Chapter 16 Section 5

What battle occurred after the Battle of Cold Harbor?

After Cold Harbor, General Grant moved south of Richmond. He had hoped to take control of the key railroad junction at Petersburg, Virginia. Lee's army, however, formed a solid defense, and Grant could not execute his attack.

What blunder on the Confederates side happened at the Battle of Chancellorsville?

During the battle, Lee's trusted general, Stonewall Jackson, was accidentally shot by his own troops. He died a few days later.

What happened in the Appomattox Courthouse

During the meeting, Grant assured Lee that his troops would be fed and allowed to keep their horses, and they would not be tried for treason. Then Lee signed the surrender documents. The long, bloody war had finally ended. Grant later wrote that he found the scene at Appomattox Courthouse more tragic than joyful.

How did the Battle of Gettysburg begin?

Confederate raiding party and the Union forces began exchanging fire. The larger Confederate forces began to push the Union troops back through Gettysburg.

What blunder for the Union army happened at the Battle of Chancellorsville?

Hooker ordered about 115,000 of his troops to split off and approach the Confederate's flank, or side. Hooker's strategy seemed about to work. But for some reason he hesitated and had his flanking troops take a defensive position at Chancellorsville. This town was located a few miles west of Fredericksburg, which was the town they wanted to attack.

What was one question that remained after the Civil War was over?

How could the United States be united once more?

What happened in early June 1863?

Lee cut across northern Maryland into southern Pennsylvania. His forces gathered west of a small town called Gettysburg.

What happened on day 2 of the Battle of Gettysburg?

Lee ordered an attack on the left side of the Union line. Lee knew that he could win the battle if his troops captured Little Round Top from the Union forces. From this hill, Lee's troops could easily fire down on the line of Union forces. Union forces and Confederate troops fought viciously for control of Little Round Top. The fighting was particularly fierce on the south side of the hill. Eventually, the Union forced the Confederates to pull back from Little Round Top. Then the Confederates attacked Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill. The fighting lasted until nightfall. The assault on Cemetery Hill was unsuccessful. The Confederates did manage to take a few trenches on Culp's Hill. Even so, the Union forces still held a strong defensive position by the day's end.

What happened at the Battle of Chancellorsville?

Lee used most of his army (about 60,000 men) to attack Hooker's troops at Chancellorsville. Stonewall Jackson led an attack on Hooker's flank while Lee commanded an assault on the Union front. The Union army was almost cut in two. They managed to form a defensive line, which they held for three days. Then Hooker ordered a retreat.

What happened later at Gettysburg?

Lee's troops ran right into Union general George G. Meade's cavalry, triggering the Battle of Gettysburg

What did Lincoln need to help him win re-election in 1864? Who provided this?

Lincoln needed a victory for the Union army to help him win re-election in 1864. The bold campaign of General William Tecumseh Sherman provided this key victory.

What happened on day 4 of the Battle of Gettysburg?

On the fourth day, Lee began to retreat to Virginia. In all, nearly 75,000 Confederate soldiers and 90,000 Union troops had fought during the Battle of Gettysburg. General Meade decided not to follow Lee's army.

What happened on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg?

On the third day of battle, Longstreet again tried to convince Lee not to attack. But Lee thought that the Union forces were severely battered and ready to break. Because of this, he planned to attack the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge. For over an hour, the Confederates shelled Cemetery Ridge with cannon fire. For a while, the Union cannons fired back. Then they slacked off. The Confederates assumed that they had seriously damaged the Union artillery. In reality, the Confederate barrage did little damage. The task of charging the Union center fell to three divisions of Confederate soldiers. General George Pickett commanded the largest unit. In late afternoon, nearly 15,000 men took part in Pickett's Charge. For one mile, the Confederates marched slowly up toward Cemetery Ridge. Showered with cannon and rifle fire, they suffered severe losses. But eventually, some of them almost reached their destination. Then Union reinforcements added to the barrage on the rebels. Confederates retreated, leaving about 7,500 casualties on the field of battle.

What happened on November 19, 1863, at the dedicating ceremony of the Gettysburg battlefield cemetery?

President Lincoln gave a speech called the Gettysburg Address, in which he praised the bravery of Union soldiers and renewed his commitment to winning the Civil War.

Who replaced George B. McClellan? Why?

Frustrated by McClellan's lack of aggression, Lincoln replaced him with General Ambrose E. Burnside as leader of the Army of the Potomac.

What decision got General Meade fired/resign? Who replaced Meade?

General Meade decided not to follow Lee's army. This decision angered Lincoln. He felt that Meade had missed an opportunity to crush the Confederates and possibly end the war. General Grant replaced Meade.

Why was Lee unaware that Union soldiers were encamped closer to the town, Gettysburg?

He had been suffering from lack of enemy informa- tion for three days because his cavalry chief "Jeb" Stuart was not performing his duties. Stuart and his cavalry had gone off on their own raiding party, disobeying Lee's orders.

What was Sherman's next goal?

His goal was the port city of Savannah, Georgia.

What was General William Sherman's goal?

His goal was to take Atlanta, Georgia and knock out an important railroad link.

What happened at the end of April 1863?

Hooker and his army of about 138,000 men launched a frontal attack on Fredericksburg starting a battle called the Battle of Chancellorsville.

Who replaced Burnside after the Battle of Fredericksburg?

Soon Burnside stepped down from his position. Lincoln made General Joseph Hooker the commander of the Army of the Potomac.

What were the effects of the Civil War?

The Civil War had deep and long-lasting effects. Almost 620,000 Americans lost their lives during the four years of fighting. The defeat of the South ended slavery there. The majority of former slaves, how- ever, had no homes or jobs. The southern economy was in ruins. A tremendous amount of hostility remained, even after the fighting had ceased.

What was special about the Gettysburg Address?

This speech was short but moving and is one of the most famous in American history.

What did Sherman practice?

Total war

What was Grants strategy in the Wilderness Campaign?

Union forces had suffered twice as many casualties as the Confederates had, yet Grant continued his strategy. He knew he would be getting additional soldiers, and Lee could not. Grant slowly but surely advanced his troops through Virginia. He would just keep using soldiers to advance.

Battle of Gettysburg

A key battle that finally turned the tide against the Confederates.

Wilderness Campaign

A series of battles designed to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia.

What failure was Lincoln especially discouraged by?

Grant was winning the war, but he still had not captured Richmond.

What kind of attack did Burnside favor?

Burnside favored a swift, decisive attack on Richmond by way of Fredericksburg.

How did the Union finally win the Civil War?

By the second week of April 1865, Grant had surrounded Lee's army and demanded the soldiers' surrender. Lee hoped to join other Confederates in fighting in North Carolina, but Grant cut off his escape just west of Richmond. Lee tried some last minute attacks but could not break the Union line. Trapped by the Union army, Lee recognized that the situation was hopeless; Lee surrendered. On April 9, 1865, the Union and Confederate leaders met at a home in the small town of Appomattox Courthouse where Lee surrendered to Grant, thus ending the Civil War.

What was General James Longstreet's plan after they discovered the Union developed a great defensive position? How did Lee respond?

Confederate General James Long- street thought that the Union position was almost impossible to overrun. Instead of attacking, he felt that the Confederate army should move east, take a strong defensive position themselves, and wait for the Union forces to attack them. However, General Lee was not convinced. He believed that his troops were invincible.

What did General Ewell do that changed the Battle?

Ewell hesitated and thereby gave the Federals time to establish an excellent defensive position.

What happened in early April 1865 for Grant?

Grant finally broke through the Confederate defenses at Petersburg. On April 2, Lee was forced to retreat from Richmond.

Who replace General Hooker?

George G. Meade

What was the Aftermath of Gettysburg?

Gettysburg was a turning point in the war. Lee's troops would never again launch an attack in the North. The Union victory at Get- tysburg took place on the day before Grant's capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi. These victories made northerners believe that the war could be won. In addition, the Union win at Gettysburg helped to end the South's search for foreign influence in the war. After Gettysburg, Great Britain and France refused to provide aid to the Confederacy. The South's attempt at cotton diplomacy failed.

What happened in the Battle of Cold Harbor? (part of Wilderness Campaign)

However, Grant experienced his worst defeat at the Battle of Cold Harbor in early June, just 10 miles northeast of Richmond. In only a few hours the Union army suffered 7,000 casualties. The battle delayed Grant's plans to take the Confederate capital.

What happened in July of 1864?

In July, Sherman was within sight of Atlanta. Confederate president Jefferson Davis gave General John Hood command of Confederate forces in the region. Hood repeatedly attacked Sherman in a final attempt to save Atlanta, but the Union troops proved stronger. The Confederate troops retreated as Sherman held Atlanta under siege.

How did voters feel about Sherman taking Atlanta?

Many people in the North had been upset with the length of the war. However, the capture of Atlanta showed that progress was being made in defeating the South. This success helped to convince Union voters to re-elect Lincoln in a landslide.

When did Atalanta fall to Sherman's troops?

September 2, 1864

Why did Sherman practice total war?

Sherman believed that total war would ruin the South's economy and its ability to fight. He ordered his troops to destroy railways, bridges, crops, livestock, and other resources. They burned plantations and freed slaves.

What happened for Sherman in early April 1865?

Sherman closed in on the last Confederate defenders in North Carolina.

What happened in the Battle of Fredericksburg?

The Confederate commander, Robert E Lee, had divided his force of 78,000 men. Neither section of the Confederate army was in a good position to defend Fredericksburg. Burnside's army experienced delays in crossing the Rappahannock River. These delays allowed Lee's army to reunite and entrench themselves around Fredericksburg. Finally, the Union army crossed the Rappahannock and launched a series of charges. These attacks had heavy casualties and failed to break the Confederate line. Eventually, after suffering about 12,600 casualties, Burnside ordered a retreat.

What was ironic/funny about Pickett's charge?

The Confederates and Union exchanged fire and after a while the Union stopped firing. This is when the Confederates thought they had damaged Union artillery and the Union was actually just reloading. The Confederates charged into the center led by George Pickett which became known as Pickett's charge. As the Confederates arrived the center, the Union finished reloading and used all their ammo to create a shower of bullets that completely slaughtered the Confederate Army.

What happened at the end of day 1 of the Battle of Gettysburg?

The Confederates camped at Seminary Ridge, which ran parallel to the Union forces. Both camps called for their main forces to reinforce them and prepare for combat the next day.

What Battle did the Union army launch after the Battle of Gettysburg? How was it different?

The Union army launched Wilderness Campaign after the Battle of Gettysburg. The Wilderness campaign was a series of battles while the Battle of Gettysburg was one battle.

Where did the Union troops regroup? What happened after that?

The Union soldiers regrouped along the high ground of Cemetery Ridge and Culp's Hill. General Lee wanted to prevent the Union forces from entrenching themselves. He therefore ordered General Ewell to attack immediately.

When did the Battle of Gettysburg begin?

The battle began on July 1, 1863

Where did the first battle start in the Wilderness campaign? How was it like?

The first battle took place in early May, in woods about 50 miles outside of Richmond. Grant then ordered General Meade to Spotsylvania, where the fighting raged for five days.

Total war

destroying civilian and economic resources