Overview
This lecture covers the pivotal year 1863 in the American Civil War, focusing on how major Union victories at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga turned the tide against the Confederacy.
Gettysburg: The High Tide of the Confederacy
- The Confederacy began 1863 with high morale after victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.
- General Robert E. Lee launched a raid into the North to boost Southern morale and pressure Northern peace movements.
- The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) was fought between Lee's Confederates and Union forces led by General George G. Meade.
- Day 1: Skirmishes push Union troops south of town to Cemetery Ridge, establishing strong defensive positions.
- Day 2: Lee's attacks on Union flanks at sites like Little Round Top and Devil’s Den fail.
- Day 3: Lee orders Pickett’s Charge against the Union center; the assault is disastrously repulsed.
- Lee retreats to Virginia; Gettysburg is the war's bloodiest battle (approx. 50,000 casualties).
- Significance: Ends Lee’s northern offensives and permanently weakens the Confederate army.
Vicksburg: The Siege and the Anaconda Plan
- The Union’s Anaconda Plan aimed to control the Confederacy’s perimeter, including the Mississippi River.
- By 1863, only Vicksburg, MS, and Port Hudson, LA, remained Confederate along the Mississippi.
- General Ulysses S. Grant was ordered to capture Vicksburg; early attempts to bypass its defenses failed.
- Grant eventually besieges Vicksburg for seven weeks (May-July 4, 1863), starving the city into surrender.
- Vicksburg’s fall meant total Union control of the Mississippi, splitting the Confederacy in two.
- The victory damages Southern morale and disables Confederate support from Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas.
- Grant is promoted to command all Union forces after the victory.
Chattanooga: Opening the Door to the South
- Chattanooga, TN, was a strategic gateway to the Deep South, defended by Confederates on Missionary Ridge.
- General Grant led Union forces to break the Confederate line at Missionary Ridge on November 25, 1863.
- A daring, unsanctioned Union assault succeeded in dislodging Confederate troops, forcing their retreat.
- Significance: Opened the Deep South to Union invasion and cut communication between western and eastern Confederate armies.
- Paved the way for Sherman’s campaign and the eventual Union victory.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Anaconda Plan — Union strategy to surround and squeeze the Confederacy by controlling coasts, borders, and the Mississippi River.
- Pickett's Charge — Decisive failed Confederate assault on the Union center at Gettysburg’s third day.
- Siege — Surrounding and isolating a fortified place to force its surrender, as at Vicksburg.
- Missionary Ridge — Elevated defensive line held by Confederates at Chattanooga.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review details and significance of the battles of Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga.
- Prepare for quiz/exam questions on why these battles marked a turning point in the Civil War.
- Read ahead on Sherman’s Atlanta campaign and the Union advance in 1864.