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Chapter 21 Confederate Generals General “Stonewall” Jackson General Robert E. Lee The First Battle of Bull Run July 21, 1861 The Union and Confederate forces meet at the 1st Battle of Bull Run ○ The first official battle of the Civil War Union victory seemed obvious The Union thought the war would last a maximum of 3 months Confederate Surprise Stonewall Jackson shocked the Union with a victory at Bull Run Showed the North that the Civil War was not going to be an easy victory, or short-lived. Union War Plan Key Components for Union Victory 1. Blockade Southern Ports 2. Liberate the slaves and crash the southern economy 3. Seize the Mississippi River 4. Capture the Confederate Capital (Richmond) The War at Sea • The Northern sea blockades focused on principle southern ports: – Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans • The original blockades were not strong enough • The south developed boats (laird rams) to smash through the Union blockade The 2nd Battle of Bull Run August 29-30, 1862 General Lee crushes General John Pope’s Union forces in the 2nd Battle of Bull Run ○ Lee gets cocky and marches toward the north (deviates from the original plan of fighting a defensive war in the South.) The Pivotal Point: Antietam September 17, 1862 Lee’s army meets Union General George McClellan’s army known as The Battle of Antietam (Maryland) ○ McClellan stops Lee’s forces after the Union discovered a copy of Lee’s battle plans Lee’s forces retreat and the Union wins the battle. The Toll of Antietam • Antietam is known the “Bloodiest Day” in American History – Antietam was unique because of how fast the casualties occurred • Lasted just a few hours: • Confederate: • 12,000 casualties • Union • 10,000 casualties Political Effects of Antietam No side really won Antietam, but it was seen as a victory for the north because: 1. Convinced Britain once and for all to stay out of the war 2. Gave Lincoln the momentum to release the Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation 1. Called for the freeing of all southern slaves ○ Lincoln did not force border states to give up slavery because he feared they would secede 2. The Proclamation ruined all hope of compromise between North and South 3. The North now had a moral reason to fight the war ○ Changed the Union goal from preserving the Union to abolishing slavery Blacks Battle Bondage After the Emancipation Proclamation Freed slaves now allowed to enlist in the Union Army. ○ (54th Massachusetts regiment is the most well- known black military unit) Lincoln Shifting Generals Since Antietam 1. Lincoln replaced General McClellan with General A.E. Burnside 2. Burnside was replaced by General Hooker 3. Hooker was replaced by General George Meade 4. George Mead was replaced by Ulysses S. Grant Meeting At Gettysburg Lee moves his Confederate force to the north again (this time to Pennsylvania) Like Antietam, this was another big mistake July 1-3, 1863 he was met by Union General Meade's forces at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania The Charge that Changed the War Pickett’s Charge On the third day of fighting at Gettysburg: ○ Robert E. Lee orders Gen. George Pickett (and three other generals) to lead 12,500 confederate soldiers on a charge up a hill at Gettysburg. ○ The Confederates suffered over 6,000 (about 50%) casualties in less than an hour as a result of the charge The South never recovered psychologically from the defeat at Gettysburg. Turning Point in the War If the South would have won Gettysburg: President Jefferson Davis was going to deliver negotiators to the Washington D.C. to force the North surrender Instead, the union won the battle and was on the offensive for the rest of the war. Gettysburg was the turning point of the war. Gettysburg Address In the autumn, Lincoln returned to Gettysburg to give the Gettysburg Address. The purpose of the 2 minute speech: 1. to rally the troops and boost morale 2. assert that the men who had died, would not die in vain The Siege of Vicksburg General Ulysses S. Grant Reappointed as a commanding General of the Union forces attacking Vicksburg, Mississippi. ○ The city fell and surrendered on July 4, 1863 (one day after Gettysburg). Union military victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg crushed Confederate moral. Grant Takes Command General Grant won the battle at Chattanooga, and the state of Tennessee was cleared of Confederates. Because of his string of successes, Grant was made lead Union General. Sherman’s Total War The invasion of Georgia was left up to General William Tecumseh Sherman. He captured and burned Atlanta in 1864 using the total war tactic. Sherman’s March to the Sea After Burning Atlanta: Sherman marched southeast towards Savannah ○ destroyed railroad tracks and burned buildings. ○ Destroyed and stole Confederate supplies ○ Weakened the morale of the Confederates by waging total war on their homes and families. The Campaign of 1864 1864 – Lincoln faced a tough re-election against Copperhead Democrat (and his former General) George McClellan Lincoln chose Andrew Johnson (a democrat) as his running mate. Lincoln won re-election in part because of Gen. Sherman’s siege of Georgia was successful. The Wilderness Campaign General Grant Begins to march toward the Confederate capital of Richmond. “The Wilderness Campaign” ○ Grant had 100,000 men and fought Lee in a series of battles in the Wilderness of Virginia on his way to Richmond. Grant Outlasts Lee On June 3, 1864 Grant ordered an assault on Cold Harbor, VA (outside of Richmond) ○ Thousands of Union soldiers were killed within a matter of minutes, but the size of Grant’s army was overwhelming. Grant's strategy of losing two men and killing one Confederate worked. ○ Grant captured and burned the Confederate capital (Richmond, VA) and cornered Lee’s Army The Surrender On April 9, 1865 Lee was forced to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia Lee meets with Grant and surrenders; ending the Civil War. Lincoln Assassinated April 14, 1865 Just 5 days after the official end of the Civil War ○ President Lincoln was shot and killed at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth A famous actor and southern sympathizer The Aftermath of the Nightmare Andrew Johnson took over as President. The Civil War claimed over 600,000 (well over 1,000,000 if you count later deaths from infection)lives and cost over $15 billion.