Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and the Turning Point of the WarBy James, Nicholas, Jamie, and Ryan.

In 1863, no one was winning

• The south was being defensive.

• They wanted the war to end.

• The North wasn’t getting tired of fighting.

• The war was being fought on Southern soil.

Winfield ScottUnion General

Winfield Scott

• Born in Virginia, but loyal to the Union.

• Felt the war was wrong, and wanted as little bloodshed as possible.

• Came up with “The Anaconda Plan”

The Anaconda Plan

The Anaconda Plan

• Military strategy thought of by Gen. Scott.

• The plan aimed to cause economic stress in the South.

• Thought to be the safest way to end the war.

• Controlled shipment and trade in the South.

• To control shipment and trade, they had to control the Mississippi.

Battle of Vicksburg

Vicksburg• Vicksburg was a fortress city.

• It was well fortified.

• Vicksburg was an important Confederate Base.

• Many confederate troops were at Vicksburg.

• Vicksburg dominated the last Confederate controlled part of the Mississippi river.

• Union invaded for “The Anaconda Plan”

Ulysses S. GrantMajor General in the Union Army

Battle of Vicksburg

• If General Grant could capture Vicksburg, the Union would control the Mississippi.

• General Grant took 35,000 union troops to besiege Vicksburg.

John C. PembertonLt. General, CSA

Battle of Vicksburg

• More than three quarters of Pemberton’s army at Vicksburg had been lost in other battles.

• He expected General Joseph E. Johnston to rescue Vicksburg, but Johnston didn’t.

Battle of Vicksburg

• Pemberton had only 18,500 soldiers, competing against Grant’s 35,000.

• Pemberton’s army had the advantage of the terrain and fortifications around Vicksburg.

First Battle, May 19th, 1863

• General Grant attacked Vicksburg.

• Pemberton’s army was ready and used their fortifications well.

• Union moral was low. They had nearly 1000 casualties, 157 of which were deaths.

• Only 8 Confederates died.

Second Battle, May 22nd, 1863

• Grant attacked again on May 22nd.

• He didn’t want a long siege.

• This time, he got reinforcements.

• The Union army had over 3,000 casualties, while the Confederates had under 500.

Siege of Vicksburg

• Instead of another battle, Grant decided to besiege Vicksburg instead.

• Union troops built trenches around the confederate territory.

• The confederates were trapped.

• A month later, on July 3rd, 1863, Pemberton surrendered.

The South took a big hit

• The South took a big hit from the loss of Vicksburg.

• The North wasn’t being hurt at all. In fact, the Union now controlled the Mississippi.

• The only way to win, was to convince the North that they were losing more than they were gaining from fighting.

General Robert E. LeeGeneral-in-Chief of all Confederate Armies

Robert E. Lee wanted to attack the North• He knew that he couldn’t keep the north away

from the south forever.

• He wanted to invade the North.

• Lee wanted to win a big battle on Union soil.

• If the north hurt, they would want to stop the war, and leave the South alone.

• Union attention away from Vicksburg

• His plan was to attack at Gettysburg.

Battle of Gettysburg

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Gettysburg

• Gettysburg is a town in Pennsylvania.

• Pennsylvania is a northern state.

• Robert E. Lee hoped to turn the tides by winning Gettysburg.

• Second major battle fought on Union soil.

• Robert E. Lee attacks Gettysburg to try and get attention away from Vicksburg.

General George Meade

George Meade

● George Meade was a General officer of the Union Army.

● He led the United States Army in the Battle of Gettysburg.

● Gen. Meade led the Army of the Potomac in Pennsylvania

● Meade’s Inspirational leadership led the Union to win at Gettysburg.

Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863

• Gettysburg was a huge battle, ending with over 51,000 either dead, wounded, or missing.

• Second major battle fought on Union soil.

• Turning point in the war.

• Union victory.

• It was the bloodiest battle in the war

What happened after Gettysburg

• A cemetery was built on the battlefield as a final resting place for Union soldiers.

• Confederate soldiers were shipped off to different areas of the South to be buried.

• A large ceremony was put in order to consecrate the battlefield.

• Poets, speakers, and President Lincoln were called in to speak for a ceremony.

Confederacy is Losing• The Confederates was completely ensnared

by the Anaconda Plan.

• No control over the Mississippi river, making shipment along it impossible.

• Huge confederate casualties.

• Embarrassing for the Confederates, making it impossible for other help from other countries.

• Confederacy lost its way into the Union.

The Turning Point of the War, 1863

• The confederacy was split along the Mississippi river.

• They couldn’t ship supplies and goods.

• The north had repelled Lee’s invasion.

• The south had no way to win.