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May 7, 2020 History NotesBelow are very brief accounts of 3 ‘minor’ Civil War battles fought in West Tennessee in the early part of the war. This information is included just as a point of interest since this history was made in our own ‘backyard’.BATTLE OF LEXINGTONNATHAN BEDFORD FORREST, the great southern cavalry leader, was ordered to West Tennessee to disrupt Grants supply trains as he headed toward Vicksburg following his victory at Shiloh. Forrest and his men were able to take 140 Union POWs and delay Grant’s attack at Vicksburg.BATTLE AT PARKER’S CROSSROADSAgain Forrest planned to steal or destroy Union supplies intended for Grant’s army, but at Parker’s Crossroads, Forrest and his men were surprised by a contingent of Union soldiers who came from the rear. This time Forrest was lucky to escape, much less carry out his mission.FORT PILLOWThe battle at Fort Pillow is ‘infamous’ because there apparently was NEEDLESS bloodshed at Fort Pillow perpetrated by southern soldiers under Forrest’s command. The fort which overlooks the Mississippi River had only a small garrison of Union soldiers to defend it with a high percentage of these soldiers being free black men who had volunteered to fight for the Union army. There are two versions of the events that took place there, but the typical belief is that the Union soldiers should have been taken as POWs rather than killed. Nathan Bedford Forrest has been recognized by most Americans (although many did not like that he was a Rebel) as a great, brave, and smart military leader who was honored with statues in parks and near government buildings all over the south. Currently, Forrest is viewed by some more as a war criminal than a great military leader, so in numerous locations, his statues have been removed. Questions to think about:Was he a hero or criminal?Is it a good thing that his statues have been removed, or is this an example of tampering with real American history?And of course it would help to know the truth of what happened at Fort Pillow…and the extent to which Forrest had control over what soldiers may or may not have done. Remember also that the major and very bloody Battle of Shiloh was fought in West Tennessee in early April of 1862. The battles for Shiloh, Fort Henry, and Fort Donelson set the stage for General Grant’s capture of Vicksburg, a major Southern port on the Mississippi River.BATTLE OF VICKSBURGGeneral Grant was ordered to take Vicksburg, the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi. Arkansas, Texas, and a portion of Louisiana would be cut off from the rest of the Confederacy…a key point of the Anaconda Plan. Taking Vicksburg, however, would be most difficult. Page 2 Although Grant outnumbered his enemy—35,000 Yankees to 18,500 Rebels—the southern army built a defensive line 6.5 miles long on terrain that made it almost impossible for Grant’s army to take Vicksburg by a direct attack/frontal assault. But he attempted a direct assault twice; both times he was repulsed, losing many of his soldiers in the process. So he decided upon a new tactic—he surrounded Vicksburg and waited for the southerners to run out of food. The tactic worked. The Confederates surrendered the city on July 4, 1863. Grant once again had been successful. He would be rewarded by President Lincoln for his skill as a general.The surrender of Vicksburg coupled with the defeat of the south at Gettysburg just one day earlier, brought about a turning point in the war. After less than 2 years of fighting, the south no longer had a realistic chance of winning the war…although fighting would continue for about 2 more years. Now, let’s take a closer look at this incredibly important Civil War General and President of the United States in just a few years. GENERAL U.S. GRANTU. S. Grant got his start in the military by attending the Army Academy at West Point.His first action as a soldier occurred in the Mexican War where he proved to be a good commander.Following that was he was married to Julia but stationed in California, many miles away from her.In his loneliness Grant turned to alcohol.Rather than being court martialed, he resigned from the army.He was not successful in several job opportunities and wound up selling hats in his father’s hat shop.But the Civil War started soon thereafter.The North was in desperate need of experienced military leaders, so Grant volunteered to serve.Grant was given command of the Union army of the west.He was extremely successful, winning battles at FORT HENRY, FORT DONELSON, and SHILOH in West Tennessee* and VICKSBURG in Mississippi.(These battles were all part of the ANACONDA plan to take the Mississippi River.)*General Grant spent the night in Jackson, shortly after the battle of Shiloh, in a building that became part of the old Union University Campus on Lexington Avenue. Meanwhile, back east, Union generals were not doing well when fighting against southern general ROBERT E. LEE.PRESIDENT LINCOLN decided to give Grant the opportunity to become the supreme or highest ranking general in the Union army.Grant took command of the Army of the Potomac and would meet and ultimately defeat Lee, leading to the Confederate surrender and an end to the Civil War.Grant and Lincoln had become friends, so shortly after the war President Lincoln had invited General Grant to attend a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington. Thankfully, Grant declined the invitation…It was on this night that President Lincoln was assassinated.A few years later, Grant was elected President of the United States. Page 3He would serve 2 terms.While he was President, black men were given the right to vote and the first transcontinental railroad in the United States was completed.Now it is time to watch the video about U.S. Grant posted to the webpage. It is very informative.The DECISIVE BATTLE OF THE CIVIL WAR took place near the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Let’s take a brief look at one of the most important battles in all of American History and the largest military engagement in the history of North America.THE BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG July 1 – 3, 1863Bloodiest 3 days in American History with 51,000 casualties General Robert E. Lee’s southern army had been victorious a few weeks earlier when the Union army had been soundly defeated at Chancellorsville, Virginia. Now Lee was on the offensive, headed north to take the fighting into Union territory with the idea of discouraging support of the war by northern citizens. President Lincoln knew he had to stop Lee’s advance, so he ordered his Army of the Potomac commanded by General Meade to engage Lee. The two armies met near Gettysburg, with the South forcing the north to hastily retreat through the streets of Gettysburg on the first day of battle. But on the second day the Union army was able to hold their positions against southern attacks. On the third day of battle, Lee focused his efforts on taking ‘Culp’s Hill’, attacking at sunrise. The Union soldiers held their position. Around noon, Lee decided to refocus on a Union position known as CEMETERY RIDGE. At 1:00 pm, Lee ordered his artillery of more than 150 cannons to bombard and ‘soften-up’ Cemetery Ridge. Following the bombardment, Confederate infantry soldiers would then stage a frontal assault. At 3 o’clock, more than 12,000 Confederate soldiers came out of the woods and began moving toward Cemetery Ridge. But rebel soldiers would have to march three fourths of a mile across open terrain to reach their objective. This march of southern troops would become known as PICKETT’S CHARGE. As the rebels neared the Union line, Yankee cannons opened fire against the defenseless Southerners. Half of Pickett’s men fell in that volley. (OPTIONAL: There is a 1 minute posted video about the ‘canister’ shots (ammunition) the Union army used in their cannons against the Confederate soldiers in Pickett’s charge. It is very descriptive.) Surviving Confederates who lived long enough to reach Cemetery Ridge engaged Union soldiers in such close quarters that bayonets, fists, rocks, and sticks were used as weapons. In the end, however, the south was unable to break Union lines to secure victory. Lee after the 3rd day of fighting, ordered a retreat back to Virginia. The South had just lost it last opportunity for victory in the Civil War. FWThus ended the bloodiest, largest battle in North American history. Of the 100,000 Union soldiers and 85,000 Confederate soldiers, there were as astounding 51,000 casualties. Page 4The bravery on display at Gettysburg (and the other Civil War battles) is stunning…really hard to comprehend. And it wasn’t just ordinary foot soldiers who were sacrificed in this battle. More generals for both sides died in combat at Gettysburg than in any other battle in American History. THE GETTYSBURG ADDRESSSome weeks after the battle, a ceremony was held to dedicate the Gettysburg cemetery and to commemorate the brave men buried there on the battlefield. President Lincoln attended the ceremony but was not the featured speaker. Near the end of the ceremony, however, he was asked to say a few words.What President Lincoln said that day is regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American History. He only spoke for a couple of minutes, but his words still inspire freedom loving people. Please read the speech carefully. It is PROFOUNDLY important for Americans today! Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate -- we cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.Abraham LincolnNovember 19, 1863GO ON TO THE NEXT PAGE Page 5NOTEIf you should ever travel to Pennsylvania, it would be worth your time to visit this incredible battlefield, one of the most important historical sites in the United States. Shiloh, only about 75 minutes from Jackson, is likewise a great place to visit for those who love history. Had we been in class today, I would have shared my first experience at Shiloh—an experience I will never forget even though I was just in 7th grade. It is time now to watch the posted videos on Gettysburg, the Gettysburg Address, Shiloh, and Vicksburg. These are NOT entertainment videos, but they are informative and definitely worth watching. ................
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