The Civil War ( )

Battle of Gettysburg The Confederates had almost completely destroyed Hooker’s army of 138,000 at Chancellorsville Lee wanted to end the war as soon as possible, so he decided to invade the North once again Just before the battle, Lincoln replaced Hooker with Pennsylvanian General George Meade An accidental clash between small units at Gettysburg turned into a bloody turning point

July 1, 1863 The first shots exploded when a Confederate brigade searching for supplies encountered Union soldiers just outside of Gettysburg By the end of the day, Meade’s forces had been pushed south of town They took a defensive position on high ground The front ran about 3 miles along Cemetery Ridge, with Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill at one end, and hills called Round Top and Little Round Top at the other

July 2, 1863 A confident Lee ordered flanking attacks at both ends of the Union position After a full day of battle, Union forces still held their positions

July 3, 1863 Lee decided to attack the Union center in what became known as Pickett’s Charge General George E. Pickett and 13,000 Confederates marched almost 1 mile across an open field and ran up the slopes of Cemetery Ridge under heavy enemy fire Pickett’s charge was a huge failure (he didn’t share Lee’s opinion)

Conclusion of Gettysburg Union casualties – 23,000 Confederate casualties – 22,000 (7,000 in Pickett’s charge On July 4, 1863, the Union army failed to pursue the retreating Lee Gettysburg was the turning point of the war Confederate forces would never again be strong enough to seriously threaten the Union

Taking the Mississippi Valley Both sides were fighting to control the Mississippi River The Union advance began when General Ulysses S. Grant attacked two Confederate forts on the Kentucky-Tennessee border Confederates had built Fort Henry on the Tennessee River They had built Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River These were built to prevent southern Union movement down the rivers

Taking the Mississippi Valley (cont.) February 1862 – Union captures Fort Henry February 14, 1862 – Union gunboats shell Fort Donelson February 15, 1862 – Yankees attack and surround the fort February 16, 1862 – Fort’s commander asked Grant for the best terms of surrender Grant responded, “No terms except unconditional and immediate surrender would be accepted” Commander surrendered 13,000 soldiers

Battle of Shiloh This bloody two-day battle on the Tennessee- Mississippi border in April 1862 slowed the Union advance to the South General Albert Sidney Johnston planned to surprise and attack Grant’s troops Johnston chose to attack before reinforcements arrived “The Johnies are there thicker than Spanish needles in a fence corner The Rebels overran the camp and pushed the Yankees toward the river

Battle of Shiloh (cont.) Some Union troops refused to fall back By nightfall, 25,000 Union reinforcements reached the tired and beaten troops holding out at Shiloh The next day Grant used his much larger force to defeat the Confederates After the battle Grant said, “It would have been possible to walk across the clearing in any direction stepping on dead bodies without a foot touching the ground”

The Vicksburg Campaign Grant hoped to seize Vicksburg quickly, but acres of impassable swampland lay between his army and Vicksburg In late 1862 and early 1863 Grant made several attempts to capture the city but failed In May of 1863, Grant planned to go around the swamp to get to Vicksburg on dry ground Grant permitted the Union soldiers only as much food as they could carry or get along the way

The Vicksburg Campaign (cont.) Moving quickly, Union forces reached Jackson, Mississippi almost without opposition Then Grant turned and fought his way back west to the outskirts of Vicksburg In 17 days, his troops had marched 180 miles and won 5 battles against larger forces Grant tried to take the city by storm, but failed Federal gunboats and artillery shelled the city day and night for more than 6 weeks

The Vicksburg Campaign (cont.) The starving residents ate horses, mules, and dogs Hungry and battered, the Confederates surrendered on July 4, 1863 The Union split the South in half and now controlled the Mississippi River

Chickamauga and Chattanooga Next, the Union aimed to capture Chattanooga, a rail center on the Tennessee and Georgia border By mid-September, the Confederates rallied and beat the Yankees in a bloody battle at nearby Chickamauga Creek This would be the Confederates’ last important victory in the Civil War The Union pulled back to Chattanooga, where the Confederates boxed them in and waited for them to surrender

Chickamauga and Chattanooga (cont.) Inside Chattanooga, the Union soldiers were beginning to starve, “One cracker each meal” Trains carrying relief came from the East The Rebels held the hills and ridges around Chattanooga General William Tecumseh Sherman and his Union troops attacked the flank of the main Confederate force on Missionary Ridge

Chickamauga and Chattanooga (cont.) Grant wanted to divert the enemy’s attention away from Sherman He ordered soldiers to charge halfway up the steep Missionary Ridge The soldiers, frustrated and angry from their defeat at Chickamauga, did not stop halfway as ordered They reached the top and scattered the confused Confederates