SECTION 5Decisive Battles

THE TIDE TURNS

1862 Battle of Antietam After this battle war began to go badly for the

North Poor leadership was the result McClellan replaced with General Ambrose

Burnside

CONFEDERATE VICTORIES

December 1862 Burnside marched army of 120,000 men toward

Richmond General Lee massed 75,000 men at Fredericksburg, VA to

block his path Burnside ordered charge after charge during this

battle Union lost 13,000 men to the Confederates 5,000

Lincoln replaced Burnside with General Joseph Hooker

May 1863 Hooker marched Union army toward Richmond

Union army was smashed at the Battle of Chancellorsville by a force half its size

Battle was costly for the South; Stonewall Jackson was shot and wounded & later died

THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG After Lee’s army defeated Union forces at

Chancellorsville he gained confidence & headed north to Pennsylvania

Union forces now under the command of General George G. Meade meet Lee accidentally at Gettysburg Confederates were in search of shoes desperately needed in

the South Bloody battle marked a turning point in the war

Union troops took position on the crest of a low ridge Confederates’ task was to dislodge them from their position Confederate attempts failed several times, concluding with

a suicidal charge across an open field by General George Pickett on July 3

After 3 days 23,000 Union soldiers & 28,000 Confederate soldiers had been killed or wounded Lincoln wired Meade, “Do not let the enemy escape”

July 4, Lee retreated to Virginia & the Union army failed to pursue him

GETTYSBURG ADDRESS Both sides suffered heavy casualties at

Gettysburg Sparsely populated South could not recover from

November 19, 1863 President Lincoln visited Gettysburg to dedicate the battlefield cemetery & to honor the soldiers buried there He promised, “these dead shall not have died in

vain”

THE FALL OF VICKSBURG

July 4, 1863 Vicksburg surrendered to General grant

Was last city on the Mississippi River in Confederate hands Grant was able to capture Vicksburg not by force, but

by surrounding the city & cutting it off from supplies Day after day the Union bombarded Vicksburg

Residents took shelter in cellars & caves they had dug in hillsides

They ate mules & rats to keep from starving After 6 weeks the Confederate troops gave up

Last Confederate stronghold at Port Hudson, LA fell a few days later

Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg along with loses at Vicksburg & Port Hudson made July 1863 a major turning point in the war

CLOSING IN ON THE CONFEDERACY

1864 Grant given command of Union forces Decided to attack Richmond no matter how large

the Union losses

GRANT VS. LEE

Grant’s huge army hammered the Confederates in several battles in northern Virginia They were unable to break through, but continued to

attack Grant’s army suffered 55,000 casualties in 7

weeks of fighting; Confederates suffered 35,000 Grant knew he could count of a steady supply of men

& supplies while Lee was running low on both Petersburg

Grant used the same tactic he used a Vicksburg of besieging the Confederate troops

While Grant & Lee battled, Union forces under command of William T. Sherman advanced toward Atlanta

SHERMAN’S MARCH Sherman believed in total war

All-out attacks aimed at destroying an enemy’s army, its resources, & it’s people’s will to fight

Confederates were unable to stop Sherman’s advance Union troops captured Atlanta, GA on September 2,

1864 Victory gave Lincoln’s reelection campaign a boost

Northerners were growing tired of the war prior to this event & support for Lincoln was also lagging; Lincoln won election victory over General George McClellan

November 1864 Sherman ordered Atlanta to be burned & he continued his

march to the Atlantic Ocean Along the way Union forces set fires to buildings, seized crops &

livestock, & pulled up railroad tracks leaving a 60 mile path of destruction

PEACE AT LAST

March 1865 Grant’s army continued to besiege Petersburg Grant extended his battle lines east & west Lee knew the city would fall Lincoln also saw end of war too

2nd inaugural address “With malice toward none; with charity for all; …let

us strive together… to bind up the nation’s wounds”

SURRENDER AT APPOMATTOX

April 2 Grant’s troop broke through Confederate lines Richmond was captured by the Union Lee retreated to Appomattox Court House

April 9, 1865 Lee surrendered Grant offered:

Confederates to give up their weapons & leave in peace

THE WAR’S TERRIBLE TOLL

Bloodiest conflict U.S. ever fought Confederates: 260,000 men died Union: exceeded 360,000 men including 37,000

African Americans ½ million were wounded Many returned home disfigured for life

Key results of the war Reunited the nation Put an end to slavery