War in the West and Gettysburg

Vicksburg and the Division of the South

  • Grant's army sieges Vicksburg, leading to its surrender on July 4.
  • The Union gains control of the Mississippi River, splitting the South in two.
  • Vicksburg does not celebrate Independence Day for many years due to the defeat.

Gettysburg: Lee's Offensive in the North

  • Lee aims to win a victory in the North to threaten Philadelphia and Washington D.C.
  • Confederate foraging party seeks shoes in Gettysburg and encounters the Union cavalry.
  • July 1: Confederates push Union cavalry out of Gettysburg but into a stronger position.
  • July 2: Lee orders attacks on the Union army's flanks without good information.
  • General George Meade is in control of the Union army, replacing Burnside after Fredericksburg.
  • Union army holds off the Confederate attacks.
  • July 3: Lee plans a direct attack on the Union center at Cemetery Ridge (Pickett's Charge), against the advice of some generals.
  • General James Longstreet skeptical of the attack, doesn't fully support General George Pickett.
  • Confederate attack is devastating; Pickett loses about half his men.
  • Gettysburg marks the end of the Confederacy's ability to launch offensives.
  • Gettysburg is the turning point in the Eastern Theater.

Chancellorsville

  • Note: This battle was omitted originally but is crucial.
  • Burnside replaced by "Fighting Joe" Hooker.
  • Hooker loses at Chancellorsville, a Confederate Victory.
  • General Stonewall Jackson is killed by friendly fire at Chancellorsville, a significant loss for Lee.

Change in Union Command

  • Meade replaces Hooker after Chancellorsville.
  • Grant replaces Meade after Gettysburg because Meade didn't pursue Lee.
  • Lincoln chooses Grant to win the war after his victories in the West, particularly at Vicksburg.

Grant's Strategy: Annihilation

  • Grant abandons traditional military strategy, focusing on destroying the enemy's army and resources (economic/total war).
  • General William Sherman aligns with Grant's strategy.
  • Grant is assigned to the Eastern Theater, while Sherman is left in the West.

Sherman's March to the Sea

  • Sherman marches from Tennessee through Georgia, employing a scorched-earth policy.
  • Aims to terrorize civilians, pushing them to demand an end to the war.
  • Burns Atlanta and destroys infrastructure.
  • Ultimately reaches Savannah, Georgia.

Election of 1864

  • Democrats nominate General George McClellan and demand an armistice.
  • Lincoln runs as the Republican candidate, fearing he might lose.
  • Sherman's successful march significantly boosts Lincoln's campaign.
  • Lincoln wins the election.

The End of the War

  • Grant pursues Lee in a series of battles, wearing down the Confederate army.
  • Grant can afford losses due to greater Union manpower.
  • Lee's army suffers from desertion and lack of supplies.
  • Lee is besieged in Petersburg for nine months.
  • Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.

Reasons for the Union Victory

  • Union manpower advantage.
  • Superior economic resources.
  • The South was poorly fed and clothed
  • Confederate money became worthless
  • Homes are falling into disrepair
  • Inadequate transportation system (railroads in disrepair or destroyed).
  • Southern resentment of centralized control under Jefferson Davis.

Costs of the War

  • Casualties: Approximately 360,000 Union soldiers and 258,000 Confederate soldiers died.
  • ~275,000 maimed or injured on each side.
  • 410,000 spent time in prison camps under deplorable conditions.

Accomplishments of the War

  • Devastation of the South, requiring recovery and reintegration.
  • Resolution of the question of union: states do not have the right to secede.
  • Resolution of the issue of slavery: the 13th Amendment frees the slaves.
  • Condition for Southern states' reentry into the Union: acceptance of the 13th Amendment.