties. Soon after, President Lincoln replaced Burnside with General Hooker, who faced Lee’s forces the following May of 1863 in Chancellorsville, Virginia. It again proved to be another Union loss.

The Road to Gettysburg Although the Confederates won, they paid a high price for these victories. General “Stonewall” Jackson was returning from patrol on May 2nd and was accidentally shot in the arm by a Confederate guard who mistook him for a Union soldier. A surgeon amputated Jackson’s mangled arm. Jackson caught pneumonia and Lee’s prized general died on May 10, 1863.

The Road to Gettysburg In spite of Jackson’s tragic death, General Lee decided to head North once again. He hoped a Confederate victory in Union territory would fuel Northerners’ unhappiness with the war and bring calls for peace. He also hoped a Southern victory would lead European nations to aid the Confederacy.

The Battle of Gettysburg In June 1863, Lee crossed into southern Pennsylvania. He heard about a supply of shoes in Gettysburg and went to investigate. On July 1, 1863, Lee’s forces engaged Union forces. The battles raged on for 3 days! 90,000 Union troops under the command of General George Meade clashed with 75,000 Confederates.

The Battle of Gettysburg Union forces tried to hold their ground on Cemetery Ridge. General Lee ordered General Pickett to mount a direct attack in the middle of the Union line. 13,000 Confederate troops charged up the ridge into heavy fire. This battle became known as “Pickett’s Charge”. The Confederates were torn to pieces as they charged up the ridge and were forced to retreat.

The Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the war. 28,000 Confederate men were dead or wounded, over one-third of Lee’s army. Sick at heart, General Lee was forced to retreat and led his army back to Virginia. Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg made Confederate hopes for wining the war seem unlikely.

The Siege of Vicksburg The previous year, Grant won important victories in the West which opened up the Mississippi River for travel deep into the South. Vicksburg, Mississippi was the last major Confederate stronghold on the river. In May, 1863, Grant’s troop surrounded the city and prevented the delivery of food and supplies.

The siege of Vicksburg Eventually, the Confederates ran out of food. In desperation, they ate mules, dogs, and even rats! Finally, after a month and a half, they surrendered. With the victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the tide of war turned in favor of the North.

The Siege of Vicksburg With the fall of Vicksburg the Union victory fulfilled a major part of the Anaconda Plan. Now with complete control of the Mississippi River, the South was split in two! Mayflower Compact = self rule

Grant as Union Commander In Grant, Lincoln found a man who was willing to fight no matter how great the odds. In March 1864, Lincoln names General Grant commander of all the Union armies. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Grant as Union Commander When Grant was promoted to command all Union armies, he put General William T, Sherman in charge of the Southern Union troops. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Grant’s Plan To defeat the Confederacy, Grant would pursue Lee’s army in Virginia, while Union forces under Sherman pushed through the Deep South to the Atlantic coast. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Sherman’s Total War Sherman invaded Georgia in the spring of 1864. He fought a series of battles against Joseph Johnston‘s Confederate army in the mountains of North Georgia and steadily forced Johnston back into the heart of the state. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Sherman’s Total War In September of 1864, Sherman took Atlanta, then set out on a “March to the sea”. His objective was to take the city of Savannah on the coast. Mayflower Compact = self rule

March to the Sea For weeks, Sherman and his army cut loose from his supply lines. He had his men live off the land, seizing food and supplies from the local populations as they passed.

March to the Sea Along his march from Atlanta to Savannah, the Union troops under Sherman cut a path of destruction up to 60 miles wide and 300 miles long!

March to the Sea Sherman continued his strategy of destroying all military facilities in his path, along with all commercial targets and anything that could support his enemy. This was known as “Total War”.

March to the Sea Railroad ties were uprooted, heated over fires to make them malleable, and then twisted around tree trunks as "Sherman neckties" to insure the tracks couldn’t be reused. 

March to the Sea Sherman's troops left Atlanta November 15 and ended with the capture of the port of Savannah on December 21. His forces destroyed military targets as well as industry, infrastructure, and civilian property and disrupted the Confederacy's economy and its transportation networks. Sherman's bold move of operating deep within enemy territory and without supply lines is considered to be revolutionary in the history of war.

Lincoln’s Re-election President Lincoln was running for reelection, but many Northerners were tired of war. Democrats nominated George McClellan, who ran on an antiwar platform.

Lincoln’s Re-election Because of Sherman’s successful march through the South, Northerners could see that Union victory could become a reality. Lincoln won with 55 percent of the popular vote in the November election. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address Lincoln hoped for a speedy end to the war, and in his speech, he spoke of his desire for the nation to make it easier for the South to surrender and return to the Union. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address “With malice towards none; with charity for all; . . . let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds . . . to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace.” Mayflower Compact = self rule

Grant’s Virginia Campaign The Battle of the Wilderness, May 1864, marked the first stage of a Union offensive toward Richmond. It would be the first Civil War confrontation between Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. Robert E. Lee. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Grant’s Virginia Campaign Lee outnumbered 115,000 to 65,000 would meet the enemy in the dense Virginia woods about twenty miles west of Fredericksburg. The heavy woods would slow the Union army making it nearly impossible for a large army to make an orderly advance. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Battle of the Wilderness In the Battle of the Wilderness (May, 1864) Union and Confederate forces fought in a tangle of trees and brush so thick that they could barely see each other. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Battle of the Wilderness In the dry brush, fire broke out. Many of the wounded on both sides could not escape the flames and burned to death. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Battle of the Wilderness After two days of heavy, often chaotic fighting, and taking heavy causalities, Grant withdrew his troops. But rather than retreat to the north, Grant turned his troops south, onward to Richmond. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Grant’s Virginia Campaign Grant’s forces continued to press on toward Richmond, with Lee’s troops trying to block Grant. But while Grant could always call for fresh supplies and reinforcements, every skirmish weakened Lee’s ability to continue fighting. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Grant’s Virginia Campaign In June 1864, Grant’s armies arrived at Petersburg, just south of Richmond. In the second phase, unable to break through the Confederate defenses, the Union forces dug trenches and settled in for a long siege. The two sides faced off for ten months. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Grant’s Virginia Campaign With Grant tightening his noose around Richmond, Lee could not hold out. Eventually, the city fell on April 3, 1865. Lee wanted to keep fighting, but he knew that his situation was hopeless. He sent a message to General Grant that he was ready to surrender. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Surrender at Appomattox On April 9, 1865, Lee and Grant met in the small Virginia town of Appomattox Court House to arrange the surrender. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Surrender at Appomattox Grant offered generous terms of surrender. After giving up their arms, Lee’s men could return home with their private possessions horses and mules. Grant also gave food to the hungry Confederate soldiers. Mayflower Compact = self rule

Surrender at Appomattox After four very long years, the Civil War was coming to a close. Its effects would continue, however, to change the country forever. Mayflower Compact = self rule