Civil War Lecture: Gettysburg and Vicksburg

Overview

• Focus on Civil War, specifically battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg
• Major turning points discussed
• Emancipation Proclamation's strategic and military significance
• Analysis of Gettysburg Address

Key Battles

Forts Henry and Donelson (Feb 6-16, 1862)

• Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant captured these forts
• Important strategic victory on Tennessee-Kentucky border
• Closed crucial link between eastern and western Confederacy

Battle of Shiloh (April 1862)

• Grant moved towards Vicksburg, Mississippi
• High casualties transformed war attitudes

Vicksburg Campaign

• Vicksburg was the last major Confederate-controlled Mississippi River port
• U.S. victories stretched Confederate resources thin

Peninsula Campaign (March 1862)

• Led by General George McClellan
• Campaign aimed to capture Richmond
• McClellan's overly cautious nature hindered progress

Seven Days Battles

• Series of battles ending in a standoff
• General Robert E. Lee's offensive defense strategy
• High casualties on both sides

Battle of Antietam (Sept 17, 1862)

• Lee's invasion of the North halted
• Bloodiest single day in American history
• Enabled Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation

Key Figures

General Ulysses S. Grant

• Captured Forts Henry and Donelson
• Blunted surprise attack at Shiloh

General George McClellan

• Led Peninsula Campaign
• Overly cautious, replaced by Lincoln

General Robert E. Lee

• Took command after General Joseph Johnston injured
• Offensive defense strategy
• Renamed Confederate forces to Army of Northern Virginia

Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation

• Emancipation was both a military and strategic tool
• Issued after the Battle of Antietam
• Aimed to weaken Confederate resources and gain moral high ground

Emancipation Proclamation

• Cited war powers provision of the Constitution
• Promised to protect slavery in loyal border states
• Effective January 1, 1863
• Ensured European countries wouldn't support Confederacy
• Allowed freedmen to join armed service

Impact on the War

• Strengthened the Union’s moral and strategic position
• Spread Confederate resources thinner
• Border states retained slavery, ensuring their loyalty

Military and Political Landscape

Contraband Policies

• Enslaved people considered contraband property
• Thousands fled to Union lines

Confiscation Acts

• First Confiscation Act (1861): Freed slaves aiding Confederacy
• Second Confiscation Act (July 1862): Allowed U.S. to seize all enslaved people in rebellious areas

Border Cities and States

• Lincoln needed to keep border states like Kentucky in the Union
• Emancipation was not initially the primary war objective

Congressional Actions

• Radical Republicans in Congress pushed for emancipation
• Emancipation Proclamation followed the Second Confiscation Act

Key Turning Points

Battle of Chancellorsville (May 1863)

• Confederate victory but with heavy casualties
• Lee lost 13,000 men including Stonewall Jackson

Gettysburg Campaign

• Lee's second invasion of the North
• Battle of Gettysburg started over a search for shoes
• General Meade replaced General Hooker

Aftermath and Legacy

• Emancipation spread Confederate resources thin and shifted international sentiment
• Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address redefined the war's purpose
• Union's use of black soldiers bolstered its forces
• Confederate refusal to recognize black soldiers led to halted POW exchanges and atrocities like Fort Pillow
• Prisoner exchanges stopped, worsening conditions in POW camps

Conclusion

• The Civil War saw major battles and significant strategic shifts
• Emancipation Proclamation was crucial in redefining the war’s purpose and weakening the Confederacy
• Lincoln’s leadership and strategic moves were essential in steering the Union towards victory