The Civil War

Civil War Timeline1861

1862

1863

1864

1865

Confederate States of America Formed

Civil War begins with firing at Fort Sumter

Battle of Shiloh Confederates defend VicksburgUlysses S. Grant camped in Oxford, almost captured in Holly Springs

Union captures New Orleans and Natchez

Battle of Champion HillSiege of Vicksburg: Confederates surrendered

-Emancipation Proclamation-Confederates defeated at Gettysburg-Lincoln initiates Presidential Reconstruction

Union marches through MS

Lincoln reelected

MS and LA forces surrender

Lincoln assassinated, Johnson new Pres. Gen. Lee (Confed.) surrenders to Gen. Grant (Union)

Union and Confederate Forces

Union•President: Lincoln•Generals: – Ulysses S. Grant

(commander) – David Farrugut (took New

Orleans and Natchez

Confederate•President: Jefferson Davis •Generals: – Robert E. Lee

(commander) – John Pemberton

(commanded Vicksburg)

Northern and Southern Advantages

North:1. More men.2. More industry.3. More railroads.4. Already existing military.

South:1. Fighting to defend their homeland.2. Knowledge of the terrain (landscape).

The North made 97% of the countries

firearms.

Northern and Southern StrategiesNorth:

1. Capture Richmond, VA, the capital of the Confederacy.2. Divide and conquer – split the Confederacy into three sections.3. Blockade the south – use their navy to close southern ports.

South:1. Hold their own until European countries come to their aid.

After Fort Sumter

• Union navy blockaded the southern coastline– Isolated the seaports to prevent any ship from

entering or leaving • The strategy of the Union was to divide and

conquer – Isolate the southern railroad system and control

the rivers– Mississippi was really involved in the Civil War due

to this strategy (we had railroads and the main RIVER)

Beginning of the war• Both forces wanted to control the

Mississippi River • The Union needed to get to Vicksburg to

work to control the river• Union forces launched a naval attack on the

ports of New Orleans and Memphis

• When the war begins, most people don’t believe that it will last very long.

• For the first battle, Battle of Bull Run, people will actually take picnics and go watch the battle.

Battle of Shiloh

• Confederate commanders were ordered to defend the railroad junction at Corinth– Grant was on his way!

• Corinth was an important railroad city; many important railroads for the Confederacy intersected at Corinth

• April 1862- Confederate forces intercepted Grant’s forces northeast of Corinth at Shiloh, TN

• Confederates, under command of Gen. Johnston and Gen. Beauregard, had 40,000 men.

• Grant had 45,000• One of the deadliest

battles- Union troops were reinforced during the night– Forced Confederates to

retreat to Corinth

Effects of Shiloh• The highest ranking general in the

Confederate army: General Johnston was killed

• Confederates had 11,000 casualties• Union had 13,000

Now on to Vicksburg…..

• After Shiloh, Grant continues onto Vicksburg• But why was Vicksburg so important???– Union: Economic and Military Reasons

– Since the beginning of the Confederacy, commerce between the midwestern states and the port of New Orleans had been cut off

– Also, controlling Vicksburg meant you could cut supply lines of Confederates “Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until the key is in our pocket.”- Lincoln

– Vicksburg landscape allowed for a great attack high on the bluffs for anybody on the river… you could shoot down on someone!

New Orleans falls

• Officer David Farragut(Union) captures New Orleans in 1862 and then goes on to capture Natchez the same year.

• After Natchez, he leads a bombardment on Vicksburg– Lasts for two months – He then goes pass Vicksburg to meet with other

naval forces in Memphis… goes back to Vicksburg– Can not take the city from the river

• Farragut decides to dig a canal around Vicksburg– Divert river traffic around the city– This does not work– He starts to head back down the Mississippi River

• General Pemberton in control– His duty for the Confederates was to hold Vicksburg

at all costs– Issue: • Vicksburg is cut off by naval forces north and south of

the city• And Grant is on his way!

Grant in Holly Springs and Oxford• Nov. 1862, Grant established a

supply depot at Holly Springs• He then moves onto Oxford– The Lyceum, main building on

University Of Mississippi campus, becomes a hospital for wounded Union soldiers• After the battle of Shiloh, just

months before, it served as a hospital for the Confederates… the tide is changing

Mrs. Grant almost captured!

• Ulysses S. Grant’s wife and her son came to spend Christmas with Gen. Grant

• While in Holly Springs, a Confederate unit attacked and destroyed the supply depot– Confederate troops were sent to capture Mrs. Grant– She had just enough warning that she left the night

before the raid and went to Oxford.

• Grant then decides to move back to Memphis and move down the Mississippi River

The Landscape of Vicksburg • River to the West• The Northeast was filled with swamp land and

rivers• The South was higher land and was dryer than

the rest of the city– This is where Grant decides to move his troops in

at… this is risky!

Risky Move!• March down the Louisiana side of the River

and cross into the South of Vicksburg– Grant could manually overpower the troops at

Vicksburg

• However, the only way for this to be successful was for the navy to run their ships past Vicksburg (passed all the guns and batteries) and meet Grant in the South.

• This plan was risky because it removed Grant’s army from its supply lines and the possibility of losing an entire fleet

• Greater the risk, greater the reward– To capture Vicksburg meant to cut the

Confederacy in half, cut supplies lines, and open up Union commerce on the river.

Diversion attacks• Make the Confederates look the

other way!• Grierson’s Raid: 1863– Colonel Grierson and his army were

to travel from Tennessee through Mississippi into Baton Rouge • To divert a portion of Pemberton’s army

away from Vicksburg• And to destroy the railroad lines that

connected Vicksburg with the eastern part of Confederacy

– As this raid happens, Grant and his army move down the Louisiana side of the river

Relief Efforts• As Grant and other Union forces move

closer to Vicksburg, Jefferson Davis orders 10,000 troops to reinforce Pemberton

• Grant learns of the reinforcements that will travel through Jackson to get to Vicksburg– Grant captures Jackson to prevent the

Confederate reinforcements from making it to Vicksburg

– Grant burns several buildings and destroys the railroads surrounding Jackson

– After Jackson, Grant and other Union Generals move toward Vicksburg

Battle of Champion Hill • In an effort to stop Grant

before Vicksburg, Pemberton moves troops in between Vicksburg and Jackson– Two armies meet at Champion

Hill (outside of Bolton) – The tide changes three times

during the battle, but in the end the Confederates are forced back toward Vicksburg• This is a mistake for Pemberton!

The final Siege of Vicksburg

• Pemberton is now surrounded by Union forces• Grant waited for the soldiers and citizens of Vicksburg to exhaust their

resources and their will to fight– Siege= a tactic where armed forces try to capture by surrounding and preventing

supplies from entering

• After 43 days, Grant demands unconditional surrender from Pemberton– Pemberton refused the terms– Grant returns with a less extreme surrender:

• All Confederate troops would be paroled (set free) after they signed an oath to not fight against Union

• All military supplies were to be surrendered• Pemberton accepts terms

– July 4th, 1863 Vicksburg formally surrenders to Grant