Road to Conquest 1862

Fort Henry & Fort Donelson The key to defeating the Confederacy in the West was Union control over strategic river systems Grant wanted Union control of the Tennessee & Cumberland Rivers

Grant’s Plan

Victory At Henry & Donelson Victory at Ft. Henry on 2/6/1862 gave the Union control of the TN River (upper right) Victory at Ft. Donelson on 2/16/1862 gave the Union control of the Cumberland River (lower right)

McClellan in Command George B. McClellan Known as “Little Mac” “Superb organizer of an Army” Overly cautious during battle Later becomes Governor of New Jersey

The Peninsula Campaign 3/1862-7/1/1862

Shiloh Fought 4/6-4/7/1862 Key Leaders were: Union: Ulysses S. Grant William Tecumseh Sherman Confederate: Albert Sidney Johnston First major bloody battle of the Civil War, in which there were 23,741 casualties

Battle of Shiloh

The Seven Days Battle Fought 6/25-7/1/1862 Lee stops McClellan’s Army from invading Richmond, and halts the Peninsula Campaign

2nd Battle Bull Run/Manassas Fought 8/29-8/30/1862 Another Confederate Victory led by Robert E. Lee Adds to the reputation of Lee as an invincible leader.

The Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg Fought on 9/17/1862 in Sharpsburg, MD Bloodiest Day in American History with 23,300 casualties McClellan (75,000) vs. Lee (50,000) The Confederacy needed a major victory over the Union to gain foreign support from England and France

McClellan’s Victory Took ¼ of Lee’s Army Stopped Lee’s invasion of the North Ended idea of Foreign support from England and France Provides Lincoln with need to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Lincoln Fires McClellan McClellan could have ended the war by pursuing Lee after Antietam, but did not. When he ignored Lincoln’s order to do so, the President fired McClellan. McClellan hated Lincoln and would run against him in the Election of 1864.