1. KEY CIVIL WAR BATTLES
CHAPTER 7.6

2. SIEGE AT VICKSBURG
General Grant’s main focus was the Mississippi River
Anaconda Plan dependent upon controlling Mississippi to cut the Confederacy in half
Grant made several attempts to take Vicksburg
Protected from attack by land
Gunners could fire upon approaching gunboats

4. SIEGE AT VICKSBURG
They were also protected from an attack by land due to swamps, creeks, and woods guarding the north end of the city
Spring of 1863 Grant devises a plan
Marched troops to a place south of the city
Sent cavalry to attack a rail line in Mississippi to draw CSA away from city
April 30 – 20,000 troops crossed the river and marched northeast to capture Jackson, MS
Then they turned west and took control of the rail line leading into Vicksburg

5. SIEGE AT VICKSBURG
Tried a frontal assault 2x but could not break defenses
May 22 they sieged Vicksburg
Surrounded, bombarded, and cut off all supplies
Kept this up until July 4, 1863
Confederate commander ordered his men to surrender
A few days later the Confederate garrison at Port Hudson, LA also surrendered
The Union now controlled the Mississippi River and had split the Confederacy in half

7. Gettysburg
Lee saw an opportunity for international support for the Confederacy
He wanted to demoralize the Union and hopefully end the war
He decided to invade the North

8. Gettysburg General George Meade was now in charge of the Union Army
He set out to engage the Confederates at Gettysburg
July 1, Lee’s men ran into brigades of Union cavalry commanded by General John Buford
This was the start of the Battle of Gettysburg

9. Gettysburg – 1st day of fighting
The CSA pushed the Union force through the town and onto higher ground
General Meade able to bring up the rest of his army and strengthened the Union position
Union troops dug in along a 2 and half mile defense between Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill along Cemetery Ridge
The Federal line ended at the top of two more hills, Little Round Top and Big Round Top

11. Gettysburg – July 2
Lee’s men prepare to attack both ends of the Union line
One force moved against the northern part of Meade’s defenses
Longstreet attacked the southern end of Cemetery Ridge, meeting a large body of soldiers who had mistakenly left Little Round Top
But they failed to break the Union line

12. Gettysburg – July 2
Union noticed undefended position on Little Round Top and hurried to fill it
Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain and his Maine unit defended the position
They ran out of ammo and he ordered a bayonet charge, stunning and scattering Confederates
End of the day, Union still had high ground

13. Gettysburg – July 3
Lee not discouraged despite opposition from Longstreet
Commenced an artillery barrage at the center of the Union line
Then sent in General George Pickett’s division to advance toward Cemetery Ridge
They were mowed down by rifle and cannon fire
Battle was over
Gettysburg

14. Gettysburg - aftermath
50,000 dead and wounded from both sides
Lee abandoned his invasion of the North
They would never again attempt an attack on Union soil again

15. Gettysburg Address – November 1863 (episode 5)
Lincoln came to the Gettysburg Battlefield to dedicate the cemetery to the fallen soldiers, Union and Confederate
Delivered his Gettysburg Address
He described the Civil War as a struggle to fulfill the Declaration of Independence and to preserve a nation “dedicated to the position that all men are created equal.”
Today the speech is recognized as an enduring statement of American values and goals
Gettysburg Address
GA Parody

16. The Union’s Total War
Union victories of Vicksburg and Gettysburg within one day of each other dealt a severe blow to the Confederacy
The CSA would not receive recognition from Britain or France
CSA still won some victories but by the fall of 1863 the situation in the South was grim

17. Union’s Total War
Lincoln put General Ulysses S. Grant in charge of the Union military effort
Grant would accept nothing less than total victory
He set his sights on Richmond
Fought the CSA in a series of battles: The Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor
Grant wanted to inflict more losses than the Confederacy could withstand
People in the North began to get angry as tens of thousands of soldiers died on the battlefields

18. Union’s Total War
Grant followed a strategy of total war – meaning military and civilian targets
He wanted to weaken not only the military but the economy which supported it, weakening the people’s will to fight

19. Sherman’s March to the Sea - 1864
Total war strategy implemented by William Tecumseh Sherman
May 1864 Sherman set out from the Tennessee Georgia border with 60,000 troops on a 250 mile march to the sea
Planned to capture the port of Savannah

20. Sherman’s March to the Sea - 1864
Sherman ordered troops to
loot supplies along the way
Destroy anything of potential value
They cut a 60 mile wide swath through Georgia
They destroyed railroad tracks, buildings, and vandalized homes
CSA abandoned Atlanta, GA
Sherman took it and forced residents to leave then he ordered his troops to burn it to the ground
Captured Savannah in late December (episode 8)

21. Meanwhile…in Washington
Lincoln had lost some support from his own party
He was criticized for seizing too much authority
Others said he was not committed to ending slavery
Democrats nominated George McClellan – former Union commander
Lincoln wins the reelection – Union victories boosted his popularity
McClellan won 45% of popular vote but Lincoln won 212 of the 233 electoral votes

22. Works Cited
American Civil War History. History. 14 Jan Web
July, 1863 – Fall of Vicksburg / Hospital Again. Civil War Diary of Charles F. Nelson. Elegant Themes. 24 Jan Web. 18 Oct 2012.
Lapansky-Werner, Emma J. et al. United States History. Pearson Education Print.
Mississippi River fleet--U.S. gunboat Fort Hindman. Old Picture. 14 Jan Web
William Tecumseh Sherman Biography. Bio. 24 Jan Web