VICKSBURG AND GETTYSBURG BATTLES

VICKSBURG

• Ulysses S. Grant had 77,000 union soldiers.
• John C. Pemberton had only 33,000 soldiers.

After many failed attempts Grant needed to mask his armies movement down the Louisiana side of the the Mississippi. Colonel Grierson left the siege on a cavalry raid one of the most remarkable of the war.

Grants advancing columns collided with the confederate brigade at Raymond ending when the southerners retreated.
Later that evening confederate general Johnston arrived in Jackson.
His wounding at seven pines Virginia resulted in Robert E. Lee taking over defense in Richmond initiating the seven days battle.

Johnston ordered about 6,000 troops to evacuate.
Pemberton and Johnston's course of action was to sever Grants supply line.
Pemberton left 9,000 men to garrison Vicksburg and marched with 17,500 to find the supply line. While trying to join with Johnston the battle of Champions Hill began. Pemberton's troops retreated to Vicksburg and burned the bridges behind them. He had lost around 5,000 men and now had little over 30,000.

May 19 Grant ordered Sherman's corps to attack the northeast part of Vicksburg. Pemberton developed a series of strong works around Vicksburg resulting in 1,000 casualties.
3 days later the three coordinated assaults were repulsed with the loss of over 3,000 men.

The losses and strong defensive works convinced Grant to siege the town.
Grants army dug trenches and fortified the area around Vicksburg.
One group tunneled under and detonated barrels of black powder that blasted a hole in the works. The union marched through the gap to hand to hand fighting for hours before the attackers were driven out.

A second bomb exploded but was not followed by an attack. Civilians were forced into caves from the danger of Grant's artillery.
Supplies had been cut off for a month and a half. Horses, dogs, cats, and even rats became part of their diet. After six weeks on July 4 Pemberton came out to discuss surrender.

The tide had turned toward the Union. The confederates had been divided between east and west.

Pemberton resigned when he knew the government wouldn't trust him with high command.

Grant would soon be in control of the entire union army. Most of the surrendered confederate army reenlisted.

CASUALTIES

• The unions casualties were 4,910 total 3,940 wounded
• The confederates casualties were 32,492 total 29,620 were missing or captured
• Total estimated casualties 37,402

THE UNION WON AND CAPTURED THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER

FACTS ABOUT VICKSBURG

• Every mule and dog in Vicksburg was eaten, and there wasn't even rats left in the town.

Just 3 days earlier.......

GETTYSBURG

• The battle lasted for three days.
• George G. Meade had 94,000 troops from the union.
• Robert E. Lee had 72,000 troops for the confederates.
• 51,100 estimated casualties.
• Gettysburg had more casualties than Bull Run and Franklin combined.
• 9 of 120 officers at Gettysburg died.

Day 1 Robert E. Lee planned to march his army to the crossroads town of Gettysburg. He found that two union cavalry brigades had arrived the day before. Confederate forces were able to drive the outnumbered federal defenders back through the town to Cemetery hill.

Lee gave orders to attack cemetery hill. Stonewall Jackson was the most trusted General and was mortally wounded at Chancellors hill. Hancock extended the defensive line at Cemetery Hill by three union corps.

John Burns a veteran of the war of 1812, told his wife"I'm going to see what's going on" and grabbed his 18th century flintlock rifle. He helped the nearest union regiment. He was wounded but survived.

DAY 2 July 2
The next day the union had strong defenses from Culps hill to Cemetery ridge. Lee determined against his defensive second in command to attack the defenses. He ordered 2 commanders to the left and right to attack as early as possible but one at attacked 4pm.

The next several hours there was long bloody fighting, from the famous battlefields of Devils Den and little round top. They lost the orchard field and Devils Den. Sickles was wounded badly. Ewell had attacked at Culps and east Cemetery hill. The Union stalled the attack. Both armies suffered extremely heavy losses.

Day 3 Final day July 3
Early on July 3rd the union army held back a confederate threat to Culp's hill.

Lee's men believed that they were on the brink of victory the day before. Lee decided to send three divisions in with an artillery barrage.

Lee's troops marched to the center of cemetery ridge. There were less than 15,000 troops led by George Pickett.

George Pickett was tasked with marching 3/4 of a mile across barren fields to attack the Union position.

Lee was determined against Longstreet's protests. The attack was later known as Pickett's charge. It happened around 3pm after an artillery bombardment by around 150 confederate guns.

The union surrounded Pickett's troops and less than half survived.
Pickett's division lost 2/3 of their troops.

After the failed assault Lee and Longstreet hurried to ready their defenses

Lee's attempt to assault the north was stumped. The next day Lee pulled his troops back to Virginia.

Meade the union general was criticized for not pursuing the battle but it was a major victory for the Union.

Lee was depressed by the loss and handed his resignation to the confederate president Jefferson Davis.

Both battles ended on a confederate loss on July 4th. The very day the deceleration was singed. Both were major union victories.

INTERESTING FACTS

• The night before the Gettysburg battle Lee had a heart attack.
• Gettysburg was started over shoes?
• 63 medals of honor were given to union soldiers after the battle.

Even with such decisive victories the war would go on for almost two years until April 9, 1865.

WEBSITES WE USED

• History.com
• Historynet.com
• Wikipedia
• newworldencyclopedia.com