Chapter 11 – Chapter 11 – The Civil WarThe Civil War

1861-18651861-1865

Section 3 –Section 3 –

The Tide of War TurnsThe Tide of War Turns

• Setting the scene– Picture a Civil War battle – smoke, gunfire, chaos, rifles firing, artillery

shooting, dust. Question: How did commanders communicate with their soldiers? How did soldiers know when to advance, when to retreat, or even where their units were?

Victories for General LeeVictories for General Lee• When McClellan did not follow Lee south right after Antietam (against

Lincoln’s orders), Lincoln again removed McClellan and replaced him with General Ambrose Burnside (Scott – McClellan – Pope – McClellan – Burnside). The general was better known for his thick whiskers (?) than for his ability as a military strategist.

• Battle of Fredericksburg – Burnside knew McClellan was fired for being cautious so he marched straight into VA with 122,000 soldiers. Lee had 79,000 and spread his troops on a ridge near Fredericksburg. Instead of crossing the river out of range of Confederate artillery, Burnside crossed right in front of them saying that it will surprise the enemy. Burnside ordered charge after charge at the Confederates. End of day: 13,000 Union casualties; 5,000 Confederate casualties. Burnside quit as commander.

Victories for General Lee, Victories for General Lee, continuedcontinued

• After Burnside’s resignation, Lincoln appointed General Joe “Fighting Joe” Hooker. (Scott – McClellan – Pope – McClellan – Burnside – Hooker).

• Battle of Chancellorsville – Hooker’s plan was to circle around behind Lee’s men at Fredericksburg and attack from behind. Confederate cavalry discovered the Union forces camped out at Chancellorsville (about 10 miles west of Fredericksburg). Lee divided his men and sent about 40,000 towards Chancellorsville and surprised Hooker and his men, who retreated into the woods and set up defenses. Lee divided his troops again, sending Stonewall Jackson and 26,000 troops to surprise Hooker from the rear. The move was successful and Jackson could have completely defeated the Union army if night hadn’t arrived. That night Jackson went out to scout the Union army. Coming back into camp, his own soldiers mistook him for an attacking Northern soldier and shot him. Eventually he died from his wounds. Large loss to South.

The Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg• After Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Northern leaders started

talking about making peace with the South and rumors circulated that Lincoln would resign.

• June, 1863 – Lee marched his forces North. Was looking for:1. Supplies2. Major Confederate victory on Northern soil

• Union army moved North to stay between Lee and Washington.• July 1, 1863 – Confederate troops entered Gettysburg, PA, looking for

shoes. They ran into a Union cavalry unit and a small fight started that led to the largest battle ever fought in North America.

• Less than a week earlier, Lincoln had replaced Hooker with General George Meade. (Scott – McClellan – Pope – McClellan – Burnside – Hooker – Meade)

• The noise of the skirmish brought units from both sides. Each army took up positions on a series of hills stretching about 4 miles south of Gettysburg. The center of the Union forces was a hill called Cemetary Ridge. The center of the Confederate forces was a hill called Seminary Ridge. In between was a large field of several hundred yards.

The Battle of Gettysburg, The Battle of Gettysburg, continuedcontinued

• After the death of Jackson, General James Longstreet became Lee’s 2nd in command. Lee was confident.

• Longstreet advised NOT to attack so strong a Union position.

• Despite the advice, Lee ordered Longstreet to attack the southern end of the Union line the next morning.

The Battle of Gettysburg, continuedThe Battle of Gettysburg, continued• July 2, 1863

– Longstreet was not ready to attack until 4 p.m., which allowed Meade time to bring in reinforcements.

– Battle continued until early evening.– Some Alabama soldiers noticed a large

hill in the Union position, Little Round Top, was not defended. They rushed to capture it because it would be a perfect place to launch artillery attacks on the Union forces. But Union commanders had also noticed it was undefended and sent Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, a college professor before the war, and 350 Maine soldiers to take the hill. They got there just before the Confederates and defended it against repeated attacks until they were out of ammunition. Chamberlain then ordered a bayonet charge. The Confederates were surprised and retreated down the hill. Union lines remained the same.

The Battle of Gettysburg, The Battle of Gettysburg, continuedcontinued

• July 3, 1863– Morning – brief Confederate attack on the northern part of the

Union line.– Quiet.– Early afternoon, about 150 Confederate cannons began the

heaviest artillery barrage of the war. This was a prelude to a Confederate attack on the center of the Union position. Again, Longstreet advised against it and again, Lee overruled him.

– After 2 hours, the Union artillery stopped returning fire to save ammunition. Longstreet thought that the Union artillery had been destroyed so he ordered the direct attack to begin.

– Northern soldiers on Cemetery Ridge saw 15,000 Confederate soldiers, in 3 lines one mile long, heading towards them. Pickett was one of the generals in charge (Pickett’s charge)

– As the Confederates marched across the mile of open ground, Union artillery started firing on them. When the Southern troops got to within 200 yards, the Union soldiers started firing.

The Battle of Gettysburg, The Battle of Gettysburg, continuedcontinued

• July 3rd, continued– Only a few hundred

Confederates reached the Union lines.

– Hand to hand combat.– In about 30 minutes, it was over.– Half of the Confederate soldiers

survived this attack– Quote of the day – Lee told

Pickett to reform his division in case Meade counterattacked. “General Lee, I have no division.”

• 23,000 Northern casualties• 28,000 Southern casualties• July 4th – Confederacy retreats to

Virginia

VicksburgVicksburg

Vicksburg, continuedVicksburg, continued• When the siege (?) began, 300 Union cannons opened fire on Vicksburg

from both land and water. Averaged 2800 shells PER DAY for about 6 weeks.

• To avoid being killed, residents of Vicksburg dug caves in hills and even furnished some and brought their slaves to serve them.

• Because no food could get in, residents ate their horses, mules and dogs. Butcher shops sold rats.

• By late June, Confederate soldiers were being fed one biscuit and one piece of bacon PER DAY. On July 4, 30,000 Confederate troops marched out of Vicksburg and surrendered (thinking they could get their best terms for surrender on Independence Day).

The Importance of 1863The Importance of 1863• 1863 had begun poorly for the North. However, the 4th of July was the

happiest one for the North since 1776:– Freed slaves could celebrate– Battle of Gettysburg ended– Vicksburg siege ended (4 days later North had control of Mississippi

River – why was that important?)

The Gettysburg AddressThe Gettysburg Address

• November 19, 1863 – 15,000 people gathered at Gettysburg to dedicate a cemetery to honor Union soldiers who died at the battle.

• Featured speaker was Edward Everett, the most famous public speaker at the time.

• President Lincoln invited to give “a few appropriate remarks”

• Everett spoke for 2 hours.• Lincoln gave a 2 minute speech that is now known as

the Gettysburg Address.• Edward Everett said the next day that he wished he

could have come as close “to the central idea of the occasion in two hours” as Lincoln did in two minutes.

The Gettysburg AddressThe Gettysburg AddressFour score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met here on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of it as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense we can not dedicate - we can not consecrate - we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled, here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they have, thus far, so nobly carried on. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth

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