Civil War Battles 1862 1864 September 1862 Great

Civil War Battles 1862 -1864

September 1862 • Great Britain was ready to formally recognize the Confederacy as an independent nation, but were waiting for a major win on Union soil. • On September 4, 1862 Lee began crossing the Potomac River into Maryland. • Union forces lost track of the Confederate troops for 4 days. • Mc. Clellan met Lee at Antietam in MD. • The Battle of Antietam raged all day and became the bloodiest single-day battle in all of U. S. military history.

Antietam cont… • Casualties: 12, 000 Union 13, 000 Confederate • The Union won, but Lincoln fired Mc. Clellan. • Significance: Showed Lee could be defeated; Lincoln issued a preliminary draft of the Emancipation Proclamation.

African American Soldiers • In August 1862 the first black regiments were organized in the Union army. • Many of them served in the 54 th Massachusetts Infantry. • They led the charge in the attack on Fort Wagner, which guarded the entrance to the Charleston Harbor. • Union army did not offer them full equality; they earned half the pay of white soldiers. • In 1865, Martin Delany became the 1 st African American promoted to the rank of major.

December 1862 • After Antietam, Lincoln chose Ambrose Burnside to replace Mc. Clellan. • In December 1862, Burnside sent Union soldiers across the Rappahannock River near Fredericksburg, VA • Lee’s soldiers controlled the hills above the town. • On December 13, as the Union crossed an open plain, the Confederate fired on them. • Casualties: 12, 000 Union 5, 000 Confederate

April 1863 • Lincoln made yet another change in the Union leader, who now was Joseph Hooker. • By April 30, 1863 Hooker positioned his men in a deep forest known as the Wilderness, near Chancellorsville, VA. • The Confederate attacked them from 2 sides, causing Hooker to withdraw. • Significance: Stonewall Jackson was accidentally shot by his own men which led to the amputation of his arm. He died 8 days later.

RIP STONEWALL JACKSON

June 1863 • In June 1863 Lee crossed into Pennsylvania. • Lincoln once again replaced his general, the new man: George Meade. • On the 2 nd day of the Battle of Gettysburg the Confederates rushed the Union on the top of a ridge, and many were killed. • This became known as Pickett’s Charge. • Bad weather prevented Meade from pursuing the Confederates and Lee retreated to Virginia.

Gettysburg cont… • After 3 days of fighting the casualties were: Union= 23, 000 Confederate= 28, 000 • In November 1863 Lincoln dedicated a cemetery at the battlefield and spoke for a few minutes, delivering his famous Gettysburg Address.

July 1863 • Grant knew that gaining full control of the Mississippi River required taking Vicksburg, MS • Grant and Union troops trapped Confederate troops during the Siege of Vicksburg. Reinforcements were not able to help the trapped Confederate troops. • On July 3, 1863 General Grant and Confederate general John Pemberton met to discuss the terms of surrender. • This and another victory gave the Union total control over the MS River, which cut Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas off from the rest of the Confederacy.

September 1864 • Union general William Tecumseh Sherman undertook a campaign to destroy southern railroads and industries. • On September 2, 1864 Atlanta fell and the Confederates lost their last railroad link across the Appalachian Mts. • Sherman’s success renewed hope that the conflict would soon end. • It also boosted Lincoln’s popularity and allowed him to win the 1864 presidential election. • Sherman proposed to fight a total war, meaning that to win the war the Union must strike at the enemy’s economic resources.

IN-CLASS/HOMEWORK • Read Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address on pg 391 • Put into your own words what Lincoln was saying • Go over your notes and find out where the battles took place • Label them on your map