Chapter 9: Section 9

Chapter 9: Section 9

The Tide of War Turns

Main Ideas:

• The Union tried to divide the Confederate Army at Fredericksburg, but the attempt failed

• The Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 was a major turning point in the war

• During 1864, Union campaigns in the East and South dealt crippling blows to the Confederacy

• Union troops forced the South to surrender in 1865, ending the Civil War

• Union victories in 1863, 1864, and 1865 ended the Civil War

Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville

• Union General Ambrose E. Burnside became leader of the Army of the Potomac

• Decided on a swift attack on Richmond by way of Fredericksburg, VA

• launched a series of charges but failed to break the Confederate line resulting in 12,600 Union casualties and 5,300 Confederate casualties

• Burnside stepped down from his position

General Joseph Hooker

• Replaced Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac

• April 1863, his army of about 138,000 men launched a frontal attack on Fredericksburg

• 115,000 men split off and approached the Confederates side which was about to work

• Hooker hesitated and had his flanking troops take a defensive position at Chancellorsville

Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville

• Lee took this opportunity and had his troops attack Hooker's troops at Chancellorsville

• Stonewall Jackson led an attack on Hooker's flank while Lee commanded an assault on the Union front

• Hooker was forced to retreat after 3 days

Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville

• This was a major victory for the Confederate Army

• Both sides suffered severe causalities

• Stonewall Jackson was accidentally shot by his own troops and died

Battle of Gettysburg

• General Lee wanted to keep up the momentum and began to launch attacks in Union territory

• He wanted to break the Union's will to fight and convince other nations to recognize the Confederacy

Battle of Gettysburg

• Lee moved his soldiers across northern Maryland into southern Pennsylvania

• His forces gathered in Gettysburg, unaware Union soldiers were nearby

• Confederate Calvary chief "Jeb" Stuart was not gathering Intel and went against Lee's orders

• Confederate raiding parties formed and they went into Gettysburg to gather supplies

Battle of Gettysburg

Day 1

• While in Gettysburg Lee's troops ran into Union General George Meade's cavalry triggering the Battle of Gettysburg

• July 1, 1863 the battle began

• Larger Confederate forces began to push the Union troops back through Gettysburg

Day 1

• The Union soldiers regrouped along high ground of Cemetery Ridge and Culp's Hill

• Grant ordered Confederate General to attack, he hesitated which gave the Union a chance to position themselves defensively

• Union forces found themselves in a better position

Day 1

• Confederate General James Longstreet recognized the advantage of the Union position and moved east to take a strong defensive position- he wanted to wait for Union attack

• General Lee thought his Confederate Army was invincible

• Lee set up camp at Cemetery Ridge as both waited for reinforcements

Day 2

• July 2, 1863 Lee ordered an attack on the left side of the Union line

• Goal was to capture Little Round Top from the Union forces

• Both sides fought viciously for control of Little Round Top

• Union forced a Confederate retreat

Little Round Top

"My dead and wounded were nearly as great in number as those still on duty. They literally covered the ground. The blood stood in puddles in some places on the rocks; the ground was soaked with the blood of as brave men as ever fell on the red field of battle…"

- Colonel William C. Oates, 15th Alabama, at Little Round Top

Day 2

• The Confederates continued to attack Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill

• Assaults were unsuccessful as the Union maintained its defensive position

Day 3 - Pickett's Charge

• Longstreet tries to convince Lee not to attack

• Lee decided to try to attack the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge- thought this would be an unexpected tactic

• Confederates fired on the Union troops with Cannons with little reaction so they thought the Union troops were badly damaged

Day 3

• Three Divisions of Confederate Troops were tasked with charging the center of the Union lines

• Confederate Commander George Pickett led the largest unit

• 15,000 soldiers took part in Pickett's Charge - marched one mile up Cemetery Ridge but were met with Union cannons and gunfire

• Pickett lost more than half of his men in this 50 minute battle

Day 4

• Lee began to retreat to Virginia

• 75,000 Confederate soldiers and 90,000 Union soldiers fought in the Battle of Gettysburg

• Union General Meade decided not to follow Lee

• Lincoln was angered by this decision as he though it was a chance to end the war

Aftermath of Gettysburg

• Turning point of the Civil War

• Lee's troops would never again launch an attack in the north

• This victory along with Vicksburg made northerners believe the war could be won

• This win helped end South's search for foreign influence in the war

The Gettysburg Address

• November 19, 1863

• At Gettysburg battlefield ceremony President Lincoln gave a speech called the Gettysburg Address

• He praised the bravery of the Union soldiers and renewed his commitment to winning the Civil War. Lincoln referenced the Declaration of Independence and its ideals of liberty, equality, and democracy

• One of the most famous speeches in US history

Union Campaigns Cripple the Confederacy

• Grant was put in charge of the Union Army

• Grant forced Lee to fight a series of battles in Virginia that stretched Confederate soldiers and supplies to their limits.

Wilderness Campaign in the East

• a series of battles designed to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia

• Spotsylvania - 50 miles outside of Richmond, 5 days of fighting

• Battle of Cold Harbor - Grant's worse defeat, 10 miles outside of Richmond- Union Army suffered 7,000 casualties in hours

• Grant continued toward Richmond and hope to take control of key railroad junction in Petersburg

Sherman Strikes the South

• Lincoln was up for re-election and needed a Union Victory

• General William Tecumseh Sherman provided a key victory - he set out to destroy southern railroads and industries

• Sherman marched to Atlanta with 100,000 men with the goal to destroy a major railroad link

Sherman Strikes the South

• Confederate General John Hood repeatedly attacked the Union forces but failed

• Atlanta fell to Sherman's troops on September 2, 1864

• Much of the city was destroyed

• Lincoln won reelection by a landslide

Sherman's March to the Sea

• Sherman's next goal was Savannah, Georgia

• 285 mile march from Atlanta to Savannah

• The purpose of Sherman's March to the Sea was to frighten Georgia's civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause

• Sherman destroyed the South

The South Surrenders

• Richmond fell April 2, 1865

• Lee's Confederate troops were beaten and he was forced to surrender

• April 9, 1865 the Union and Confederate leaders met at a home in the small town of Appomattox Courthouse

• Lee surrendered to Grant - the Civil War was over

The McClean House at Appomattox Courthouse

The War is Over

• Grant fed the Confederate troops and said they would not be tried for treason

• Grant stopped Union victory cheers as they were all countrymen again

The Effects of the War

• Almost 620,000 Americans lost their lives during the 4 years of fighting

• Slavery ended but former slaves had no homes or jobs

• Southern economy was ruined

• Resentment on both sides remained

How could the United States be united once more?