July 1863: Disaster for the South Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg was a huge blow, with Lee losing 1/3 of his army On the same day (July 3 rd ) Ulysses S. Grant captured Vicksburg, MS

Though Meade had decisively defeated Lee at Gettysburg, Lincoln was still unsatisfied with him. Why? What had Meade done at Gettysburg that might disappoint Lincoln? On the other hand, Lincoln was very impressed with Grant’s victory at Vicksburg, though he was worried about his drunkenness & amount of casualties Lincoln promoted Grant to lead the northern army in the east in November ‘63 to fight Lee

Lee vs. Grant In 1864, Grant takes command of the Army of the Potomac (the Union army in the east) Grant makes 2 major changes: he will attempt to destroy Lee’s army instead of capturing Richmond; & he will launch a coordinated assault on the entire South Grant’s coordinated assault will involve Union assaults in Va, Ga, Wva, & Al Grant has 118,700 men

By 1864, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia had 64,000 men Though Grant had overwhelming numbers, Lee still had the advantages of interior lines & defensive strategy Grant moves into Virginia & tries to lure Lee into a fight in May; Lee responds by attacking Grant on May 5-7 in the Battle of the Wilderness

May – June 1864 Battle of the Wilderness: Lee 11,125, Grant 17,666; CSA victory, Union continues offensive Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse: Lee 13,421, Grant 18,399; CSA victory, Union continues offensive Battle of Cold Harbor: Lee 4,595, Grant 12,737; BIG CSA victory, Union continues off. Grant loses 41%, Lee loses 46%

Northern morale plummets during Grant’s initial campaign, & Lincoln worries about reelection; Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September saved Lincoln Grant’s first campaign was a failure, he did not destroy Lee’s army Grant changes strategies, choosing to besiege Petersburg, a main supply station for Richmond Lee wants to fight & maneuver, but knows he has to defend Petersburg

Siege of Petersburg The siege lasts from June ‘64 to April ’65 Confederate forces devise a system of trenches around Petersburg, similar to what would be seen in WWI Grant makes large assaults & artillery barrages, but mostly wants to starve Lee into submission Grant’s strategy is brutal & time-consuming, but works: Lee abandons P’burg in April ‘65 & Richmond falls the same month Union: 42,000; Confederate: 28,000

Interesting Sidenotes from P’burg To distract Grant, Lee orders a cavalry force to attack Washington DC This force, led by Jubal Early, reaches DC, panics the townspeople, & engages surrounding forts; A. Lincoln watches the battles personally Battler of the Crater: July, , Union engineers dig a tunnel under the rebel trenches & blow a 170x120x30 hole in the rebel line

The Conclusion After Lee retreated from Petersburg on April 3, 1865; Richmond surrendered the same day Lee was trapped & surrounded by Grant on April 9, and surrendered at Appomattox Court House Lee did not necessarily have to surrender. He could’ve chosen to disperse his army & continue a guerilla campaign against the North

Lee’s surrender to Grant

The fate of Jefferson Davis Davis fled Richmond just before its capture; he hoped to escape to Cuba or possibly Europe Davis & his wife, Varina, were capture in Irwinville, GA on May 10, 1865 and imprisoned

Why the South Lost: Men & Material Main argument: the South was simply overwhelmed in terms of manpower & supplies The South was almost ALWAYS outnumbered 2:1 The industrial advantages of the North meant they could produce much more cannon, guns, shoes, etc. In a long war, which is what the Civil War became, these advantages were simply insurmountable for the South

Why the South Lost: Leadership Main argument: the quality of leadership favored the North Though initially seen as an adv. for the CSA, more “modern” leaders like Lincoln, Grant, & Sherman emerged throughout the war CSA President Davis proved to be incompetent & micromanaged too many affairs. He also had too many enemies within his own gov. The inexperienced Lincoln was a strong war-time leader, & used his “team of rivals” in his cabinet wisely

continued The South had two great leaders: Lee & Stonewall Jackson (who died in May ‘63) Even so, Lee made questionable decisions to invade the North Grant & Sherman proved to be more adept at fighting a modern war. By 1864, both were fighting the war the “right” way: destroying the Southern economy & morale (total war)

Why the South Lost: States’ Rights Main argument: the whole ideology of the Confederacy made it inherently weak The CSA was founded on the idea of state sovereignty being greater than national sovereignty This made the national Confederate government (exec, leg, & judicial branches) weak & ineffective in war-time

continued Ex: The govs of GA & TX refused to send certain troops east where they were needed, bc the two states needed those troops for home-defense Ex: The Confederate draft (the first in American history!) was enacted in April ‘62; the Union would not draft men until a year later

Why the South Lost: Southern Internal Division Main argument: North was more united than the South What were Southerners fighting for? Slavery? Less than 1/3 of Southerners owned slaves. States’ rights? Those rights look less meaningful when you look down the barrel of a gun. To defend their homes from invasion? Irrelevant for many Southerners. The North was more united internally. You were fighting to preserve Union, end slavery, or both.

Why the South Lost: Focus on the East Main argument: The South went for a “all-or- nothing” campaign in the Eastern Theatre The Union’s main strategy in 1861 was two-fold: capture Richmond, capture the Miss. River The CSA aggressively defended & poured resources into ONLY one area, the East (Virginia) If the South had shifted troops around more often to protect the Western Theatre, they might’ve done better in the war