Chapter 16, Section 3
In what ways did Ulysses S. Grant bring a new personality to the Union army during the Civil War? Compare the Union s strategy on the western campaign to the eastern campaign. How were these two separate campaigns similar and how were they different?
Union o Grant shows he is a quick study as he uses his leadership skills to dictate how the battle will unfold: HE IS CALLING THE SHOTS o Union finally takes advantage of having a larger army- especially when reinforcements join the fight and ultimately help win the battle (Army of the Ohio) Confederacy o Battle proves costly, as not only 10,000 troops are killed, but top general A.S. Johnston also is KIA o Pushed back into Mississippi, this loss initially seemed minimal, but had a huge impact on the final outcome of the war
The Union was hoping to take control of the Mississippi River Grant has been quickly advancing his troops toward the Mississippi River with minimal Confederate interference, but he knows that he will not be able to take the river on his own o Confederates have multiple outposts along the river, which provides a huge mismatch for Grant s military units o Lincoln hasn t received word yet on Union victory at Shiloh and because of this, he cannot provide input for the plan to take control of the river
Grant sees a weakened Confederacy and realizes that the time is now if the Union is going to gain control of the Mississippi o If the Union doesn t attack now, the rebels will have time to regroup after the loss at Shiloh Grant continues his aggressive ways and sends commands to the Union navy to blast their way up the river and meet his troops o Navy admiral David Farragut plans to move up the river with 18 ships and over 700 men in an effort to provide support for Grant s troops as they reach the river
Grant s plan had potential, but it was risky The Confederacy s largest city, New Orleans, sat right at the edge of the Mississippi as it went into the Gulf of Mexico, which provided a huge obstacle for Farragut and the Union navy o Multiple forts were built along the coastline, making it nearly impossible for the navy to win by force o Farragut opted to attempt to race past the forts, which would be even riskier than the previous plan o In order for this plan to work, the navy would have to wrap the warships in iron chains to provide protection like ironclads and make their move in the night
Sailors slapped mud onto the sides of the ships to make them difficult to see during the night Before dawn on April 24 th, 1862, Farragut led his warships on a mad dash past the Confederate forts o They were fired at from the shore and from gunboats, taking considerable amounts of damage o Farragut s own ship got hit by a burning raft which had been launched from the shore Despite the damage, Farragut leads his warships safely past the ambush By April 29 th, New Orleans surrenders and the Union captures a pivotal Confederate city
Hearing of the news that New Orleans had surrendered, President Lincoln knew that the Confederacy was on its heels He declared VICKSBURG IS THE KEY o Located right on the Mississippi River, which provided a vital trade route and supply line o If the Union could gain control of it, they would not only steal this supply line, they would also split the Confederacy in two o Hearing of his successes, Lincoln placed this critical task into the hands of Ulysses Grant The concept appears simple, but as we will soon see, taking Vicksburg would be a complicated process
IN CLASS DEMONSTRATION o We will be investigating the complex strategy involved during the Siege of Vicksburg The class will be split into 5 different groups: o Grant s troops o Union suppliers o Confederates at Port Gibson o Confederates in Jackson, Mississippi o Citizens at Vicksburg, Mississippi Each group will act out their proper roles