The Civil War, 1863-65 (revised, 1983)

[Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] January 1st, 1863. The celebration of the new year has added significance for the opponents of slavery. On this day, President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation goes into effect. The proclamation declares that in all states or parts of states currently in rebellion against the Union, all slaves are to be forever free. For the North, the Civil War is now being fought to abolish slavery as well as to preserve the Union. Lincoln's proclamation is welcomed by many northerners, but it also draws protests. There is a vocal minority whose members are called copperheads after the poisonous snake because many northerners consider them a threat to the union. The copperheads are opposed to the war, especially to a war fought to free the slaves. But for those in the north who oppose slavery, the emancipation proclamation will help to restore enthusiasm for the war effort. In nearly two years of combat, the Union has lost several key battles and morale has seriously declined. Public opinion has had a strong effect on the course of the war. News from the battlefront reaches the public faster than ever before because of the development of the telegraph. In Europe as well as in America, magazines and newspapers carry detailed accounts of the war, often supplemented by maps and drawings produced by artists who have watched the battles. And for the first time in history, many aspects of the war are being recorded in photographs by Matthew Brady and his assistant Alexander Gardner, as well as by other photographers, both Union and Confederate. Many who view these photographs will gain a new and deep impression of the meaning of [Music] war. Another new device adopted by the Union is the hot air balloon used for scouting the movements of Confederate troops. But southern commanders have quickly learned to conceal their troop movements from Union balloonists by staying undercover in forested areas. Early in 1863, the Union discontinues the use of balloons for reconnaissance. Union strategy for the war has three objectives. A naval blockade to prevent trade between Europe and the Confederacy. An eastern campaign to capture Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital, and a western campaign to gain control of the Mississippi and other strategic rivers. By 1863, the naval blockade has become increasingly effective. In the west, the Union has made some significant gains, but the Confederacy still controls Vixsburg and a few other points on the Mississippi. In the east, Union attempts to capture Richmond have ended in failure. The Confederate armies guarding Richmond are commanded by General Robert E. Lee, who has proven to be a brilliant strategist. Lee relies heavily on the outstanding ability of his second in command, General Stonewall Jackson, the hero of the Confederate victories at Bull Run and in the Shannondoa Valley. Meanwhile, President Lincoln has had great difficulty finding a Union general who can take the decisive action needed for victory on the Eastern Front. There have been three attempts to capture Richmond under three different commanders. General Irvin McDow defeated at Bull Run. General George Mlullen defeated in the seven days battles and General Ambrose Burnside defeated at Fredericksburg. For the fourth attempt to capture Richmond, General Joseph Hooker has been placed in command of the Union Army of the PTOAC. In late April 1863, Hooker's army begins its advance. The Union forces outnumber Lee's Confederates by more than two to one, and Hooker has decided to divide his army. One part will attack Lee at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and the other will attack the Confederate flank at Chancellor'sville to cut off their retreat. But Lee counters with a daring and unprecedented move. He divides his own smaller army in order to make a surprise attack on the Union troops at Chancellor'sville. The right flank of the Union army has been caught completely offguard and quickly falls back from Chancellor'sville in retreat. Then Lee regroups his forces and the Confederates turn back the Union attack on Fredericksburg. But the South has paid a high price for its victory. In the confusion of battle, General Stonewall Jackson has been wounded by his own troops, and complications of the injury will result in his death. Jackson's reputation has been second only to that of Lee himself, and his death is an occasion of great sorrow throughout the South. Meanwhile, the people of the Confederacy face serious problems at home. By 1863, the blockade of southern ports has made it almost impossible to sell cotton or to import arms, medical supplies, and other necessities. Another problem for President Jefferson Davis and the Confederate government is the recruitment of men for the army. A law passed in 1862 provides for the drafting of men between the ages of 18 and 45. Voluntary enlistments have failed to provide enough recruits for the Confederate Army. By the spring of 1863, a draft law has also been passed by the Union government. This action provokes a violent response in some cities. On July 13th, 1863, a riot breaks out in New York City and rages for 3 days. Much of the violence is directed against blacks. Some northern whites are outraged at the prospect of being forced to fight in a war to free slaves who might then compete with whites for employment. But opposition to the draft has little effect on the Union war effort. The main purpose of the draft law is to encourage voluntary enlistments. By offering bonuses called bounties, many northern states have been able to supply their quota of recruits without resorting to the draft. Also, by 1863, blacks are being actively recruited by the Union Army. Early in the war, it was feared that arming blacks would offend the slave states still loyal to the Union. And many people doubted that blacks were capable of becoming good soldiers. But the draft law has helped to change the attitude of northern whites toward the use of black troops. May 27th, 1863. For the first time, a black regiment takes part in a major battle. A Union attack on Port Hudson, Louisiana, one of the few Confederate strongholds remaining on the Mississippi. The attack is not successful, but a New York Times correspondent reports, "No troops have fought better in the war than the blacks at Port Hudson." The commander of the Union troops in the river campaign is General Ulysus Srant, and the main objective is to capture the Confederate stronghold at Vixsburg, Mississippi. After failing in four attempts to invade the city from the north, Grant moves his troops across the river and marches [Music] southward. They cross the river again below Vixsburg and then in a series of brilliant maneuvers. Grant's army attacks the Confederates who are guarding the eastern approach to the city, forcing the defending troops back into Vixsburg. By late May, the Confederates in Vixsburg have been placed under siege. Continual bombardment from Union artillery seals off the city from any hope of reinforcement or resupply of ammunition or even food. Both the military and civilian population of the city endure 6 weeks of great hardship. And then, facing starvation, the Confederates surrender Vixsburg on July 4th, 1863. [Music] 5 days later, when Port Hudson, Louisiana, is also surrendered, the Union is in full control of the Mississippi River. During the long siege of Vixsburg, there has been a significant development on the Eastern Front. A second attempt by General Lee to carry the war into Union Territory. June 1863, southern troops begin a march toward Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, a much larger Union army is also on the march under the command of General George Gordon Meade. This time, the Union objective is not to capture Richmond, but to destroy Lee's army. The location for the coming battle will be determined by an unexpected encounter of advanced units near the crossroads town of Gettysburg. July 1st, a Union Corps fighting a delaying action is forced to retreat to Cemetery Hill south of Gettysburg, where Union officers rally their men. July 2nd, the Northern troops hold their position after turning back Confederate attacks at both ends of the Union line. July 3rd, in an act of astonishing courage, the Confederate Infantry Brigade under General George Picket attacks the center of the Union line, marching directly into the concentrated fire of Union rifles and cannon. A few of the southern troops managed to reach the enemy lines and engage in 20 minutes of fierce hand-to-hand combat before being pushed back by northern reinforcements. The Union has won its first major battle on the Eastern Front. Both sides have sustained heavy casualties, a total of more than 7,000 dead and more than 40,000 wounded. General Lee has lost nearly 1/3 of his army. He has no choice but to begin a retreat back to Virginia. July 4th, 1863. Lee's retreat from Gettysburg begins on the same day as the surrender of Vixsburg to General Grant. With the Union in control of the Mississippi, the Confederate States west of the river have been cut off from the war. The Union has one more important objective in the West to capture Chattanooga, Tennessee in order to split the Confederacy's only major east west railroad line. Commander of the Union troops attacking Chattanooga is General William Rosacrans. September 1863, the Union offensive suffers a serious defeat at Chikamoga Creek near Chattanooga. But supplies and reinforcements are quickly brought in by General Grant. In a three-day battle beginning on November 23rd, Grant's troops overwhelmed the Confederates at Lookout Mountain and at Missionary Ridge. The Union has won control of the vital rail center at Chattanooga. President Lincoln has been greatly impressed by Grant's success on the Western Front. In contrast to the Union commanders in the East, Grant can be counted on to take decisive action for a final victory. In March 1864, Grant is appointed general and chief of all the Union armies. He will personally take charge of the Union Army of the PTOAC, attacking Lee's army in Northern Virginia as part of a new Union strategy for a full-scale war on all fronts. Union General William Sherman will march his troops from Chattanooga toward Atlanta, Georgia. Sherman's orders from Grant read, "Get into the interior of the enemy's country as far as you can, inflicting all the damage you can against their war resources." The Confederate army opposing Sherman is commanded by General Joseph Johnston. Outnumbered by the enemy, Johnston will attempt to fight a delaying action. June 24th, 1864. The opposing forces meet in the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. Sherman's Union Army suffers heavy casualties. The advance toward Atlanta has been discouragingly slow. It will take 10 weeks to cover 130 m. Meanwhile, in Northern Virginia, Grant's Union Army has met stiff resistance from the Confederates under General Lee. A forested area called the wilderness is set ablaze by cannon fire. Both sides suffer staggering losses in two days of fighting in the wilderness and in the battles that follow at Spennsylvania and at Cold Harbor. But unlike the earlier Union generals on the Eastern Front, Grant refuses to retreat, declaring, "I propose to fight it out along this line if it takes all summer." You will soon discover that it will take much longer than that. In June 1864, Lee's troops move south of Richmond to Petersburg, Virginia, where they set up a strong defense, digging trenches that extend for 53 miles. Trench warfare is a new tactic developed by General Lee. Within a few days, Grant's Union forces take up positions outside Petersburg and place the Confederates under siege. Weeks pass with no significant change, and it appears that Grant and Lee have reached a stalemate. Morale in the North has fallen, and the future course of the war may well be determined by the presidential election campaign of 1864. In an appeal for unity in the war effort, the Republicans now call themselves the Union Party. They have nominated Lincoln for reelection and selected Andrew Johnson of Tennessee for vice president. Johnson is a Democrat who supports Lincoln's policies on the Civil War. The Democratic Party has chosen George Mlen as its candidate for president. Mlullen, known as Little Mack, is the general who led the Second Union advance on Richmond, and he is strongly supported by many northerners who believe that Lincoln's policies have failed. The democratic platform includes a peace plank which calls for an immediate end to the war and the convention of the states to restore the union. Even though Mlelen has accepted the Democratic nomination, he has repudiated the peace plank. Republicans accuse him of straddling the issue, trying to ride both animals at once. But Democrats insist that Mlelen offers the only hope of restoring the union. They are convinced that the policies of Lincoln and of Confederate President Jefferson Davis will lead to a permanent division between North and South. As the political campaign proceeds, Lincoln himself becomes convinced that he will lose the election. But in August, Northern morale is strengthened by news of a Union victory in a strategic naval battle at Mobile Bay, Alabama. And in Georgia, Sherman's Union troops have won several key battles. On September 2nd, General Sherman reports to Grant, "Atlanta is ours and fairly won." Victories at Atlanta and Mobile Bay sway public opinion in the North. And in November, President Lincoln is reelected, winning 55% of the popular vote and all but three states in the Electoral College. A few days after the election, General Sherman's army leaves Atlanta to begin a march to the sea, ending at Savannah, Georgia. The purpose of the march is to cut a wide path of devastation across the South, destroying Confederate military resources, crops, and morale. As Sherman's march continues, Confederate troops under General John Hood launch a desperate attack on Nashville, Tennessee, hoping to secure a base for another strike into Union Territory. December 16th, 1864. In the Battle of Nashville, Northern troops under General George Thomas destroy Hood's Confederate army in the most striking Union victory of the war. And four days later, Sherman's army occupies Savannah. The states of the lower south have been effectively cut off from the war. Only South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia remained to continue the struggle for the Confederacy. April 2nd, 1865. With Richmond bombarded by Union artillery, with Confederate food supplies destroyed by Union troops, Lee is forced to abandon both Petersburg and Richmond. And when the Confederate retreat is blocked by rapid movement of Union troops, Lee tells his aids, "There is nothing left for me but to go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths." The meeting takes place on April 9th, 1865 in the community of Appimedics Courthouse, Virginia. Lee agrees to the generous terms of surrender offered by General Grant. The Confederate army will be disbanded and the men allowed to return to their homes. With Lee's surrender and the capture of Richmond by the Union, the Confederate government has ceased to exist. But the war has not yet claimed its final victim. April 14th, 1865, at Ford's Theater in Washington, President Lincoln is shot and severely wounded by John Wils Booth, a fanatical southern loyalist. After lingering through the night, the president dies shortly after 7:00 the following morning. As the nation mourns the death of Lincoln, it must also begin to face the serious problems of reconstruction to restore the southern states to their place in the Union. But in the spring of 1865, the nation has survived a major crisis. The Union has been preserved at the cost of four bitter years of civil war. [Music] [Applause] [Music]