The North Takes Charge

1. The North Takes Charge Chapter 11 Section 4 Page 357

2. Prelude to Gettysburg • South defeated the North at Chancellorsville, VA • Confederate troops mistaken Jackson for a Yankee & shot him. • Jackson dies May 10th • Lee decided to invade the North. • South needed supplies & thought an invasion would pull Northern troops from Vicksburg. • A major victory would have turned the tied for the South.

3. Gettysburg • Most decisive battle of the war was fought neat Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. • Unlikely spot for a bloody battle • No one planed to fight there • Confederate soldiers heard there was a supply of footwear in Gettysburg & went to find it. • Met up with Lee’s forces before meeting a Union Calvary. • Buford ordered his men to take defensive positions on the hills & ridges surrounding the town.

4. Gettysburg • The shooting attracted more troops & each side set reinforcements. • Northern armies under the command of General George Meadbegan to fall back against assault. • Confederates took control of the town.

5. The Second Day • July 2, 90,000 Yankees & 75,000 Confederates stood ready to fight for Gettysburg. • Yelling rebels overran Union troops who had mistakenly left their positions. • As a brigade of Alabamians approached the hill, Union leaders noticed the undefended position. • Exhausted by the uphill fighting, the Confederates were shocked by Union lines & artillery. • Although the Union had given some territory, their lines still held at the close of the 2nd day.

6. The Third Day • Lee was optimistic that be could break Union defenses. • Ordered an artillery barrage on the middle of Union lines. • For two hours fire raged that could be heard in Pittsburg. • Confederates attacked the middle of Union lines. • Confederates were forced back. • General Mead never ordered a counter attack. • After the battle, Lee gave up all hope of successfully attacking the North.

7. The Third Day • The three day battle produced staggering losses. • Total casualties were more than 30%. • The Confederacy would never recover from the loss at Gettysburg.

8. Vicksburg Under Siege • Vicksburg, MS was 1 of only 2 Confederate holdouts preventing the Union from taking control of the Mississippi River. • Grant sent a cavalry brigade to destroy rail lines in central Mississippi & draw attention away from the port. • While the Confederate troops were distracted, Grant was able to land infantry in Vicksburg. • Union forces took Jackson, the capital of the state. • Two frontal assaults on Vicksburg failed, so he set up a continual barrage of artillery from land and water. • Food supplies were running low & people were eating dogs & mules. • Confederates finally asked for the terms of surrender.

9. The Gettysburg Address • Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address after the Union defeat at the Battle of Gettysburg and Vicksburg.

10. Confederate Morale • Morale on the Confederate home front deteriorated. • Confederate Congress passed a resolution urging planters to grow fewer cash crops & more food. • Planters refused sometime even selling to the North. • Troops deserted after receiving letters from home about the lack of food & labor to work the fields. • Every Southern state except South Carolina had soldiers who went to fight for the Union.

11. Confederate Morale • Discord in the government made it impossible for Davis to govern effectively. • Members of Congress fought amongst themselves. • North Carolinians who wanted peace held peace meetings in towns. • A similar movement took place in Georgia. • By mid 1864 Assistant Secretary of War, John Campbell was forced to acknowledge the active opposition to the war in the South.

12. Grant Appoints Sherman • March 1864, Lincoln appoints Ulysses Grant commander of Union forces. • Grant appoints William Sherman commander of the Mississippi division. • These 2 appointments ultimately changed the course of the war.

13. Grant Appoints Sherman • Both men believed in total war. • It was essential to fight not only the Southern armies & gov. but its civilian population to. • Civilians produced food & weapons. • The strength of the people’s will kept the army going. • If the Union destroyed their will to fight, the Confederacy would collapse.

14. Grant & Lee in Virginia • Grant’s overall strategy was to immobilize Lee’s army in Virginia while Sherman raided Georgia. • May 1864, Grant throw his troops into battle after battle. • Wilderness • Spotsylvania • Petersburg • From May 4 – June 18, 1864, Grant lost 60,000 troops, but he could replace them. • The South could not replace the 32,000 that they lost.

15. Sherman’s March • Confederacy tried to cut Sherman’s rail supply line. • Sherman decided to fight a different battle. • He abandon his supply lines & determined to live off the land. • Mid November he burned most of Atlanta & set out to the coast. • After taking Savanna before Christmas, Sherman turned North to help Grant eliminate Lee. • Army burned almost every house in its path.

16. Sherman’s March • When Sherman’s forced reached North Carolina, they stopped destroying private homes. • They were anticipating the end of the war, so they became companionate and gave out food to starving Southerners.

17. The Election of 1864 • 1864 election Lincoln faced heavy opposition. • Democrats • Upset by the long war, high death rates, & Union losses • Joined pro-Southern party members to nominate George McClellan • Radical Republicans • Favored a harsher proposal for readmitting Confederate states to the Union. • Nominated John C. Fremont • National Union Party (Republican Party) • Chose Andrew Johnson, pro-Union Southerner to run with Lincoln to gain support • Recent victories for the Union w/absentee ballots cast by troops won Lincoln a 2nd term.

18. The Surrender at Appomattox • March 1865, it was clear that the end was near • Grant & Sheridan were approaching the Confederate capital from the west w/ Sherman coming from the South. • President Davis abandoned the capital upon news that Grant defeated Lee at Petersburg. • Lee & Grant met on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox Court House to set the terms of surrender. • Terms were very generous

19. Answer the following questions • Why did Lee invade Pennsylvania? • How did the Battle of Gettysburg start? • How did Joshua Chamberlain save the Union position on the second day at Gettysburg? • What was Pickett’s Charge? • How did Grant capture Vicksburg? • Why was Vicksburg such an important victory for the Union? • How did the Gettysburg Address change the way Americans thought of the U.S.?

20. Answer the following questions • What reasons did Lincoln give in the Gettysburg Address for why the Union was fighting the Civil War? • What happened to Confederate morale in the last years of the war? • What roles did Grant and Sherman play in the last years of the war? • What strategy did Grant use against Lee? • What event helped ensure Lincoln’s reelection in 1864? • How did the Civil War end?