Turning Points of the War 11.4

Objectives Explain what the Union gained by capturing Vicksburg. Describe the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg. Analyze how the Union pressed its military advantage after 1863.

Key Parts Union Victory at Vicksburg A Turning Point in the East The Union Presses the Advantage

Introduction Read Section 11.4 Answer Questions 5 and 6 on page 387.

Union Victory at Vicksburg The Union still focused on Lincoln’s Anaconda Plan at this time. After two years of fighting he still had not gained control of the Mississippi River. Lincoln knew the key to their success was to defeat the Confederates at Vicksburg. There had be two attempts to take Vicksburg already, one by land and the other via the river. Both failed miserably, and Grant was becoming dismayed.

Cont. In the spring of 1863 Grant divided a new plan to take the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg. This was his last chance to achieve this. Grant sent his men south of Vicksburg to stage their, in the meantime he sent his Calvary to take control of the rail lines that fed Vicksburg to turn southern attention toward them. Then he headed toward Jackson to capture it and did successfully. Now Vicksburg was completely cut off

Cont.. Grant launched two frontal assaults against the Confederates but failed both times. So he decided to place Vicksburg under siege. After a month of constant shelling and the cutting off of supplies the Confederates inside Vicksburg were forced to surrender. This caused the other two strongholds on the Mississippi to surrender thus splitting the south east and west.

A Turning Point in the East While Union troops advanced in the West the situation was different in the East. Despite claiming victory at Antietam, Lincoln replaced General McClellan with General Ambrose Burnside. Lee met Burnsides men at Fredericksburg Virginia in December of 1862. Burnside had 120,000 troops and Lee had fewer than 80,000.

Cont. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Longstreet soundly defeated the Union Commander. Union casualties more than doubled that of the South. Lincoln then replaced Burnside with General Joseph Hooker. Who launched his own offensive against Lee. The two armies clashed at Chancellorsville and once again the Confederates overwhelmed the Union army with ease.

Cont.. How ever during this battle Lee had a major loss. Stonewall Jackson was accidentally shot by his own men during the battle and died. Stonewall Jackson was considered to be Lee’s right arm. Lee was upset by the loss but felt this was his opportunity to win international support for the Confederacy due to his success in the east.

Battle of Gettysburg Lee’s men headed toward Gettysburg hoping to seize footwear from the shoe factory there because most of his men didn’t have shoes. When they arrived Lee ran into several brigades of Union cavalry commanded by General Buford. July 1, 1863,Lee’s men win the first day of the battle. They pushed the Union troops out of the town. However this actually put the Union army in a better strategic position because they had the high ground along cemetery ridge, and Little and Big round top.

Cont. As the second day of battle dawned Lee’s men prepared to assault both ends of the Union line. Lee’s men would attack the northern part of Meade’s defenses while Longstreet attacked the southern end of Cemetery Ridge. The battle between Longstreet and the southern part of the defenses was the fiercest fighting of the war. The rebels however could not breach the Union line because they were to heavily outnumbered and out positioned.

Cont.. On July 3, Lee commenced an artillery barrage aimed at the center of the Union Line. This lasted for eight hours. Lee thought that this weakened the Union line heavily. What he didn’t know was that all the rounds were landing just behind the Union line so it virtually didn’t harm any of the Union Troops.

Cont… Lee teams up with General George Pickett and march toward Cemetery Ridge. Union troops and cannons fill the ridgeline and open fire on the exposed confederates. The Confederate Troops were mowed down by the thousands. This ended the Battle of Gettysburg. Even though the casualties were about equal the Union Army took Victory that day. 50,000 Union and Confederate Soldiers lay dead.

Cont…. In November 1863 Lincoln came to the Gettysburg battlefield to dedicate a cemetery for the fallen soldiers. There he delivered his Gettysburg Address. He describe the Civil was as a struggle to fulfill the Declaration of Independence and to preserve a nation dedicated to the equal treatment of men.

The Union Presses the Advantage Lincoln puts Grant in charge of the entire Union war effort and gives him the luxury of total war. This means he had the freedom of an all out war. Anything was fair game and this included the civilian population. The goal was not only to weaken the army but also the economy that supports it and break the will of the people.

Cont. Grant’s goal wasn’t to win battles at this point. He just wanted to inflict as many casualties as possible on the Confederate Army to a point to where they could not replenish them fast enough. Union General Tecumseh Sherman used the total war tactic in the deep south. In May 1864 he set out with 60,000 troops on a 250 mile march to destroy everything in their path.

Con.. This tactic was proving very successful. During this time Lincoln won the election of 1864 due to his soldiers finally wining victories. With Lincoln re-elected this ended any possibility of the north trying to seek peace with the south.