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Chapter 16 The Civil War (1861-1865) Section 4 The
Strain of War
Battle of Fredericksburg
•After Antietam, Lee retreated to Virginia
•General Burnside, marched his troops toward the
Confederate capital at Richmond
•Lee intercepted the troops at Fredericksburg
•Lee moved to a hill and then had trenches built so
they could fire down on the enemy
•The army would be protected
•December 13, 1862- Lee’s entrenched forces easily
drove back the Union troops
•Burnside resigned and was replaced by General
Joseph Hooker
After Fredericksburg
•May 1863- Lee split his men in response to Hooker
doing the same thing
•Even though Hooker had twice as many men
•Some Confederate troops stayed to defend
Fredericksburg, and some confronted the main Union
forces at Chancellorsville
•A third group, under Stonewall Jackson, caught the
Union by surprise
•Stonewall Jackson marched around the side of
Hooker’s position
Battle of Chancellorsville
•Suddenly, Jackson’s army attacked the Union forces
at the rear
•At the same time, Lee struck from the front
•The Union was sandwiched between the two
Confederate forces
•Hooker withdrew his men
•One of the Confederate companies fired on
Stonewall Jackson’s company by mistake
•Jackson was wounded in the left arm
•Jackson’s arm had to be amputated, and he died a
week later
Weak Union Generals
•The Union had 3 different Generals in less than a
year
•McClellan was reluctant to engage the enemy
•Lincoln said “If McClellan doesn’t want to use the
army, I’d like to borrow it for a while”
•McClellan didn’t follow the retreating Confederate
troops (Antietam) into Virginia
•After McClellan was Burnside (Loss at
Fredericksburg)
•Then Lincoln appointed Joseph Hooker (Loss at
Chancellorsville)
•Hooker resigned within 2 months
•Major General George Meade took command
African Americans in the War
•At first, neither side allowed African Americans to
fight
•The North soon relaxed its rules
•African Americans made up 30% of the South’s
population
•Confederate leaders feared African Americans
would attack their fellow troops
•Or begin a revolt
In the North
•The North needed more soldiers, so Lincoln allowed
African Americans to serve
•Congress allowed the formation of all-African
American regiments
•Southern troops hated the African American troops
and focused their fiercest gunfire on African
American regiments
•By the end of the war, they comprised about 10% of
the Union army
•These men fought hard and effectively
The 54th Massachusetts
•Best known African American regiment
•1863- Took part in the siege of Fort Wagner in South
Carolina
•On the front lines
•Had nearly 300 casualties in this regiment alone
•Nevertheless, the soldiers bravely fought on
•The Union could not capture the fort
•The 54th became famous for the courage and
sacrifice of its members
Going to the North
•Spring 1863- The South had the upper hand
•Union loss at Chancellorsville ruined their plan for
taking Richmond
•Robert E. Lee decided to take the war to the North to
impress Britain and France
•The South recalled the Revolutionary War- Getting
help from the French
•France and Britain missed the goods the South
provided (Mainly cotton)
•If the South could win here, these nations might help
Battle of Gettysburg
•Confederates entered Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
looking for supplies
•General Lee hoped to avoid fighting in an unfamiliar
area
•But the two sides encountered one another
•After 4 days of fighting, the Confederates had
25,000 casualties and the Union had 23,000
•The battle started at 5:30 A.M. on July 1
Battle of Gettysburg Continued
•The Union troops were outnumbered and retreated to
Cemetery Ridge
•Reinforcements for both sides arrived
•On the second day of fighting, Southern generals
tried to remove Union forces from hills called Round
Top and Little Round Top
•Union Troops under General Meade held their
positions
•That night Meade made the decision not to retreat
•The next day Lee order an attack designed to “create
a panic and virtually destroy the [Union] army”
Results of Gettysburg
•The Confederates started by firing nearly 140
cannons at Union lines
•The under General George Pickett, 1000s of
Confederates attacked the Union’s center position
•They advanced across open land
•At first, it seemed Pickett’s Charge might work- the
Confederates broke the Union’s first line
•In the end 75% of those that charged were dead or
wounded
•Gettysburg put an end to hopes that Britain and
France would help
The Vicksburg Siege
•July 4th, 1863- Lee retreated from Gettysburg
•Also on the same day the important river city of
Vicksburg, Mississippi, fell to the Union under Grant
•In May, Grant began the siege with 30,000
•Blockading it to prevent food and supplies from
entering
•Then the Union gunships on the river supported
Grants 77,000 troops by firing 1000s of mortar shells
into the city
Battle of Vicksburg
•47 days- Both sides had many casualties
•9,000 Confederate/10,000 Union deaths
•Fewer than 20 civilians were killed in the siege
•A few days later, the South lost Port Hudson in
Louisiana- The last stronghold on the Mississippi
•The Anaconda Plan had worked
•Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas were now cut off
•July 1863 was a major turning point
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
•November 19, 1863- Soldiers’ National Cemetery
was dedicated at Gettysburg
•Former Mass. Governor Edward Everett delivered a
two-hour speech
•Then it was Lincoln’s turn
•Lincoln spoke for about 2 minute (272 words)
•Lincoln was able to honor the soldiers and the cause,
as well as state his vision for the country
•“These dead shall not have died in vain”
•Government of the people, by the people, for the
people, shall not perish from the earth”
Essential Question
How did the events at Gettysburg and Vicksburg
change the course of the war?
-Defeat at Gettysburg ended the Confederates hopes
for invading the North
-Victory at Vicksburg allowed the Union to divide the
Southern states and control the Mississippi