CHAPTER 17: THE TIDE OF
WAR TURNS
Section 3: The North Wins
Today we will
trace the war
from
Antietam to
Appomattox.
The Road to Gettysburg
Battle of Antietam (September 1862) –
McClellan stopped Lee’s Northern
invasion, but failed to finish off Lee’s
army, which retreated safely to Virginia.
The Road to Gettysburg
Lincoln
replaced
McClellan with
Ambrose
Burnside. But
Burnside also
proved to be a
disappointment
.
The Battle of Fredericksburg,
Virginia (December, 1862)
Burnside’s men would have to
build pontoon bridges to cross
the Rappahannock River before
they could attack Confederate
troops in the town.
Burnside had to send landing parties over in boats
during the night to drive off sharpshooters that were
firing at the bridge builders.
The Battle of Fredericksburg
Burnside
ordered sixteen
separate
charges by his
men to attack
the Confederate
troops
positioned on
the high ground
above the river.
The Confederates fought from trenches and a stone
wall at the top of a hill overlooking the river, and
poured fire down on the advancing Union soldiers.
• The Union suffered 12,600 killed or wounded.
• Lincoln replaced Burnside with General Joseph
Hooker
The Battle of Chancellorsville,
Virginia (May, 1863)
• With half as many men as Hooker, Lee still
managed to cut the Union forces to pieces.
• As General “Stonewall”
Jackson returned from a
patrol on May 2,
Confederate sentries
thought he was a Union
soldier and shot him in
the arm.
• A surgeon amputated the
arm, but Jackson caught
pneumonia and died a
week later.
Lee’s Second Invasion
of the North
• Lee hoped that a
Confederate victory in
Union territory would
fuel Northern
discontent with the war
and bring calls for
peace.
• He also hoped a
Southern victory would
lead European nations
to give diplomatic
recognition and aid to
the Confederacy.
The Battle of Gettysburg
(July 1-3)
• Lee crossed into southern Pennsylvania.
He entered Gettysburg looking for shoes
for his men, but ran into Union troops.
• The fighting would rage for three days,
with 90,000 Union troops commanded
by General George Meade facing 75,000
Confederates led by Lee.
July 1 – Lee’s men entered Gettysburg,
but were slowed by Union cavalry.
Throughout the day, Lee’s forces poured
into Gettysburg, as did Union troops
from the south.
By day’s end, Lee’s troops held the
town, while Union troops were driven
back to positions south of Gettysburg
on a piece of high ground called
Cemetery Ridge.
July 2 – Confederates attacked Union
positions and tried to flank
them at Little Round Top.
Heroic efforts by Union soldiers
from Maine kept Lee’s men from
gaining the advantage on Meade’s
position along Cemetery Ridge.
July 3 – Pickett’s Charge
• Lee ordered General George Pickett to
mount a direct attack on the middle of the
Union line.
• 13,000 rebel troops charged up the ridge
into heavy Union fire.
• Pickett’s men were torn to pieces, as Union
soldiers chanted, “Fredericksburg,
Fredericksburg !”
• The Confederates retreated, but once
again, the Union general failed to finish off
Lee’s army.
What was the
Battle of Gettysburg?
• The Battle of Gettysburg was an 1863
battle in which the Union defeated the
Confederacy, ending hopes for a
Confederate victory in the North.
What was Pickett’s Charge?
• Pickett’s Charge was General George
Pickett’s doomed attack on the middle of
the Union line at Gettysburg; Pickett’s
men were torn to pieces by Union troops.
The Union Victory at
Gettysburg
• Lee’s hopes for a Confederate victory
in the North were crushed.
• The North had lost 23,000 men, but
over one-third of Lee’s army, 28,000
men, lay dead or wounded.
• Lee led his army back to Virginia and
never again invaded the North.
• Britain gave up all thought of
supporting the South.
Why was the Battle of Gettysburg
important?
• The Battle of
Gettysburg was
important because it
ended Lee’s hopes
for a Confederate
victory in the North.
Why was Gettysburg considered
a turning point of the war?
• Gettysburg was considered a turning
point of the war because more than
28,000 Confederate soldiers were killed
or wounded, ending Lee’s hopes for a
Confederate victory in the North.
The Fall of Vicksburg
(July 4, 1863)
• The day after Pickett’s Charge, the Union
received news that General Ulysses S.
Grant had defeated Confederate troops at
the Siege of Vicksburg.
• Vicksburg was the last major Confederate
stronghold on the Mississippi River.
• After Grant’s direct attacks failed, his
troops surrounded the city.
• After nearly a month and a half, the city
surrendered.
The Importance of Vicksburg
• Since the North had taken New Orleans
the previous spring, with complete control
over the Mississippi River, the South was
split in two.
• The Anaconda Plan was now almost
complete.
• The tide of war turned in favor of the
North.
• In Grant, Lincoln found a man who was
willing to fight Lee.
What was the Siege of Vicksburg?
• The Siege of Vicksburg was an 1863
Union victory in the Civil War that
enabled the Union to control the entire
Mississippi River.
How did the victory at Vicksburg
help to fulfill the Anaconda Plan?
• The victory at Vicksburg helped to fulfill
the Anaconda Plan by giving the Union
complete control of the Mississippi River,
splitting the Confederacy in two.
Grant as Union Commander
March 1864 – Lincoln names
General Grant commander of all the
Union armies
Grant’s plan to defeat the
Confederacy – His men would
pursue Lee’s army in Virginia, while
Union forces under General William
Tecumseh Sherman pushed
through the Deep South to the
Atlantic coast.
Why was Northern success in the
Siege of Vicksburg important?
• Northern success in the Siege of Vicksburg
split the South in two.
• It also helped propel Grant to the leadership
of the Union’s armies.
Sherman’s Total War
• September 1864 –
Sherman took Atlanta,
then set out on a
march to the sea,
cutting a path of
destruction up to 60
miles wide and 300
miles long through
Georgia.
• Total war: not only
against enemy troops,
but against everything
that supports the
enemy
Sherman’s Total War
• His troops tore up rail
lines, destroyed
crops, and burned and
looted towns.
• Sherman’s triumph in
Atlanta was important
for Lincoln.
Who was William Tecumseh
Sherman?
• William Tecumseh
Sherman was a Union
general whose troops
pushed through the
Deep South to Atlanta
and the Atlantic Coast,
destroying everything
that supported the
enemy. 60 miles wide,
and 300 miles in length.
Lincoln’s Re-election
• In 1864, the president was running for
reelection, but many Northerners were
tired of war.
Lincoln’s Re-election
• Democrats nominated George McClellan,
who ran on an antiwar platform.
Lincoln’s Re-election
• After Sherman’s success in the South,
Northerners could sense a Union victory.
• Lincoln won with 55 percent of the
popular vote.
Why were Sherman’s victories
important for Lincoln?
• Sherman’s victories were important
because Lincoln was involved in a
tough reelection campaign and many
Northerners were tired of the war.
• Sherman’s successes gave
Northerners hope for victory, and this
optimism helped Lincoln to win
reelection.
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural
Address
• Lincoln hoped for a
speedy end to the war
and tried to make it
easier for the South to
surrender.
• “With malice towards
none; with charity for
all; . . . let us strive on
to finish the work we
are in; to bind up the
nation’s wounds; . . . to
do all which may
achieve and cherish a
just, and a lasting
peace.”
Grant’s Virginia Campaign
• Since May 1864, Grant and his generals
had been fighting battle after battle, all
the while moving south toward Richmond.
• Battle of the
Wilderness (May,
1864) – Union and
Confederate forces
fought in a tangle of
trees and brush so
thick that they could
barely see each
other. Grant lost
over 17,000 men,
but pushed on.
• Battle of Cold Harbor
(June, 1864) – 7,000
Union casualties,
most in the first few
minutes of battle.
Petersburg (June, 1864)
• Unable to break through the rebel
defenses, the Union forces dug
trenches and settled in for a tenmonth siege.
• With Grant tightening his noose
around Richmond, Lee pulled out,
and Richmond fell on April 3.
Who was
Ulysses S. Grant?
• Ulysses S. Grant was
a Union general who
defeated rebel troops
at the Siege of
Vicksburg and
crushed Lee’s Army
or Northern Virginia
outside Richmond.
Surrender at Appomattox
• Lee wanted to keep
fighting, but he knew
that his situation was
hopeless.
• He sent a message to
General Grant that he
was ready to surrender.
• On April 9, 1865, Lee
and Grant met in the
small Virginia town of
Appomattox Court
House to arrange the
surrender.
Surrender at Appomattox
• Grant offered generous terms of
surrender.
• After giving up their arms, Lee’s men
could return home with their private
possessions and horses.
Why were Grant’s terms of
surrender considered generous?
• Grant’s terms of surrender were
considered generous because he
allowed the Confederates to return
home after handing over their weapons.
Surrender at Appomattox
• Grant gave food to the Confederate soldiers.
• After four long years, the Civil War was
coming to a close.
Why is Appomattox Courthouse
important?
• Appomattox Court House was the Virginia
town where Robert E. Lee surrendered to
Ulysses S. Grant in 1865, ending the Civil
War.
How did Grant treat Confederate
soldiers after the surrender at
Appomattox Court House?
After the surrender at
Appomattox Court
House, Grant treated
Confederate soldiers
respectfully, gave
them food, allowed
them to take their
personal possessions
home with them.
Who was Robert E. Lee?
• Robert E. Lee was a Confederate general
who was defeated at Gettysburg and later
surrendered to Grant at Appomattox.
Re-teaching 17.3
For each of the following events, describe one or more of
the immediate outcomes described in the section.
1. The Confederate Army under General Robert E. Lee
battled Union troops under General Joseph Hooker at
Chancellorsville, Virginia.
2. Lee's army crossed into Pennsylvania and encountered
Union troops at Gettysburg.
3. Confederates decided to attack the Union Army head-on
in what became known as Pickett's Charge.
4. Union troops under General Ulysses S. Grant defeated
Confederate troops in the Siege of Vicksburg.
5. General William T. Sherman’s troops pushed through
the Deep South to Atlanta and the Atlantic Coast.
6. Generals Grant and Lee faced off for ten months in
Petersburg.
7. General Lee sent a message to General Grant that he
was ready to surrender.