1. End of the Civil War
Let’s finish this up.

2. Big thinking today….
I want you to think about what makes a hero, and what makes a villain.

3. Meanwhile, in Vicksburg…
Vicksburg is in Mississippi and it’s right on the Mississippi River.
This was obviously an important city because it allowed Confederates to move their supplies and troops around.
If the Union could capture Vicksburg, it would severely hurt the South.

4. The Union Captures Vicksburg
General Ulysses S. Grant decided to set up a siege around Vicksburg to force them to surrender.
He shot heavy artillery into the city for hours a day, and no food was let into the city.
Finally, on July 4th, 1863 (day after Gettysburg), Vicksburg surrenders.
The Union had effectively cut off the Confederates from the Mississippi.

5. Gettysburg Address
In November of 1863, Lincoln delivers this speech that is just over 2 minutes long.
It’s generally looked at as one of the most important speeches in American history.
We will look at it right after this presentation, don’t worry.

6. Confederate Morale It was low. Very low.
Lack of food, inadequate political leadership, losses on the battle fields…
As early as 1863 people in most of the Confederate states were holding local meetings to push the Confederacy to surrender.

7. Grant and Sherman
Ulysses S. Grant was appointed to lead the Union Army in 1864
He appoints William Tecumseh Sherman to be his “#2”
Both men believe in “total war,” which means you don’t only fight army guys, you fight the civilians as well.

8. Their Strategy
Grant would take his troops to Virginia and try to dismantle Lee’s troops.
Sherman would move his troops into Georgia and clean up the rest of the Confederate Army.

9. Grant vs. Lee
Grant pushed his troops to engage in battle after battle with Lee’s troops in Virginia in 1864.
He knew that the Union held the advantage of numbers, so they could afford to lose more men.
From May to the end of June, Grant lost 60,000 men. Lee lost 32,000.
This is still a “win” for Grant.

10. Sherman’s March to the Sea
Sherman’s plan was to annihilate the rest of the South.
His troops lived off the land and burned down cities as they marched through Georgia.
Once he got to Savannah, he turned his troops north to meet up with Grant in Virginia, to finish off Lee’s troops.

11. The Election of 1864
Lincoln had made many enemies during the war period.
His suspension of habeas corpus really made people angry.
Democrats nominated George McClellan, a former general in the Union Army whom Lincoln had fired

12. Lincoln wins!
The victories of Grant and Sherman in the South really made it look like the Confederacy was done.
When a President is “winning” a war, it always boosts his popularity.
Lincoln wins the election and starts to come up with a plan for final victory over the South.

13. End of the War
Grant was closing in on Richmond (Confederate Capital) from the West, Sherman was coming from the South.
In April, Jefferson Davis and the Confederate government abandon the capital and burn it to the ground.