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Monday: 5-9
What issues were the Union
facing during the 1st two years of
the Civil War?
– Union leadership was inconsistent at best
– The Union hadn’t fully established the right person to be in charge
of their military
– McDowell, McClellan, Burnside, and Hooker had all attempted to
dominate in the Eastern theatre
– In the western theatre, Ulysses S. Grant was fairly
successful
– Not everyone liked Grant though…
What issues were the Union
facing during the 1st two years of
the Civil War?
– The Union was facing the awesome leadership of Robert E.
Lee
– Lee was probably the greatest general in the Civil War
– He left for the Confederacy when his home state of Virginia seceded
– Lack of leadership meant the Union was struggling
– They instituted a draft to keep their army numbers high
enough (so did the Confederacy)
– A draft is essentially obligatory military service with very few
exception made
How did the western theatre
influence the Union Army?
– Battle of Shiloh was a two day battle in Tennessee
– Union army was led by General Ulysses S. Grant and Don
Carlos Buell and the Confederate army was led by Albert
Sydney Johnston
– Grant’s army fought valiantly and would not back down to
Confederate forces
– Despite ridiculously heavy casualties on each side
– Grant received a reputation as a leader who would keep
fighting in adverse circumstances
General
Ulysses S.
Grant
One of those nifty photographs that
is actually FROM the Civil War
How did the western theatre
influence the Union Army?
– Grant’s decisive behavior, waiting
for Buell to reinforce his troops,
meant that the Union walked away
with a huge victory
– Lincoln recognized that Grant might
be the General he needed, and put
him entirely in charge of the
western theatre of the Civil War
What happened in the eastern
theatre of the Civil War?
– The Battle of Chancellorsville was another major battle in
the eastern theatre occurring from April 30–May 6, 1863
– General Joseph Hooker led the Union army against
Confederate leader Robert E. Lee
– It was a massively successful battle for the Confederacy
– Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded during the battle
and would end up dying
– Something that would impact the Confederate Army for the remainder of the
war
Battle of Chancellorsville, 1863
How was the Siege of Vicksburg
a sign of what was to come for
the Union?
– It was the culmination of a long land and naval campaign
by Union forces to capture a key strategic position
– Capturing Vicksburg would sever the Trans-Mississippi
Confederacy from that east of the Mississippi River
– It would open the river to Northern traffic along its entire
length
– It was ANOTHER key victory for General Grant and the
Union army in the west
Siege of
Vicksburg
Led by Union army General Grant
Tuesday 5-10
Why did Robert E. Lee decide
to invade the North?
– In the wake of victory at Chancellorsville, Robert E. Lee
decided to try to invade the Union for a 2nd time
– Lee wanted to take pressure off of southern farms in the
Shenandoah Valley
– Feeding people is always important
– Lee knew a victory on northern soil would put political
pressure on President Lincoln to negotiate an end to the war
– Lee also knew that a victory in the northern states might get the
Confederacy European allies
Why did Robert E. Lee decide
to invade the North?
– This would be the 1st major battle since the death of
Stonewall Jackson
– Meaning Lee had new people in charge of his military
– Lee also knew that the last time they fought in the north
(Antietam), they lost horribly
RIP Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson
What happened during the
Battle of Gettysburg?
– The Battle of Gettysburg would be the largest scale battle of
the Civil War
– The largest battle ever fought on American soil at that
– Nearly 200,000 people fought in the battle
– Robert E. Lee was deep in Union territory and lacked
communication with much of his military or intelligence of
Union troop movements
– The battle would last for 3, long, days
– Ending on July 4th
What happened during the
Battle of Gettysburg?
– After 3 days of engagement, Lee’s
troops were battled and bruised
and he issued a retreat to
Richmond
– General Meade, of the Union,
would not pursue – even though
he could have
– And perhaps should have…hardcore
criticism
– Lee would offer his resignation to
Jefferson Davis, but Davis refused
What was the impact of the
Battle of Gettysburg?
– Last Confederate attempt to invade the Union
– Turning point of war  the Union would start winning in
the eastern and western theatres
– Lincoln gave his famous “Gettysburg Address” at the
cemetery dedication ceremony
– Civilians in Gettysburg were left to clean up the battlefield
and tend to the wounded
“For a number of days after the battle, amputating,
nursing and cooking continued on the premises,
after which the wounded were removed to the
different corps hospitals. During this time many a
brave and noble spirit went from its tenement, and
passed to the great beyond.”
Tillie Pierce
July 4th, 1863
Bell Work 5-16
Describe the issues the Union was
facing prior to the Battle of Gettysburg.
Use specific examples or people to
explain your point.
Monday
5-16-16
What was the impact of the
Battle of Gettysburg?
– After the 3 day battle, the Union won a decisive victory in
Gettysburg and forced Lee’s troops to retreat out of the
North
– Would be the last attempt the South made to invade the North
– Over 50,000 Americans (Union and Confederacy) lost their
lives at Gettysburg
– In Nov. 1863, Lincoln gave his famous “Gettysburg
Address” at the commemoration of the cemetery there
What was the impact of the
Battle of Gettysburg?
– Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” was only 2 minutes long,
but it addressed the idea that the nation was fighting for
the same goals as the American Revolution
– The battle itself signified a turning point in the war
– The Union would find leaders who would stand their
ground and would put the Union in a prime position to win
the war
How did the tide of war shift to
favor the Union?
– The Union refocused their efforts toward supply lines and
destroying southern infrastructure
– The Battle of Chickamauga (Sept. 1863) where the Union
would be forced to retreat would actually become a
victory with the Battle of Chattanooga (Nov. 1863)
– Grant (U) would send his commanders to repel the
Confederate forces and quickly reopened supply lines to
the city
How did the tide of war shift to
favor the Union?
– Controlling northwest Georgia and southeast Tennessee
would give the Union control of the majority of the
western theatre
– Allowing them to continue moving westward
– Union general William “Tecumseh” Sherman would
initiate his Atlanta campaign on his infamous “March to
the Sea”
What role did total warfare play
in the ultimate Union victory?
– Total warfare was the act of engaging civilians and civilian
property in the war
– Sherman essentially marched his army through Georgia
burning crops, destroying supplies lines, telegraphs, etc.
– It was known as Sherman’s March to the Sea
What role did total warfare play
in the ultimate Union victory?
– This engagement in total warfare devastated the southern
economy and southern moral
– Sherman wanted to demonstrate that the North had the power to
ruin the South if they kept fighting or they could be benevolent if
they returned to the Union
– It embodied warfare techniques that would be used in the
World Wars and Vietnam
What role did total warfare play
in the ultimate Union victory?
– Sherman didn’t want to be cruel; he wanted to end the
war as quickly as possible
– He no longer wanted to fight against pre-war friends who
were in the Confederacy
– Sherman wanted to end the fighting not on the battlefield
Sherman’s March to the Sea