RECAP: WHAT’S HAPPENING  McClellan has been removed from command by President Lincoln Gen. Don Carlos Buell has also been removed from command in the West  President Lincoln is working out the final preparations to pass the Emancipation Proclamation  The Confederacy is fervently trying to secure European aid

THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG  In late 1862, Lincoln replaced McClellan with Ambrose E. Burnside (left).  Burnside was a reluctant commander and had turned down this position in the past, but Lincoln had no other options at this point.

THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG  Burnside quickly moved the Army of the Potomac south, feinting towards the Orange and Alexandria RR while actually moving towards Falmouth.  Burnside planned to move across the Rappahannock River and swiftly march on Richmond, just over 50 miles south of Falmouth.  For once Lincoln believed he had found an able and dynamic general.

THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG  Unfortunately, Burnside’s pontoons did not arrive on time.  This gave Lee and the Confederate army time to occupy Fredericksburg and the heights overlooking the town from the Southwest.  Movie time

AFTERMATH  The Union suffered 12,600 casualties to the Confederacy’s sub- 5,000.  The Union army retreated North once again in defeat and Burnside was quickly removed from command.

THE WAR IN THE WEST  During the final days of 1862, the Army of the Cumberland under William Rosecrans engaged the Army of Tennessee at Stones River, just outside of Murfreesboro, TN.  On the night of Dec. 30 th, the bands of the two armies played popular songs back and forth to each other.

THE BATTLE OF STONES RIVER  Like most battles, the Confederacy struck early in the morning, surprised the Yankees, and appeared to have won the battle easily on the first day.  And like most battles, the Union army rallied before the end of the day and was able to stall the Confederate attacks the next day.  Union casualties: 31%  Confederate casualties: 33%  Highest combined rate of the war

THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN  During the debacle of Fredericksburg and the battle of Stones River, General Ulysses S. Grant was having troubles of his own in the Deep South.  The Union army had taken control of most of the Mississippi River, with the exception of one major city; Vicksburg.

THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN  Vicksburg sat at the top of a tall bluff overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River. If the Union captured it, they would have complete control over the Mississippi River.  For the first 4 months of 1863, Grant tried many different methods to bypass Vicksburg altogether. None worked.  However, by late March, Grant had a risky plan that might finally succeed.

THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN  Grant moved his troops overland south of Vicksburg and sent his gunboats downriver past Vicksburg.  Overall, the plan worked: the boats made it past with minimal casualties and were able to ferry Grant’s army across the river onto the east bank, on the side of Vicksburg.  Grant struck out east, took Jackson, then turned around and headed for Vicksburg.

THE VICKSBURG CAMPAIGN  Once Grant reached Vicksburg, he had his troops surround the city on the land side and moved his gunboats in to cut the city off from the river.  However, for the first time in months, the Rebels turned the Yankees away from Vicksburg in a series of frontal assaults ordered by Grant.  In response, Grant settled down for a siege and waited for the Southerner’s food and supplies to run out.

BACK EAST  After Burnside was removed from command, General Joseph Hooker took his place.  Hooker, a fiery man, took many steps to revive morale in the Army of the Potomac.  Hooker boasted that he had created the finest army on the planet in late spring. And finally, he began to move.

CHANCELLORSVILLE  Like Burnside, Hooker started off great. He divided his forces, leaving 40,000 in front of Lee at Fredericksburg while taking 70,000 downriver and moving in on Lee’s flank.  However, like Burnside and McClellan before him, when Hookers forces encountered Lee’s near Chancellorsville on May 1 st, he chickened out and pulled back.  The following night, Lee found a way to outwit the Army of the Potomac once again.

AFTER CHANCELLORSVILLE  In the night following the battle, General Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded by friendly fire and would die soon after.  Grant was stuck in front of Vicksburg and Hooker limped back north toward Washington with his army.

CONCLUSION  In the east, the Army of the Potomac was broken multiple times by Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia, due to incompetent generaling.  In the west, General Grant was causing havoc and threatened to finally take control of the Mississippi and divide the Confederacy in two.