LESSON LEARNING OBJECTIVES (TSS):

TSS 8.80: The significance and location of the Battles of Stones River, Chickamauga and

Chattanooga (Lookout Mountain)

TSS 8.77: Describe the role of Nathan Bedford Forrest during the American Civil War

SUCCESS CRITERIA:

1. Describe and explain the significance of the Battle of Stones River.

2. Explain the significance of the Battles of Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain.

3. Describe the role Nathan Bedford Forrest played in the conduct of the war in an around Tennessee.

ASSIGNMENT: Read The Union Closes In [481 – 484]

The Civil War:The War for Tennessee

Background: Union Hope in 1863

In the Western Theatre, Union forces gained control of the entire Mississippi River by taking Vicksburg

In the East, buoyed by the great victory at Gettysburg and with hopes of finally ending the war, Lincoln promotes Grant to commander of all Union forces in the Eastern Theater with orders to do just that

Prior to these events several important battles occur for control of Tennessee which is an important strategic state for each side.

For the North it was the gateway and launching point for attacks on the Deep South; for the South it was an important vanguard against invasion and important launching point to gain Kentucky

What is the significance of the Battle of Stones River?

In late 1862, Union forces (who had taken Nashville) hoped to gain control of middle Tennessee and attacked a small Confederate force encamped just outside of Murfreesboro near the Stones River after being pushed out of Kentucky

After three days of fierce fighting in one of the deadliest battles of the war, the Union won the field and the Confederate troops were forced to retreat to Chattanooga

With this victory, all of western and middle Tennessee was under Union control and the route to Chattanooga (a key gateway into the heart of the South) was open

What was the significance of the Battles of Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain?

Following the Union victory at Murfreesboro (Stones River), Union forces pressed south towards Chattanooga hoping to open an avenue to Atlanta

After pushing Confederate forces out of Chattanooga, Union forces continue into Georgia where they met a vicious Confederate counterattack on the banks of nearby Chickamauga Creek in September of 1863

Rebel forces push the Union forces back, with heavy losses on both sides. Confederates failed to press their advantage after the victory and allowed the Union forces to safely retreat to Chattanooga, where Ulysses S. Grant fresh from his Vicksburg victory soon arrived with reinforcements.

CONT: What was the significance of the Battles of Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain? (SEP-NOV 63)

A few weeks later, in November, 1863, Union forces were under siege launched an assault on Rebel forces surrounding Chattanooga at the Battle of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge

These bold victories forced the Confederates back into Georgia, ending the siege of the vital railroad junction of Chattanooga, and paving the way for Union General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Atlanta campaign and devastating march to Savannah, Georgia, in 1864

However, some remnants of Rebel resistance remained in Tennessee. Confederate Cavalry led by General Nathan Bedford Forrest conducted raids against Union rail and supplies throughout Tennessee until the end of the war

LESSON LEARNING OBJECTIVES (TSS):

TSS 8.80: The significance and location of the Battles of Stones River, Chickamauga and

Chattanooga (Lookout Mountain)

TSS 8.77: Describe the role of Nathan Bedford Forrest during the American Civil War

SUCCESS CRITERIA:

1. Describe and explain the significance of the Battle of Stones River.

2. Explain the significance of the Battles of Chickamauga and Lookout Mountain.

3. Describe the role Nathan Bedford Forrest played in the conduct of the war in an around Tennessee.

ASSIGNMENT: Read The Union Closes In [481 – 484]

The Civil War:The War for Tennessee