Chapter 17 Lesson 5- The War Ends

I. The Fall of Vicksburg July 1863- the war tide turned against the South. Major Union victories in the East and West. B. Union already controlled New Orleans and Memphis, but Confederates held Vicksburg, MS. C. Early 1863. Grant tried to take Vicksburg again. 1. Confederates hold on. 2. Grant launches surprise attack by marching his troops inland to Jackson, MS, then turning and attacking Vicksburg from behind. 3. For more than 6 weeks, Grant lays siege to Vicksburg. 4. Finally on July 4, 1863, Confederates surrender. D. On July 9, Union forces also capture Port Hudson, LA. E. The entire Mississippi is now under Union control.

II. Union Victory at Gettysburg Gen. Lee moves into Pennsylvania, hoping to catch the Union by surprise then move to Washington, DC. B. June 30, 1863, Union forces under Gen. George C. Meade met Lee’s army in the small town of Gettysburg, PA. 1. Both sides send reinforcements. 2. 3-day Battle of Gettysburg was one of the most important battles in the Civil War. 3. July 1, Confederates drive Union forces out of Gettysburg. 4. Yankees take position on Cemetery Ridge, overlooking the town.

4. The next day, Lee ordered an attack on both ends of the Union line. 5. Southern troops fought hard, but lost. 6. Savage fighting cause many casualties but failed to force the Union army to move.

C. Pickett’s Charge 1. Despite losses, Lee tries to charge again to “create a panic and virtually destroy the [Union] army.” 2. July 3, ordered General George Pickett to lead 15,000 men in a charge against the center of the Union line- which required the men to march 1,000 yards across open ground and climb a steep slope within clear view of the enemy. 3. Pickett gave the order to charge. 4. Union guns opened fire, killing thousands of Confederate soldiers. 5. The charge ultimately failed. 6. Union officers trying to cross the battlefield the next day could not do so because “the dead and wounded lay too thick to guide a horse through them.

7. Lee admitted fault and had no choice but to retreat. 8 7. Lee admitted fault and had no choice but to retreat. 8. The South will never invade the North again. 9. Gen. Meade proud of the victory, but Lincoln was once again disappointed the Confederates had gotten away. D. Union victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg marked the turning point in the war, however, the South was determined and the war lasted another two years.

III. The Gettysburg Address Battle of Gettysburg left 50,000+ dead or wounded. B. November 19, 1863, there was a ceremony to dedicate a cemetery in honor of the soldiers who died in battle. C. President Lincoln attended the ceremony and delivered a speech. 1. Said the Civil War was a test on whether or not a democratic society could survive. 2. Reminded Americans that the nation was founded on the belief that “all men are created equal.” 3. Entire speech was only 10 sentences long but is honored as a profound statement of American ideals.

IV. Grant’s Plan for Total War Lincoln searched for a general who could lead the Union to victory. B. Ulysses S. Grant was foremost in mind as he had several victories to his credit. C. Grant had a plan for ending the war by destroying the South’s ability to fight. 1. Ordered his generals to launch a total war against the South, obliterating food, equipment, and anything else that might be useful to the army. 2. Total war does not make any distinctions between soldiers and civilians, and both will suffer the same hardships.

D. Sheridan in the Shenandoah 1. To set plan in motion, Grant sends Gen. Philip Sheridan and cavalry to VA’s Shenandoah Valley with instructions to destroy whatever cannot be consumed by his soldiers. 2. Sheridan obeys and in the fall/summer of 1864, he marches through the valley destroying farms and livestock, including burning 2,000+ barns filled with grain. 3. This left nothing for Lee, his troops, or southern civilians.

E. Sherman’s March to the Sea 1. Grant also ordered Gen E. Sherman’s March to the Sea 1. Grant also ordered Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman to capture Atlanta, GA, and then march to the Atlantic coast- also destroying everything useful to the South. 2. Sherman’s troops captured Atlanta in September 1864. 3. Began campaign by turning people out of their homes and burning a large part of the city. 4. Began “march to the sea.” 5. As they marched, the troops pulled up railroad tracks and built bonfires from the ties, then heated and twisted the rails. 6. They killed livestock and tore up fields of crops; burned barns, homes, bridges and factories.

V. Lincoln is Reelected Lincoln runs for reelection in 1864, knowing that defeat was very possible. B. Prior to the capture of Atlanta, the Union chances for victory seemed very low. C. Lincoln knows many northerners don’t like the way he’s handled the war and this may well cost him the election. D. Democrats nominated General George McClellan to oppose Lincoln. 1. Adopted a resolution demanding an immediate stop to hostilities against the South. 2. Although he commanded the Union army, McClellan was willing to compromise with the Confederacy and if peace could be achieved, he would restore slavery.

D. In September, Sherman takes Atlanta and the North rallies around Lincoln. E. Victories in Shenandoah Valley in Oct. also increased support for Lincoln. F. The results of the November election are close, but Lincoln remains President.

VI. The Civil War Ends Grant began a drive to capture Richmond in May 1864, fighting Lee in a series of costly battles. B. Northerners were horrified to read that 60,000+ men were killed or wounded in a single month at the battles of the Wilderness Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor. C. Grant pressed on knowing that the Union could refresh supplies but the South could not. D. Lee dug in at Petersburg, near Richmond. 1. Grant lay siege to Lee for nine months. 2. With a refreshment in supplies, Grant takes Petersburg on April 2, 1865. Richmond falls the same day.

E. Lee and his army withdraw to a small, VA town called Appomattox Court House. 1. A week later they are trapped there by Union troops. 2. With no other options, Lee surrenders on April 9, 1865. F. At Appomattox Court House, Grant offers generous terms of surrender. 1. Soldiers had to relinquish rifles, but officers could keep pistols. 2. Soldiers with horses could keep them (spring plowing) 3. Each officer would be allowed to return home without hassle. G. As Confederacy surrendered, Union officers began to cheer, but Grant ordered silence. 1. “The war is over,” he said. “The rebels are our countrymen again.”

VII. A Turning Point in American History Civil War took a huge toll on the United States. 360,000+ Union soldiers and 250,000+ Confederate soldiers lost their lives. 2. No war has ever caused more American deaths. 3. War cost around 20 billion (11x the entire amount spent by federal gov’t between 1789-1861) B. Civil War was a major U.S. history turning point. 1. Balance of power changed- Democrats lost influence and the Republicans were in a commanding position. 2. U.S. no longer a confederation of states. (these United States became the United States) 3. Idea that a state could secede was gone; federal gov’t power grew as a result.

C. Put an end to slavery in the U. S. 1 C. Put an end to slavery in the U.S. 1. Millions of African-Americans gained freedom. 2. Americans rethink what it means to be “free and equal.” 3. Long struggle for equality lies ahead. D. United States emerges a stronger, freer nation.