Transcript Three Turning Points of the Civil War

Three Turning Points of the Civil
War
Pattern of the War
• From the beginning of the war, a pattern
emerges.
• The Confederates have most of their success in
the Eastern Theater (Virginia and areas located
on the eastern seaboard). They won the First
Battle of Bull Run (or Manasses) and the Seven
Days Battle. They are protecting Richmond.
• The Union has most of its success in the
Western Theater (area around the Mississippi
River). They have won the Battles at Fort
Donelson and Fort Henry, along with the Battle
of New Orleans and the Battle of Shiloh. They
are slowly taking control of the Mississippi River.
Lincoln’s Problem
• Since the Confederates are winning the battles nearest
Washington, many people are under the impression the
CSA is winning the war.
• Lincoln cannot get the Army of the Potomac to defeat the
Confederate Army of Northern Virginia (especially after
Robert E. Lee took over during the Seven Days Battle)
• Lincoln replaces several Generals, but cannot seem to
find the right man for the job. Gen. George B. McClellan
seems to be the man, since he builds a great army, but
he is too cautious and Lee takes advantage of this.
• By the Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), the Army
of the Potomac is once again reeling after another
victory by Lee’s army.
• Lincoln turns to McClellan again.
Battle of Antietam
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At this point, General Lee
decided to take a gamble. His
Army of Northern Virginia
invaded the US in order to:
1. win a battle in the US and
put pressure on the
government to let the South
be independent
2. show Europe that the CSA
has a chance to win the war
and hopefully get official
recognition
3. get food for his army
The US is able to win the
battle, thanks in part to an
amazing stroke of luck. Gen.
McClellan knows Lee’s plans.
Antietam (cont.)
• The US victory led President
Lincoln to issue the
Emancipation Proclamation
• The Emancipation Proclamation
said that all slaves in the states
in rebellion are free.
• This is important because it will
make the people of Europe think
the war was about SLAVERY, so
they would not join the war on
the side of the CSA.
• After the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln
replaced McClellan with Gen. Burnside.
• Burnside has his army almost destroyed
by Lee at the Battle of Fredericksburg.
• Next, Lincoln places Gen. Joseph Hooker
in charge of the Army of the Potomac.
• Hooker has a very good plan to defeat
Lee, but Lee turns the tables on him and
defeats him with a much smaller force at
the Battle of Chancellorsville.
• Unfortunately for Lee and the
Confederates, Gen. Stonewall Jackson is
killed at this battle.
• Meanwhile, the Union Army is still having
success in the Western theater. Gen.
Ulysses S. Grant is winning battles and
has put Vicksburg, Mississippi in danger
of being put under siege. Vicksburg is
one of the last Confederate strongholds
on the Mississippi river.
Battle of Gettysburg
• After winning the Battle of
Chancellorsville, Lee decided to invade
the US again.
• His reasons were the same as when he
fought at Antietam.
• Get food for his army
• Win a battle in the North and put
pressure on the people of the US to call
for a negotiation.
• Get official recognition from a European
government for the Confederacy.
• Lee marched his army into
Pennsylvania and ended up fighting a
battle at Gettysburg against the Army of
the Potomac led by Gen. George
Meade.
• Once again, Lee loses this battle.
• This was a much worse defeat, and after
Pickett’s charge, which ended the battle,
Lee’s army was never the same again.
• On July 4, 1863, Lee’s army retreated
back into Virginia.
• The Army of Northern Virginia would never
invade the USA again and they would
spend the remainder of the war in a
defensive mode.
Vicksburg
• The city of Vicksburg was the last
point controlled by the CSA on the
Mississippi River.
• On July 4, 1863, the city
surrendered to a US army led by
Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.
• The US now had total control of
the Mississippi River, cutting the
CSA in half.