18.5 The War in the West pp. 582-588

Objectives: Discuss the importance of rivers in the war in the West. Investigate why the Union wanted to take over Vicksburg and Chattanooga.

A. Taking the Mississippi Valley (pp. 582-583) In early 1862, Union General U.S. Grant captured two Tennessee forts—Fort Henry on the Tennessee River and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland. These Union victories opened the South for invasion and made Grant a national hero.

B. The Battle of Shiloh (pp. 583-584) Grant’s Union troops continued south along the Tennessee River toward Corinth, Mississippi, a railroad center. But on April 6, 1862, a surprise Rebel attack at the Battle of Shiloh nearly drove Grant’s forces into the Tennessee River. The next day, Grant’s reinforced army launched a counterattack that pushed the Rebels back to Corinth.

C. Vicksburg (pp. 584-585) By the end of 1862, Union armies occupied all of western Tennessee and moved south into Mississippi. Only the strategically important city of Vicksburg, Mississippi, blocked Union control of the Mississippi River. The food and supplies pouring into Vicksburg kept Southern soldiers alive and fighting.

D. The Vicksburg Campaign (pp. 585-586) In May 1863, Grant cut loose from his supply base, captured Jackson (MS), and fought his way west to the outskirts of Vicksburg. He then began a siege, or blockade, of Vicksburg that forced residents to live in dug-out caves and eat horses, mules, dogs, and even rats. Hungry and battered, the Confederates at Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863.

The Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, 1863

E. Chickamauga & Chattanooga (pp. 586-587) In 1863 Union forces aimed to capture Chattanooga, a rail center on the Tennessee-Georgia border. By mid-September, though, the Confederates rallied and won the Battle of Chickamauga, their last important victory of the war. But at the Battle of Chattanooga in November 1863, Union forces charged the hills around the city and pushed the Rebels back into Georgia.

F. Success in the West (p. 587) The Union naval blockade had cut off European supplies and by mid-1863 the Mississippi River was in Union hands. In addition, the North had cut the Confederacy through Tennessee. The struggle between the North and South was soon to turn into “total war.”

Review: At what April 1862 battle did Confederates surprise Grant’s army? Which city blocked Union control of the Mississippi River? On what day did Vicksburg surrender? What was the Confederacy’s last important victory in the Civil War? What battle did the Union win in November 1863?