Section 3 The Tide of War Turns - Wikispacesdehushistory.wikispaces.com/file/view/chapter+11.3.pdf · Section 3 The Tide of War Turns ... Robert E. Lee’s large army to travel rap-idly

402 • Chapter 11 Section 3

Section 3The Tide ofWar Turns

The Tide of War Turns3

MAIN IDEA

Despite Southern victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, the tide of war turned in the summer of 1863, when the North won at Gettysburg and Vicksburg.

READING FOCUS

• What was the importance of Lee’s victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville?

• How did the Battles of Gettysburg andVicksburg turn the tide of the war?

• Why was 1863 a pivotal year?

• What is the message of the GettysburgAddress?

KEY TERMS

Battle of Fredericksburg

Battle of Chancellorsville

Battle of Gettysburg

Pickett’s ChargesiegeGettysburg Address

TARGET READING SKILL

Identify Cause and Effect As you read, completethe following chart. For each battle, fill in theimportant officers, tell which side won, and writewhat you consider the most important reason forthat side’s victory.

Setting the Scene Civil War battles were noisy and smoky. Cannonsboomed, rifles fired, men shouted, and the battlefield was wreathed in a haze ofgunfire and dust. How did commanders communicate with their troops in thischaos? How did soldiers know when to advance, when to retreat, or even wheretheir units were located? In the early years of the Civil War, it was the sound ofthe drumbeat that communicated orders. For that reason, drummer boys—usually only 12 to 16 years old—were so important that they were often pur-posely fired on by the enemy, and hundreds were killed in battle. One drummerboy who was wounded in action at Vicksburg received the Medal of Honor.Another boy described his experience this way:

“ A cannon ball came bouncing across the corn field, kicking up dirt anddust each time it struck the earth. Many of the men in our companytook shelter behind a stone wall, but I stood where I was and neverstopped drumming. An officer came by on horseback and chastised themen, saying ‘this boy puts you all to shame. Get up and move forward.’. . . Even when the fighting was at its fiercest and I was frightened,I stood straight and did as I was ordered. . . . I felt I had to be a goodexample for the others.”

—A Civil War drummer boy

Victories for General LeeThe Emancipation Proclamation may have renewed enthusiasm for the waramong some Northerners, but the war still had to be won in the din and dust ofthe battlefield. When General George McClellan delayed in following up on hisvictory over Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln again removedMcClellan from command and replaced him with General Ambrose Burnside inNovember 1862. Sadly for Lincoln, Burnside was better known for his thickwhiskers, the origin of the term “sideburns,” than for his skills as a militarystrategist. He soon proved that his poor reputation was justified.

402 Chapter 11 • The Civil War

Major Battles of 1863

Battle Union Confederate Victor/WhyOfficer Officer

Fredericksburg Burnside Lee South/Burnside crossed right infront of Lee’sarmy; kept charging intogunfire.

Drummer boys were a vital part ofthe armies of both the North andthe South.

SECTION OBJECTIVES

1. Identify the importance of Lee’s victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.

2. Describe how the Battles ofGettysburg and Vicksburg turned the tide of the war.

3. Find out why 1863 was a pivotal yearin the Civil War.

4. Interpret the message of theGettysburg Address.

BELLRINGER

Warm-Up Activity Ask students ifthey can remember being without elec-tricity for any length of time. If so, askthem to describe how they spent thattime. Then ask them how that experi-ence would compare to living in a cavefor several months while an enemyarmy shelled their city.

Activating Prior KnowledgePhotography was a new tool usedwidely for the first time during the CivilWar. Can students state some impactsof this new technology? What would ithave been like for the general public tobe able to see real-life battle scenes,often for the first time? How did pho-tography help generals make their battle plans?

TARGET READING SKILL

Ask students to complete the graphicorganizer on this page as they read thesection. See the Section ReadingSupport Transparencies for a completedversion of this graphic organizer.

RESOURCE DIRECTORYTeaching ResourcesGuided Reading and Review booklet, p. 48Learning Styles Lesson Plans booklet, p. 24

Other Print ResourcesNystrom Atlas of Our Country A Divided Nation,

pp. 26–27

Technology Section Reading Support TransparenciesGuided Reading Audiotapes (English/Spanish),

Ch. 11Student Edition on Audio CD, Ch. 11Prentice Hall Presentation Pro CD-ROM, Ch. 11

PWSurvey05 TE_CH11 1/12/04 1:36 PM Page 402

Chapter 11 Section 3 • 403

Chapter 11 • Section 3 403

The Battle of Fredericksburg Knowing that McClellan had beenfired for being too cautious, Burnside quickly advanced into Virginia.His plan was simple—to march his army of some 122,000 men straighttoward Richmond. In response, Lee massed his army of nearly 79,000 atFredericksburg, Virginia, on the south bank of the Rappahannock River.Lee spread his troops along a ridge called Marye’s Heights, behind andoverlooking the town.

Incredibly, instead of crossing the river out of range of the Confed-erate artillery, Burnside decided to cross directly in front of Lee’s forces.“The enemy will be more surprised [by this move],” he explained. Leewas surprised—by the poor strategy of Burnside’s plan.

Union troops poured across the river on specially constructedbridges and occupied the town. Lee let them cross. He knew that hisartillery had the area well covered. Lee believed that if Burnside’s armyattacked, the Confederate forces could easily deal it a crushing defeat.

On December 13, 1862, the Battle of Fredericksburg began.Throughout the day Burnside ordered charge after charge into the Con-federate gunfire. Some Union army units lost more than half their men.When the fighting ceased at nightfall, the Union had suffered nearly13,000 casualties. Confederate losses were just over 5,000. A demoral-ized Burnside soon asked to be relieved of his command.

The Battle of Chancellorsville After accepting Burnside’s resigna-tion, a worried Lincoln turned to yet another general, Joseph “FightingJoe” Hooker. General Hooker’s plan was to move the Union armyaround Fredericksburg and attack the Confederates’ strongdefenses from behind. “May God have mercy on General Lee, for Iwill have none,” Fighting Joe promised.

In late April 1863, Hooker put his plan into action. Leavingabout a third of his 115,000-man army outside Fredericksburg, hemarched the rest of his troops several miles upriver and slippedacross the Rappahannock. Lee soon became aware of Hooker’sactions. Confederate cavalry commanded by General J.E.B. “Jeb”Stuart discovered Hooker’s force camped about ten miles west ofFredericksburg, near a road crossing called Chancellorsville.

Dividing his forces, Lee sent more than 40,000 Confederate sol-diers westward to meet Hooker. About 10,000 troops remained inFredericksburg. Lee ordered them to build many fires at night, so the enemyacross the river would not realize that most of the army was gone.

The Battle of Chancellorsville began on May 1, 1863. When the Uniontroops started their march toward Fredericksburg, they suddenly saw Lee’sarmy in front of them. After a brief clash, Fighting Joe ordered them to pullback into the thick woods and build defenses. The next day, when the Confederates did not attack, Hooker assumed they were in retreat. Instead, Leehad daringly divided his forces a second time. He sent General Stonewall Jack-son and 26,000 men on a 12-mile march around the Union army for a late-afternoon attack on its right side. The movement of Jackson’s troops wasconcealed by heavy woods that covered the area.

Again, Hooker was taken by surprise. The only warning was a wave of rab-bits and deer that poured into the Union camp moments ahead of the Confed-erate charge. If darkness had not halted his attack, Jackson would have crushedthe Union army. That night, Jackson and some other officers left the Confeder-ate camp to scout the Union positions for a renewed attack. As they returned in

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LESSON PLAN

Focus Explain that the turning point ofthe war came in 1863 with the battlesof Vicksburg and Gettysburg. Ask whythose battles were so important.

Instruct The capture of Vicksburgwas part of the Anaconda Plan, bywhich the Union intended to divide andsqueeze the Confederacy. Tell studentsthat Lincoln said, “Vicksburg is the key.The war cannot be brought to a closeuntil the key is in our pocket.” Tell stu-dents that General Lee hoped thatinvading Pennsylvania might encour-age foreign countries to recognize andassist the Confederacy and might alsodishearten Northern civilians.

Assess/Reteach Have students cre-ate a fact file on each of the followingbattles: Fredericksburg, Chancellors-ville, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg. Factfiles should include the significance ofthe battle and a brief summary of whattook place.

ACTIVITY

Connecting withGeography

Have students use a map to explainwhy Vicksburg was so critical to Unionstrategy. Ask students to trace Lee’sroute to Gettysburg. (Visual/Spatial)

CUSTOMIZE FOR ...Less Proficient Readers

To reinforce the reading material and aid com-prehension, have students construct a battlefieldtime line listing the battles in this section inchronological order. On the time lines, studentsshould include each battle’s location and victor.




the darkness, some Confederate soldiers mistook them for enemies and openedfire. Three bullets hit Jackson, one shattering his left arm so badly that it had tobe amputated.

On May 3, with Stuart now leading Jackson’s command, the Confederatearmy completed its victory. On May 5, Hooker’s badly beaten troops withdrewback across the river. Chancellorsville was Lee’s most brilliant victory, but it wasalso his most costly one. On May 10, Jackson died of complications from hiswounds. Stonewall Jackson was probably Lee’s most brilliant general. His popu-larity with the troops was exceeded only by Lee’s. His death deprived Lee of aman he called his “strong right arm.”

The Battle of GettysburgThe crushing defeats at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville were the low pointof the war for the Union. The mood in Washington was dark. Rumors sweptthe capital that Lincoln would resign as President. Some Northern leadersbegan to talk seriously of making peace with the South. “If there is a worseplace than Hell,” Lincoln said, “I am in it.”

In June 1863, Lee marched his forces northward. The Union blockade andthe South’s lack of resources were beginning to weaken his army. With all thefighting in Virginia, supplies there had become scarce. Lee hoped to find somein Pennsylvania. More importantly, he hoped that a major Confederate victoryon Northern soil would finally push the Union into giving up the war.

As Lincoln prepared to replace Hooker, the Union army moved north, too,staying between the Confederates and Washington. On July 1, some Confeder-ate troops entered the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Many of them werebarefoot, and a supply of shoes was rumored to be stored in the town. Therethe Confederates encountered a unit of Union cavalry and a fight developed.From this skirmish grew the greatest battle ever fought in North America, thethree-day Battle of Gettysburg.

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Skirmish near the town of Gettysburg grows into a full-scale battle. Confederates push Union troops south; armies gather on both sides. Lee orders an attack on Union position at Cemetery Ridge for the next morning.

Confederate General Longstreet delays until late afternoon to attack southern end of Union line, giving Union a chance to bring reinforcements. Maine unit defends Union position at Little Round Top; Union lines remain intact.

Brief Confederate attack followed by long artillery exchange. Thinking his army has destroyed enemy’s guns, Lee orders direct infantry attack known as Pickett’s Charge. Union is ready with artillery barrage; Confederates prepare to retreat into Virginia.

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Battle of Gettysburg, July 1–3, 1863

MAP SKILLS The Battle ofGettysburg was fought over threedays. Notice the changes in trooppositions over the course of thebattle. Human-EnvironmentInteraction How did each sideattempt to use the terrain to gainan advantage?

Map Skills The Confederacy attemptedto gain high ground to fire down on theenemy; the Union assumed a defensiveposition on a ridge, forcing theConfederates to attack.

CAPTION ANSWERS

ACTIVITY

Connecting withHistory and Conflict

The Battle of Gettysburg was brutal andhard-fought. No soldier who was pres-ent and survived would ever have for-gotten that day. Ask students to choosea portion of the Battle of Gettysburg toresearch in depth. Then, have themchoose to view that portion of the battlefrom the perspective of a member of theUnion or Confederate army. Have themwrite an “eyewitness account” of theexperience in the form of a letter hometo family. (Verbal/Linguistic)

BACKGROUND

Geography in HistoryRoads and railways were poor in theUpper South, so rivers played an impor-tant role in the Union planning. Armiescovered the most ground in the west,where north-south rivers like theMississippi and the Tennessee offeredan easy route into the Confederacy. InVirginia, however, most rivers flow eastfrom the Appalachians into the AtlanticOcean. These formed a natural defensefor the Confederate troops, since theUnion army had to stop to build pontoonbridges across the wider rivers.

RESOURCE DIRECTORYOther Print ResourcesHistorical Outline Map Book Major Battles of

the Civil War, p. 50

Technology Color Transparencies Historical Maps, A22



ACTIVITY

Connecting withCitizenship

Ask students to deliver a brief mono-logue on the celebration of July 4, 1863,by one of the following figures: a for-merly enslaved African American, acitizen of Gettysburg, or a Union sol-dier. Have students choose their char-acter, do research to prepare themonologue, and present the mono-logue in front of the class.(Verbal/Linguistic)

BACKGROUND

BiographyCuban-born artist Federico FernándezCavada served as a captain and engi-neer in the Union army. Sent aloft in hot-air balloons near the battle lines,Cavada sketched from the air what hecould see of Confederate troop move-ments until he was captured at theBattle of Gettysburg. In 1864 Cavadapublished Libby Life, an account of hiscruel treatment in a Confederate prison.


July 1, 1863 Hearing the gunfire coming from Gettysburg, units of both armies rushed to the scene. Atfirst, the Confederates outnumbered the Union forces.Fighting through the day, they pushed the Northernersback onto some hills south of town. Meanwhile, troops onboth sides continued to gather. Among the Union soldiersto arrive that night was General George Meade, the newhead of the Union army. He had been in command forless than a week.

Each army took up positions on a series of hills. Theirlines stretched from the outskirts of town, in a southerlydirection, for about four miles. The center of the Unionline was a long hill called Cemetery Ridge. Another seriesof hills, called Seminary Ridge, was the center of the Confederate position.Between these two ridges was a large field several hundred yards wide.

That evening, Lee discussed his battle plan with General James Longstreet,his second-in-command since the death of Stonewall Jackson. Having won theday’s fighting, and fresh from his victory at Chancellorsville, Lee’s confidencewas high. He proposed to continue the battle the next day. Longstreet advisedagainst attacking such a strong Union position, but Lee had made up his mind.“The enemy is there,” said Lee, pointing to Cemetery Ridge, “and I am goingto attack him there.” He ordered Longstreet to lead an attack on the southernend of the Union line the next morning.

July 2, 1863 Although a graduate of West Point, Longstreet preferredmore peaceful endeavors. An accountant, he wanted to be in charge of theConfederate army’s payroll. Lee made him a field commander instead.“Longstreet is a very good fighter when he . . . gets everything ready,” Leesaid of him, “but he is so slow.”

On this second day of the battle, Longstreet was not ready to attack untilabout 4:00 P.M. His delays gave Meade the chance to bring up reinforcements.The battle raged into the early evening. Heavy fighting occurred in a peachorchard, a wheat field, and a mass of boulders known locally as the Devil’s Den.

At one point, some Alabama soldiers noticed that one of the hills in theUnion position, called Little Round Top, was almost undefended. They rushedto capture the hill. From it, Confederate artillery could have bombarded theUnion lines. However, Union commanders also had noticed that Little RoundTop was vulnerable. About 350 Maine soldiers under Colonel JoshuaChamberlain, a college professor before the war, were ordered to defend theposition. They arrived on the hill just before the Alabamans’ assault and thenheld off repeated attacks until they ran out of ammunition. Unwilling to giveup, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge. The surprised Confederatesretreated back down the hill. The Maine soldiers’ heroic act likely saved theUnion army from defeat. At the end of the day, the Union lines remained intact.

July 3, 1863 The third day of battle began with a brief Confederateattack on the north end of the Union line. Then the battlefield fell quiet.Finally, in the early afternoon, about 150 Confederate cannons began theheaviest artillery barrage of the war. Some Union generals thought the firingmight be to protect a Confederate retreat. They were wrong. Lee haddecided to risk everything on an infantry charge against the center of theUnion position. As he had two days before, Longstreet opposed such adirect attack. Again Lee overruled him.

VIEWING HISTORY Thislithograph shows part of the Battleof Gettysburg. Drawing InferencesWhat can you tell about the militarytactics of the battle from the picture?

READING CHECKDescribe the battle for LittleRound Top.

Viewing History Foot soldiers chargedacross open fields in an effort to over-whelm the enemy but suffered terriblecasualties. Officers on horsebackdirected the battle from behind the lines.

CAPTION ANSWERSTEST PREPARATIONHave students read the text under the heading“July 1, 1863” on this page and then answer thequestion below.Which event occurred on the evening of July 1, 1863?

A General Longstreet decided to attack Ceme-tery Ridge.

B General George Meade arrived to commandthe Confederate army.

C General Longstreet suggested attackingCemetery Ridge, but General Lee disagreed.

D General Lee ordered General Longstreet toattack Cemetery Ridge.

READING CHECKConfederate troops rushed up theslope of the Little Round Top, alightly defended hill which was animportant part of the Union line. Asmall group of Union reinforce-ments arrived just in time to defendthe Little Round Top. Their spiriteddefense caused the Confederatetroops to fall back.




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After a two-hour artillery duel, the Union guns stopped returning fire.Thinking that the Confederate artillery had destroyed the enemy’s guns,Longstreet reluctantly ordered the direct attack. Actually, the Union artillerycommander had ceased fire only to save ammunition. Now, however, Northernsoldiers on Cemetery Ridge saw nearly 15,000 Confederates, formed in a line amile long and three rows deep, coming toward them.

Although this event is known in history as Pickett’s Charge, GeneralGeorge Pickett was only one of three Southern commanders on the field thatday. Each led an infantry division of about 5,000 men. As the Confederatesmarched across about a mile of open ground between the two ridges, theUnion artillery resumed firing. Hundreds of canister shells rained down on theapproaching soldiers, tearing huge gaps in their ranks. When the Southerntroops closed to within about 200 yards of the Union lines, Northern soldierspoured rifle fire into those who remained standing.

Only a few hundred Confederates reached the Union lines—at a bend in astone wall that became known as the Angle. A survivor described the fighting:

“ Men fire into each other’s faces, not five feet apart. There arebayonet-thrusts, sabre-strokes, pistol-shots; . . . men going down ontheir hands and knees, spinning round like tops, throwing out theirarms, falling; legless, armless, headless. There are ghastly heaps ofdead men.”

—Soldier at Gettysburg

In about 30 minutes it was over. Scarcely half the Confederate force returned toSeminary Ridge. Lee ordered Pickett to reform his division in case Meade coun-terattacked. “General Lee, I have no division,” Pickett replied.

Pickett’s Charge ended the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Losses on bothsides were staggering. The Union army of about 85,000 suffered over 23,000

The Vietnam War was thefirst to “invade” Americanhomes via television, andthe nightly news footagefrom Vietnam helped turnAmerican public opinionagainst the war.

The Civil War was the first American conflict to be photographed.Mathew Brady and his team of photographers showed its grimrealities to great effect.

Photography and War

During the 2003 Iraq War,reporters were “embedded”into American military units.They traveled with their units,often reporting as combattook place.

Which of these images has the most impact on you, the viewer? Why? What do you learn about

war from these images?

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ACTIVITY

Student PortfolioYou may wish to have students add thefollowing to their portfolios: Ask stu-dents to speculate about what mighthave happened if General Meade hadpursued Lee’s forces after the Battle ofGettysburg. Ask students to create atime line showing events fromGettysburg to the end of the war underthose circumstances. (Visual/Spatial)

BACKGROUND

BiographyMuch criticized after the failure ofPickett’s Charge, General GeorgePickett was thought by some to be acoward. Even so, Robert E. Lee keptPickett in command of his division. Justeight days before Lee surrendered atAppomattox in April 1865, Pickett’s divi-sion was nearly destroyed in battlewhile he attended a picnic.

RESOURCE DIRECTORYTechnology Color Transparencies Historical Maps, A23

Fast Forward to Today Answers willvary, but student explanations shouldinclude impact of the reality of war andthe death it brings.

CAPTION ANSWERS



ACTIVITY

Connecting withHistory and Conflict

Ask students to agree or disagree withthis statement by Sir Basil Liddell Hart,an English military authority and biogra-pher of Sherman: “Loss of hope isworse than loss of men and land. Itwas the moral effect, above all, whichmade Vicksburg the great turning pointof the war.” Have students discusswhether they think Liddell Hart’s state-ment correctly describes the results ofthe siege of Vicksburg. Why or whynot? (Verbal/Linguistic)

BACKGROUND

Geography in HistoryThroughout the Civil War, it had been agoal of the Union army to gain control ofthe Mississippi River. Just as stead-fastly, the Confederate army fought tohold on to this vital waterway. Finally in1863, the superior arms, ships, andequipment of the Union army madecontrol of the Mississippi within reach.With the fall of Vicksburg and the result-ing division of the Confederacy, the tri-umph of the Union began to seeminevitable.

casualties. Of some 75,000 Southerners, about 28,000 were casualties. For thesecond time, Lee had lost more than a third of his army. The next day, July 4,the Confederates began their retreat back to Virginia.

VicksburgWhile armies clashed in the East, a Union force in the West struggled to cap-ture the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Only this stronghold and a fortress atPort Hudson, Louisiana, stood in the way of the Union’s complete control ofthe Mississippi River. Vicksburg seemed safe from attack. It sat on a bluff, highabove a sharp bend in the river. From this bluff, Confederate artillery could lobshells at any Union ships that approached the city. In addition, much of Vicksburg was surrounded by swamps. The only approach to the city over dryland was from the east, and Confederate forces held that territory.

Grant Attacks The Union general who faced these difficult challenges wasUlysses S. Grant. Between December 1862 and April 1863, he made severalattempts either to capture or to bypass the city. First, he sent General WilliamTecumseh Sherman and several thousand troops in an unsuccessful attack onVicksburg from the north. Next he had his army dig a canal across the bend inthe river, so Union boats could bypass the city’s guns. However, the canalturned out to be too shallow. Then he tried to attack from the north by send-ing gunboats down another river. This too failed.

An attempt to approach the city through a swampy backwater calledSteele’s Bayou nearly ended in disaster. The Confederates cut downtrees to slow the Union boats and fired on them from shore. Finally,Sherman’s troops had to come and rescue the fleet.

By mid-April 1863, the ground had dried out enough for Grantto try a daring plan. He marched his army down the Louisiana side ofthe river and crossed into Mississippi south of Vicksburg. Then hemoved east and attacked Jackson, the state capital. This maneuver

MAP SKILLS Lincoln calledcapturing Vicksburg “the key” towinning the war. Jefferson Davisconsidered the city to be “thenailhead that holds the South’stwo halves together.” Movement(a) Trace Grant’s route on the mapand explain the strategy behind it. (b) According to the painting, what made the attempt to attackthe city by gunboat so difficult?

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6. Grant captures and destroys Jackson, Mississippi, May 14

5. Vicksburg to Jackson rail line cut, May 13

8. Siege of Vicksburgbegins, May 19

2. Route ofGrant’s armypast Vicksburg,Mar. 29–early April

4. Union navy ferries army to eastern bank, April 30

7. Grant defeats Confederateforces at Champion’s Hill, May 16

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Map Skills (a) Because of the terrain,Grant chose to pass south of Vicksburgand then attack the city from the east,after first taking Jackson, Mississippi.By destroying Jackson and cutting itsrail line to Vicksburg, Grant cut Vicksburg off from incoming supplies,enabling him to conduct a siege of Vicksburg. (b) The boats had to pass right under enemy guns. Theenemy could also clog the river withflaming debris.

CAPTION ANSWERSTEST PREPARATION

Have students reread the first paragraph underthe section “Vicksburg” on this page and thenanswer the question below. Which of the following statements is correct?

A Vicksburg was key to the Union’s control of the Mississippi River.

B Vicksburg was always held by Union troops,but at great cost.

C Confederates were hesitant to defendVicksburg, as it was very vulnerable.

D Union forces totally surrounded Vicksburgand were placing it under siege.



408 Chapter 11 • The Civil War408 Chapter 11 • The Civil War

drew out the Confederate forces from Vicksburg, commanded by General John Pemberton, to help defend the capital. Before they couldarrive, Grant captured the city of Jackson. Then he turned his troops westto fight Pemberton.

On May 16, the two armies clashed at Champion’s Hill, halfwaybetween Jackson and Vicksburg. Although Grant won the battle, hecould not trap Pemberton’s army. The Confederates were able to retreatback to Vicksburg’s fortifications. In late May, after two more unsuccess-ful attacks, Grant began a siege, a tactic in which an enemy is surroundedand starved in order to make it surrender.

The Siege of Vicksburg When Union cannons opened fire on Vicks-burg from land and water, a bombardment began that would average2,800 shells a day. For more than a month, the citizens of Vicksburgendured a nearly constant pounding from some 300 guns. The constantschedule of shelling took over everyday life.

To avoid being killed by the shells falling on their homes, residentsdug caves in hillsides, some complete with furniture and attended byslaves. “It was living like plant roots,” one cave dweller said. As the siegedragged on, residents and soldiers alike were reduced to eating horses,mules, and dogs. Rats appeared for sale in the city’s butcher shops.

By late June, Confederate soldiers’ daily rations were down to onebiscuit and one piece of bacon per day. On July 4, some 30,000 Confederate troops marched out of Vicksburg and laid down their arms.Pemberton thought he could negotiate the best terms for the surrenderon the day that celebrated the Union’s independence.

The Importance of 1863For the North, 1863 had begun disastrously. However, the Fourth of July, 1863,was for some the most joyous Independence Day since the first one 87 years ear-lier. For the first time, thousands of former slaves could truly celebrate Americanindependence. The holiday marked the turning point of the Civil War.

In the West, Vicksburg was in Union hands. For a time, the people of thatcity had been sustained by the hope that President Jefferson Davis would sendsome of Lee’s troops to rescue them. But Lee had no reinforcements to spare.His weakened army had begun its retreat into Virginia; it would never againseriously threaten Union soil. Four days later, Port Hudson surrendered toUnion forces. The Mississippi River was now in Union hands, cutting the Confederacy in two. “The Father of Waters again goes unvexed [undisturbed]to the sea,” announced Lincoln in Washington, D.C.

In Richmond there began to be serious talk of making peace. Although thewar would continue for nearly two years more, for the first time the end seemedin sight.

The Gettysburg AddressOn November 19, 1863, some 15,000 people gathered at Gettysburg. The occa-sion was the dedication of a cemetery to honor the Union soldiers who had diedthere just four months before. The featured guest was Edward Everett of Massa-chusetts, the most famous public speaker of the time. President Lincoln wasinvited to deliver “a few appropriate remarks” to help fill out the program.

Everett delivered a grand crowd-pleasing speech that lasted two hours. Thenit was the President’s turn to speak. In his raspy, high-pitched voice,

Sounds of an Era

Listen to the GettysburgAddress and other sounds fromthe Civil War era.

Life Underground A young motherdescribed living in a cave during thesiege of Vicksburg: “Our new habitationwas an excavation made in the earth,a cave in the shape of a T. In one ofthe wings my bed fitted; the other Iused as a kind of a dressing room. Inthis the earth had been cut down afoot or two below the floor of the maincave. I could stand erect here andwhen tired of sitting in other portionsof my residence, I bowed myself into itand stood impassively resting at fullheight. Our quarters were closeindeed, yet I was more comfortablethan I expected I could have beenunder the earth.

“We were safe at least from frag-ments of shell—and they were flying inall directions—though no one seemedto think our cave any protection shoulda mortar shell happen to fall directly ontop of the ground above us.”

—Mary Ann Loughborough

ACTIVITY

Student PortfolioYou may wish to have students add the following to their portfolios: Havestudents research the shelling of Sara-jevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the Bos-nian war that began in 1992. Ask themto compare the shelling to the siege ofVicksburg. Then have them write twonewspaper reports, one from a reporteron the scene in Sarajevo and one froma reporter on the scene in Vicksburg.(Verbal/Linguistic)

BACKGROUND

BiographyAn immigrant from Germany to theUnited States at the age of 6, ThomasNast (1840–1902) began his drawingcareer at the age of 15 when heworked for Frank Leslie’s IllustratedNewspaper. By age 18 he was drawingfor Harper’s Weekly, one of the mostwidely circulated sources of news andinformation of the day. He became oneof the first specialists in the art of polit-ical cartooning, and used his pen tohelp rouse sentiment for his strongantislavery, pro-Union point of view.Two of his cartoons, “After the Battle,”published in 1862, and “Emancipation,”published in 1863, had so much impactin support of the Union cause thatPresident Lincoln called him “our bestrecruiting sergeant.”

RESOURCE DIRECTORYTeaching ResourcesUnits 3/4 booklet

• Section 3 Quiz, p. 55 Guide to the Essentials

• Section 3 Summary, p. 60 Learning with Documents booklet (Primary

Source Activity) The Gettysburg Address, p. 16

TechnologySounds of an Era Audio CD “The Gettysburg

Address” (time: almost three minutes)Exploring Primary Sources in U.S. History

CD-ROM Gettysburg Address, AbrahamLincoln


3Section Assessment

Reading Comprehension

1. Battle of Fredericksburg: In anattempt to surprise the Confederacy,Burnside approached Lee’s troopsdirectly. Union losses extremelyheavy. Confederate victory, Burnsidedemoralized. Battle of Chancellors-ville: General Hooker led the Union,Lee became aware of Hooker’s plan and strategically divided andsubdivided troops, resulting in aConfederate victory.

2. It defined how each side would beable to operate thereafter. The Northhad now seized the initiative in theeast. After Gettysburg, Lee wasrestricted to operating defensivelywithin the South.

3. The siege caused Confederate resi-dents to move into undergrounddwellings, reduced supplies andsoldiers’ rations, and ultimatelyforced a surrender.

4. It summarized the North’s reasonsfor fighting the Civil War: to preservethe country’s commitment to theprinciples of freedom, equality, andself-government.

Critical Thinking and Writing

5. Union blockade and South’s lack ofresources began to weaken theConfederate army. Union had a largepool of new recruits, and could sus-tain farming, manufacturing, andfighting. Confederate troops weredepleted.

6. Essays should use facts from thesection to persuade readers of theirpoint.


For: An activity on Civil War

soldiers

Visit: PHSchool.com

Web Code: mrd-4113

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3 AssessmentREADINGCOMPREHENSION

1. Briefly describe the Battle of Fredericksburg and the Battle ofChancellorsville.

2. Why was the Battle of Gettysburg aturning point in the war?

3. What were three effects of Grant’ssiege of Vicksburg?

4. Summarize the main points of theGettysburg Address.

CRITICAL THINKINGAND WRITING

5. Determining Relevance How didthe superior manpower of the Northand its greater ability to produceboth crops and manufactured goodsbegin to affect the war in 1863?

6. Writing to Persuade Which do youthink was a more significant turningpoint: Vicksburg or Gettysburg? Writethe opening paragraph of a persua-sive essay supporting your choice.

Lincoln delivered his remarks, which became known as the Gettysburg Address. In a short, two-minute speech he elo-quently reminded listeners of the North’s reason for fighting theCivil War: to preserve a young country unmatched by any othercountry in history in its commitment to the principles of freedom,equality, and self-government:

“ Fourscore and seven years ago our fathersbrought forth on this continent, a new nation,

conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that allmen are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether thatnation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can longendure. . . .

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the un-finished work which they who fought here have thus far so noblyadvanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the greattask remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full meas-ure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall nothave died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birthof freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for thepeople, shall not perish from the earth.”

—Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address,November 19, 1863

In 1863, most Americans did not pay much attention to Lincoln’s speech.Some thought it was too short and too simple. Lincoln’s fellow speaker,Edward Everett, was an exception. He wrote to Lincoln the next day, “I wish Icould flatter myself that I had come as near to the central idea of the occasion intwo hours as you did in two minutes.” Future generations have agreed withEverett. The Gettysburg Address has become one of the best-loved and most-quoted speeches in English. It expresses simply and eloquently both grief at theterrible cost of the war and the reasons for renewed efforts to preserve theUnion and the noble principles for which it stands.


VIEWING HISTORY “In timeslike the present,” Lincoln said,“men should utter nothing forwhich they would not willingly beresponsible through time. . . .”Identifying Central Issues How doLincoln’s words at Gettysburg represent the noblest goals of theUnion cause?

CUSTOMIZE FOR ...Gifted and Talented

Ask students to respond to the following state-ment by Josiah Gorgas, the chief of Confederateordnance in 1863: “One brief month ago we wereapparently at the point of success. Lee was inPennsylvania. . . . Vicksburg seemed to laugh allGrant’s efforts to scorn. . . . Yesterday we rode onthe pinnacle of success—today absolute ruinseems to be our portion.” Students shouldexplain why Union victories at Vicksburg andGettysburg meant ruin for the Confederacy.

Viewing History They stress theimportance of the nation. Lincoln’s pri-mary goal in the war was to preservethe nation by any means necessary.

CAPTION ANSWERS

Typing the Web Code when promptedwill bring students directly to detailedinstructions for this activity.

PHSchool.com


http://www.phschool.com/webcodes10/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.gotoWebCode&wcprefix=mrd&wcsuffix=4113