Download July 1863-1864

IX. The Tide Turns
1863
A. Lee Invades the North Part II
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CSA on the move
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Began June 3, 1863
With Jackson gone, Lee reorganizes the
army
I corps: James Longstreet (take Culpepper
Courthouse
II corps: Richard S. Ewell (drive off
scattered Union forces
III corps: A.P. Hill (moves northward with
Lee)
• Lee sets off northward on June 14, crosses
the Potomac and heads east
• J.E.B. Stuart’s mistake
– Stuart was riding Lee’s right flank informing
him of Union movements
– Stuart believed he could ride around Hooker
and get a better idea of Union movements
– Union movement pushed Stuart farther east
than anticipated and he was out of contact with
Lee for 10 days
B. Road to Gettysburg
• Lee arrives in Pennsylvania with his army
spread out because he believes the Union
has not crossed the Potomac yet
• June 28: Lee learns from Longstreet’s
scout (Henry T. Harrison- actor) that the
Union army is concentrated squarely on
Lee’s flank in Frederick, MD
• Lee moves south to the nearest defensible
position just outside Gettysburg
• Hooker is replaced by George G. Meade
C. Battle of Gettysburg- Day 1
1) General Henry Heth, on a mission to find
shoes, encounters Gen. John Buford’s
dismounted cavalry- he attacks though
ordered not to
2) Buford’s cavalry holds for several hours
as Gen. John Reynolds and 3 corps of
infantry arrive to reinforce
3) Reynolds is shot and killed
4) Lee orders A.P. Hill’s corps to attack
5) Gen. Ewell’s corps comes over the
mountain and arrives on the field hitting
the Union right flank hard
6) Union retreat through the town and
occupy the high ground beyond
7) Union occupy Culp’s and Cemetery Hill.
Lee orders Ewell to take the hill if
practicable. Ewell refuses to take the hill
and day 1 ends
• Longstreet and Lee argue whether or not
to stay and fight- Lee chooses to stay
D. Day 2
8) Lonstreet’s artillery opens the battle on
day 2- Hood takes the Devil’s Den but is
wounded and loses his arm
9) Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
commands the 20th Maine regiment on
Little Round Top, the end of the Union
line- he is ordered by Col. Vincent to hold
to the last.
Little Round Top
• After resisting 4 charges by the 15th
Alabama, Chamberlain reforms his line at
a right angle
• It is after a 5th charge that the 20th Maine
are out of ammunition- Chamberlain orders
his men to fix bayonets
• As the 15th Alabama approaches, Co. B of
the 20th Maine arises from behind a stone
wall and fires into their side
• Chamberlain orders a bayonet charge
swinging down the hill like a gate
10) Longstreet moves on the peach orchard
and wheat field smashing Gen. Dan Sickles
line- Sickles loses his leg
11 & 12) Union re-patch the line as they are
heavily attacked
13) Longstreet attacks the center where the
Union and the 1st Minnesota repulse them
14 & 15) Generals Ewell and Early attack
Cemetery & Culp’s Hill unsuccessfullyDay 2 ends
• Longstreet begs Lee to allow him to flank
the Union- Lee chooses to attack the center
E. Day 3
16) Day 3 begins with an artillery barrage by
Col. E. Porter Alexander
17) The barrage is accompanied by
diversionary attacks on both flanks
• Longstreet waits too long to begin his
attack
18) General George Pickett leads a milelong, uphill, open ground charge against
Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock and the
Union center
19) CSA retreat after suffering massive
casualties during Pickett’s Charge
F. Captain’s Report
• George Meade
• 90,000
• 23,049 casualties
• Robert E. Lee
• 75,000
• 28,063 casualties
Union
Victory
G. Vicksburg
• Grant lays siege to Vicksburg and
surrounding areas for 8 months
• Gen. Pemberton was caught off guard and
never got back on track against Grant
• Grant traps Pemberton in Vicksburg and
forces a surrender on July 4- Union now
control the Mississippi River
• Gettysburg falls on the 3rd, Vicksburg the
4th, and the tide has turned in favor of the
North
H. Chickamauga
• Longstreet’s corps is transferred to the west
to aid the Army of Tennessee in stopping
the advancement of Rosecrans
• Lee chose to rest his army and take up
defensive positions in Virginia
• Rosecrans moves on Chattanooga and
opens the way for East Tennessee to be
liberated by Ambrose Burnside in early
September when he occupies Knoxville
• Rosecrans pushes Bragg out of
Chattanooga- Bragg stops @ Chickamauga
& awaits reinforcements
I. Battle of Chickamauga
1) Gen. Polk’s attacks fail to break though
Gen. George H. Thomas’ line
2) Gen. Longstreet slams through a gap in
the Union center
3) Panic sweeps through the Union flank as
commanding officers flee including Gen.
Rosecrans
4) Union avoids complete destruction as
Gen. Thomas makes a stand on
Snodgrass Hill
5) Gen. Grainger stops CSA charges as the
Union retreats to Chattanooga
J. Captain’s Report
• William Rosecrans
• 60,000
• 16,170 casualties
CSA
Victory
• Braxton Bragg &
James Longstreet
• 67,000
• 18,454 causualties
K. Aftermath of Chickamauga
• Bragg handled his army poorly @
Chickamauga
• Longsteet had saved the CSA from
destruction during the battle
• Bragg’s subordinates asked Davis to
remove him- Bragg removed all his
subordinates
• Longstreet wrote Davis pleading for
Bragg’s removal- Bragg attempted to
remove Longstreet
• Davis had to resolve the problem in person
• Rosecrans was replaced by Gen. Thomas
L. Chattanooga
• Union forces move into Chattanooga after
their defeat at Chickamauga
• They receive reinforcements
– Gen. Joseph Hooker (2 corps) from VA
– Gen. William T. Sherman from Memphis
• The armies of the Tennessee and the
Cumberland are now concentrated in
Chattanooga
• Ulysses S. Grant is made overall
commander of the western armies
M. Battle of Chattanooga
1) Following the defeat @ Chickamauga,
the Union retreat to a fortified
Chattanooga
2) Grant creates a supply line through
Brown’s Ferry
3) Nov. 23: Grant attacks and seizes
Orchard Knob
4) Nov 24: Grant attacks both CSA flanks as
Hooker attacks and captures Lookout Mt.
5 & 6) Sherman crosses the Tennessee River
and aims for Tunnel Hill- he misses &
entrenches on a nearby hill
7) Nov. 25: Sherman tries to take Tunnel Hill
and fails
8) Grant orders Thomas to seize the foot of
Missionary Ridge
9) Thomas’ men refuse to stop and they push
Bragg off of the Ridge as the CSA retreat
N. Captain’s Report
• Ulysses S. Grant
• 60,000
• 5,824 casualties
Union
Victory
• Braxton Bragg
• 46,000
• 6,667 casualties
O. Occupation of Knoxville
• Burnside was sent to take command of the
Department of Ohio in March of 1863
• He was sent to occupy the city of
Knoxville on September 2, 1863 to
“liberate East Tennessee” of the CSA
presence- Lincoln believed that by taking
East Tennessee, he would have the CSA by
the throat
• Jefferson Davis had to make a trip to
Chickamauga to settle the dispute between
Bragg & Longstreet- Davis sends
Longstreet to Knoxville
• Longstreet moved his men on November 2
toward Knoxville- due to the condition of
the trains, he did not arrive in Sweetwater
until November 13
• Burnside’s fortifications surrounded the
city of Knoxville
• Longstreet began his siege of Knoxville on
Nov. 17
• Longstreet made his headquarters in Bleak
House owned by Robert Armstrong
(located today on Kingston Pike not far
from Neyland Dr.)
P. The Battle of Knoxville
• Longstreet determined that the best point
of attack was on Ft. Sanders
• Longstreet believed this to be the weakest
point of Burnside’s defenses- the fort was
deceiving
• The fort was surrounded by a ditch 6-8 feet
deep and appeared to be only 3-4 feet deep.
Some planks had been placed across it and,
from distant Confederate observation
posts, troops were observed crossing easily
-- but they were using the planks.
• The earthen walls were 13 feet high in
most places, and had cotton bales piled on
top to protect the riflemen and were
wrapped in rawhide to prevent fire.
• Water had been poured down the side of
the earthen fort. It froze overnight and
created ice on its sides and in the ditch.
• For perhaps 30 to 80 yards in front of the
northwest bastion that was selected for the
assault, there were 18-inch tree stumps
between which the engineers had stretched
telegraph wire to trip and delay the
attackers.
• Longstreet ordered a short artillery barrage
by Gen. E.P. Alexander, afterwards, 3
brigades charged the fort
• The telegraph wires and the now apparent
12 ft. wide ditch slowed the CSA down
under considerable musket fire
• The CSA did enter the ditch, but without
scaling ladders
• The battle lasted 20 minutes and resulted in
a devastating defeat for the CSA
• Lonstreet retreated to Jefferson County for
the winter- a record cold winter
P. Captain’s Report
• Gen. Ambrose
Burnside
• 23,000
• 100 casualties
Union
Victory
• Gen. James
Longstreet
• 15,000
• 800 casualties