Monday, October 8, 2012

A Crucial Six Months: January to July, 1863

Today we will look at a series of campaigns that constitute a major directional shift in the course of the war. As 1863 began, the Union's efforts seemed to be bogging down. Although the Army of the Potomac had successfully turned back Lee's planned invasion of Maryland at the battle of Antietam, the year ended dismally with the failure at Fredericksburg. In the West, where the Union had achieved far greater success with Grant, progress seemed to bog down as the campaign against Vicksburg momentarily stalled. The objective today will be to explore the events that led from this bleak winter for the Union to the euphoric victories of July 4, 1863.

The battles that we'll look at today are:

Stones River (Dec. 28-31, 1862) near the town of Murfreesboro, TN
The Vicksburg Campaign
Chancellorsville  A good series for May 1 - May 4
Gettysburg (here is a good map of the campaign northward) Gettysburg Day 2 (Peach Orchard)Pickett's Charge

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