Download Anaconda Plan, Union Strategy, and the Battlefield The North began

Anaconda Plan, Union Strategy, and the Battlefield
The North began with a plan to subdue the South by
strangling it like an anaconda (a snake) with a sea
blockade and control of the Mississippi. By late 1862, the
North realized that the South could drag the war out
unless the North abandoned the Anaconda Plan and
invaded the south. Crucial victories in July 1863 at
Gettysburg in Pennsylvania and Vicksburg, Mississippi,
gave the North the upper hand, but victory was not at
hand. General Sherman marched his army through
Georgia in 1864, capturing Atlanta in time to secure
Lincoln's re-election. At last in April 1865, four long years
after it began, the war ended.
Map illustrating Confederate losses as the war
progresses
WSBCTC
1
Credit: From American Military History, United States Army Center of
Military History, 1989. Digital image provided by Perry-Castañeda
Library Map Collection, University of Texas Libraries
(http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/).
To begin to comprehend what Civil War soldiers faced,
watch these clips from the movie Gettysburg (1993).
The first represents the 20th Maine under college
professor Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain. In the woods
on July 2, 1863 and at the end of the Union line, the 20th
Maine held off Confederate assaults for nearly two
hours. Having lost more than a third of his men and now
out of ammunition, Chamberlain ordered his men to fix
bayonets and charge.
WSBCTC
2
To view the video, please click here.
The second depicts Pickett's Charge, the mile-wide
Confederate assault against Union positions on July 3,
1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The
charge is named after the Confederate Maj. Gen. George
Pickett and most of his men were from Virginia. Of the
14,000 Confederates who moved forward, scarcely half
returned that day. Pickett's own division lost two-thirds
of its men. James McPherson, Professor Emeritus at
Princeton University, wrote that "Pickett's charge
represented the Confederate war effort in microcosm:
matchless valor, apparent initial success, and ultimate
disaster."[1]
To view the video, please click here.
Play this Civil War song that by 1863 longs for an end to
the war and for Johnny to come home. [Use the controls
below to play.]
When Johnny Comes Marching Home (1863)
When Johnny comes marching home again,
Hurrah, hurrah!
We'll give him a hearty welcome then,
Hurrah, hurrah!
The men will cheer, the boys will shout,
The ladies, they will all turn out,
And we'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home.
The old church bell will peal with joy,
Hurrah, hurrah!
WSBCTC
3
To welcome home our darling boy,
Hurrah, hurrah!
The village lads and lassies say,
With roses they will strew the way,
And we'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home.
Get ready for the Jubilee,
Hurrah, hurrah!
We'll give the hero three times three,
Hurrah, hurrah!
The laurel wreath is ready now
To place upon his loyal brow,
And we'll all feel gay when Johnny come marching home.
Let love and friendship on that day,
Hurrah, hurrah!
Their choicest treasures then display,
Hurrah, hurrah!
And let each one perform some part,
To fill with joy the warrior's heart,
And we'll all feel gay when Johnny comes marching home.
[1] James M. McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1988), 662.
©2010, rev. 2011 Susan Vetter
WSBCTC
4