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Unit 9-The Civil War. Lesson 55-Turning Point of the Civil War. Review.
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Unit 9-The Civil War Lesson 55-Turning Point of the Civil War
Review • Many different people played different roles during the Civil War, including African Americans and women. Their roles as soldiers, spies, nurses, etc. were very important to the outcomes of the war. Both the Union and Confederacy required men, food, and supplies, which caused them to find new ways of paying for the war. In the end, both sides saw their economies struggle, but the South was slowly running out of money and supplies.
Battle of Fredericksburg • Even with the Union victory at Antietam, Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia seemed to be unbeatable. • The war moved back into the Confederacy with a battle near the town of Fredericksburg, Virginia. • On December 13, 1862 General Ambrose Burnside of the Union clashed with Lee and his Confederate troops.
Battle of Fredericksburg • Burnside had the advantage in numbers with his larger army. • Lee had the advantage that his Confederate troops were entrenched, or set up in strong position, on the hills south of the town. • Union troops failed with repeated attacks, thousands falling dead or wounded on the hillside.
Battle of Fredericksburg • Following the Confederate victory, the Union commander, Ambrose Burnside, resigned his command due the severe losses and devastation of the battle. • He would be replaced by General Joseph Hooker.
Battle at Chancellorsville • General Joseph Hooker began rebuilding the Union army, attempting to recover from the losses at Fredericksburg. • Hooker launched a campaign against Robert E. Lee and the rebel forces in early May 1863.
Battle at Chancellorsville • Before Hooker could successfully attack Lee’s troops, Lee attacked the Union army a few miles west of Fredericksburg, at a town called Chancellorsville. • Lee decided to divide up his troops and attack the Union on two sides. • The strategy worked, giving the Confederacy another victory, but it cost the rebel army with heavy casualties, including General Stonewall Jackson.
Death of Stonewall Jackson • On May 2, 1863, Jackson and his Confederate troops attacked the Union in the late evening. • While traveling through the dark woods, one of the Confederate companies fired on Jackson and his troops by mistake, shooting the general in his left arm. • Stonewall Jackson would have his arm amputated and he died a week later.
Lee’s Move North • Despite the heavy losses, Lee decided to invade the North. • He hoped that a victory on Northern soil would persuade England and France to provide aid to the Confederacy. • Robert E. Lee marched north with an army of about 75,000 troops.
Union Command Changes • With Lee’s troops leaving Virginia, General Hooker wanted to attack a defenseless Richmond. • Abraham Lincoln told Hooker not to attack Richmond, but to attack Lee before Lee attacked the North. • Hooker failed to do this, so Lincoln replaced him with General George Meade, whose mission was to attack Lee and protect Washington, D.C. and Baltimore from being attacked.
Battle of Gettysburg • On July 1, 1863 the two armies met by accident in a small town in Pennsylvania, that ended up being a three day long battle. • The Confederate troops, short of supplies, were in the town looking for shoes for their soldiers. • A Union cavalry surprise attacked the Confederate soldiers when they were spotted in the town.
Battle of Gettysburg(First Day) • The Northern forces were outnumbered by the Confederate troops surrounding Gettysburg. • The Union troops fought desperately to hold the town, but were forced to retreat a line of hills south of Gettysburg known as Cemetery Ridge.
Battle of Gettysburg(Second Day) • On the second day of the battle, the Confederates continued to push the Union lines when they launched an attack on a hill called Little Round Top. • The Union saved their position on top of the hill by using a strategic counterattack that would prevent the rebel forces from flanking them on the left side, and taking over the high ground.
Battle of Gettysburg(Third Day) • Robert E. Lee decided to launch another attack to create panic and destroy the Union army. • This attack would be let by General George Pickett, and is remembered as Pickett’s Charge. • About 14,000 Confederate troops marched uphill for about half a mile, making them easy targets for the Union to fire on.
Battle of Gettysburg(Third Day) • At the end of Pickett’s charge, the Confederacy retreated back, with about half of the troops returning. • Robert E. Lee knew that he had lost the battle, with his desire to end the war costing the Confederate army thousands of lives, and told his remaining troops that “it’s all my fault.” • Gettysburg: Pickett's Charge
Battle of Vicksburg • While the Union was earning a major victory at Gettysburg, there was another great battle being fought in Vicksburg, Mississippi in the west. • Vicksburg sat on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River, and the Confederacy had used this location to keep the Union from having complete control of the river.
Battle of Vicksburg • The Union troops in the west, still being led by Ulysses S. Grant, had been attacking Vicksburg for months. • On July 4, 1863, Vicksburg finally surrendered to the Union. • Combined with Gettysburg, these two battles are considered turning points of the Civil War, even though the war would continue for almost another two years.
Conclusion • During the first two years of the Civil War, the Confederacy had many victories in battle, but had suffered many losses. In his desire to end the war quickly due to these losses, Robert E. Lee wanted to invade the North. After three days and a poor decision by Lee, the Union gained a major victory that would push the rebels back to Virginia.
Conclusion • In the West, the Union continued to dominate the battles, finally gaining complete control of the Mississippi River. The Union was now in control of the war.
Assignments • Answer the four review questions for this lesson. • Work on Civil War Worksheet. This will be used for the rest of Unit 9, and you may need to refer to previous lessons to complete. You will have a Unit 9 test after you complete Lesson 56
