Download 1863: The Turning Point in The Civil War

1863: The Turning Point
in The Civil War
By: Mitch Walker, Robert Mikes,
Alyssa Russell, Michelle Husain,
and Jake Lim
January 1st: The Emancipation
Proclamation Goes into Effect
● After the Emancipation Proclamation went into
effect, the Southern goal became a goal about
defending slavery.
● The Emancipation Proclamation transformed the
Civil War from a war about secession to a war
about “a new birth of freedom”.
● The arrival of more soldiers who were set free by
the Proclamation aided the Union in its win and
successful siege at the Battle of Vicksburg.
The Battle of Vicksburg
Battle of Vicksburg
● The Battle of Vicksburg was
more of a siege than a battle
● Ulysses S. Grant and the Union
Army was trying to gain control
of Vicksburg, being defended by
John C. Pemberton
● It was a 48 day siege with many
attempts from the north to gain
control of Vicksburg
General John C. Pemberton
•
•
•
John Pemberton was born in
Philadelphia and married a
Virginian woman who encouraged
him to be a general for the South
He graduated from a Military
Academy in 1837
He was general of the department
of Georgia and South Carolina until
Robert E. Lee transferred him to the
defense of Vicksburg while it was
under siege
Ulysses S. Grant
•
•
•
•
•
General Grant was born in Ohio
He did not want to go to military
school but his father encouraged him
to go
He graduated from West Point and
was soon to become one of the
greatest American generals ever
The Vicksburg victory was one of his
greatest military achievements
After the war, Grant went on to
become the 18th president of the
United States
Vicksburg Location
● Vicksburg was located in
Mississippi
● The South had a chance to
control the Mississippi
River by defending
Vicksburg, but lost its
opportunity when it
surrendered Vicksburg
● The Union gained a huge
advantage from the victory.
Vicksburg’s Importance
● Vicksburg was located at a point where it was easy to
control a portion of the Mississippi River which
prevented the North from gaining full control of the
river
● Abraham Lincoln knew that gaining control of
Vicksburg was the key to winning the war
● Both the North and the South knew that whoever
controlled the Mississippi, controlled the West
●
Vicksburg Campaign
● In 1863, Grant undertook a new and bold campaign
●
●
●
●
against Vicksburg and the Confederate defenders,
which were led by Pemberton.
Grant conducted a surprise landing below Vicksburg at
Bruinsburg, Mississippi.
He pushed back a threat posed by Joseph E. Johnston.
Afterward, Grant started for Vicksburg.
Previous Union victories at Champion Hill and Big Black
River weakened Pemberton’s forces
•
•
•
•
Vicksburg Campaign
The Union surrounded Vicksburg and tried to control it for
some time but the Confederates held their ground
The Confederates were low on ammunition, food, and
water and were all going to starve.
On July 3rd John C. Pemberton received a letter from his
soldiers saying if he couldn’t feed them, he should
surrender Vicksburg to the Union forces.
Pemberton surrendered the city on July 3rd, giving control
of Vicksburg and the Mississippi River to the North.
Leading up to Gettysburg: The Battle
of Chancellorsville
Robert Edward Lee
1807-1870
● General Robert Edward Lee
previously served in the MexicanAmerican war.
● General Lee was the top general of
the Confederacy in the Civil War.
● General Lee was best known for his
victory at the Battle of Second Bull
Run (Manassas).
● He was a Virginian, so he elected to
leave the Union army and fight for
the Confederacy.
George Gordon Meade
1815-1872
● General George Gordon Meade had
previously fought in the Mexican American
war, but had seen no major combat.
● General Meade is best known for his
victory against Robert E. Lee in the Battle of
Gettysburg.
● General Meade died of pneumonia in his
late fifties.
Joseph Hooker
● Hooker was previously the commander in the
Potomac
● There he improved conditions for the soldiers
including food, medical care, and leave.
● Hooker teamed up with “Stonewall” Jackson
multiple times, though the Battle of Chancellorsville
was the last time.
● “Stonewall” Jackson was badly wounded during the
battle of Chancellorsville and the amputation led to
pneumonia.
Battle of Chancellorsville
•
•
•
•
General Robert E. Lee was in charge of the Southern
army during the Battle of Chancellorsville.
The Union army was twice as large as the Confederate
army, therefore Lee was not expected to win, though he
fought with great strength.
Lee’s army confused the Union army by separating his
army into two groups.
Against all odds, Lee won the battle due to his keen
strategy and tactics.
Battle of Chancellorsville
•
•
•
After Lee won the battle of Chancellorsville, he and his
army headed to Pennsylvania.
Lee intended to collect some supplies from the
farmland, but started to threaten the North and asked to
fight them. Lee knew the North wouldn’t refuse a fight.
General Meade moved his army in between Lee’s army
and Washington D.C.
The Battle of Gettysburg
● 151 years after the Battle
of Gettysburg, it remains
one of the most closely
studied and debated
battles in American
history.
The Location of Gettysburg
● The Battle of Gettysburg was located in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania
● The Gettysburg Battle took place on a wheat field
surrounded by a wooded forest
The Battle of Gettysburg
● The Battle of Gettysburg was considered the turning
point in The Civil War
● The battle lasted only three days, from July 1st to July
3rd, yet it was one of the bloodiest, most important
battles of the Civil War
Gettysburg: Day 1
● The Battle of Gettysburg erupted
from a small unexpected encounter
between a group of Confederates
who were looking for supplies and
a small portion of Union horsemen.
Both sides quickly sent more men
to the scene.
● The Union soldiers were
overwhelmed and retreated to
Cemetery Ridge in the afternoon.
● They formed a line and brought in
reinforcements to guard and
strengthen their defenses.
Gettysburg: Day 2
● On the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union had a chance to defeat
the Confederacy in battle.
● General Sickles changed his position without the permission of his superior officer.
● Cross led a charge, not knowing he was outnumbered almost two to one.
● Union men fell quickly due to rebel fire while running through the wheatfield
Gettysburg: Day 2
● Cross was shot getting ready
to give the signal for another
charge.
● Despite several charges, the
Union line on Cemetery Ridge
was still intact at the end of
Day 2.
● The Confederates hesitated
and never attacked that day.
Gettysburg: Day 3
● General Robert E. Lee
was still focused on
taking the hill, and
ordered 14,000 men
under the command of
George E. Pickett to
charge into the Union
center.
● This charge became
known as “Pickett’s
Charge”.
● Union casualties: 23,049
people were killed, wounded,
or reported missing
● Confederate casualties:
About 28,000 people were
killed, wounded, or missing
● Around 164,000 soldiers took
part in the battle
“A Harvest of Death”
The Gettysburg Address
● Original copy of the Gettysburg
Address
● Lincoln about to deliver his
Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg National
Cemetery
The Gettysburg
National Cemetery
● After the Battle of Gettysburg, a cemetery was to
be placed on the site of the battlefield.
● Lincoln was to deliver his famous Gettysburg
Address to dedicate the cemetery.
● Many say Lincoln was very nonchalant about
writing the speech.
● The Speech was only 272 words, ten sentences,
and two minutes long.
● No one took a picture of him taking the speech
because it was so short.
Analyzing the Gettysburg
Address
● “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing
whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and
so dedicated, can long endure. ”
Lincoln was indicating that the nation was being tested
about whether a nation based on liberty and freedom
could be sustained. He was making an argument to his
listeners that the only way to keep the Union together was
to fight for it and the principles it was based upon.
Analyzing the Gettysburg
Address
● “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.”
Lincoln was referring to the men who struggled and fought
at Gettysburg who were being honored for their dedication
and the cause they fought for. It was their sacrifice that
consecrated and hallowed the battlefield, not the words that
were spoken at the dedication.
Analyzing the Gettysburg
Address
● “It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work
which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced.”
Lincoln was encouraging the Union to keep fighting so that those who had
died in the battle had not died in vain. Lincoln is using this battle and speech
as a way to encourage people to continue fighting in the War.
Analyzing the Gettysburg
Address
● “that this nation, under God, shall have a
new birth of freedom -- and that government
of the people, by the people, for the people,
shall not perish from the earth.”
This is arguably the most important line in the
Gettysburg Address, which may have been why
Lincoln used it as his closing statement. He was
reminding everyone listening why the war was
being fought in the first place: to keep democracy
and freedom alive, preserve the Union and
continue the work that the Founding Fathers
began.
Reactions to the Gettysburg
Address
● After Lincoln had finished his speech, the audience was silent and
shocked; they did not know that he had already finished,
considering the length of not only Everett’s speech, but others’
who spoke at the ceremony as well.
● People had been expecting hour long speeches, and Lincoln only
talked for two minutes
● Lincoln was displeased with his performance. He said it was a
“flat failure”.
● Today, some think of the Gettysburg Address as an interpretation
of the Declaration of Independence.
Thank you
for
listening!
Any
Questions?