Hancock at Gettysburg by Thure de Thulstrup (Library of Congress)
Military historians regularly try to identify decisive battles or campaigns that either lead directly to the end of a war or that shift the momentum to the ultimate victor. Even with the benefit of decades or centuries of hindsight, key turning points are not always easy to pinpoint.
Kevin Weddle, distinguished fellow and former professor emeritus of military theory and strategy at the U.S. Army War College, presents his choices for the three most significant campaigns of the American Civil War: those that unfolded at Antietam, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg. He examines the strategic background and conduct of each and describes how the United States and the Confederacy developed and executed their respective military strategies within the context of the bitter and divisive political environment. While none of these operations led directly to the end of the war, they had far-reaching consequences that cumulatively determined the nature of the nation that would emerge from the devastating conflict.
April 8 The Antietam Campaign: The Bloodiest Day
The dubious distinction of the bloodiest day in American history belongs to September 17,1862. In the Battle of Antietam, 6,500 Americans were killed or later died of their wounds, more than all the country’s other 19th century wars combined. Antietam forever changed the future of the United States. Although a tactical draw, an analysis of the campaign demonstrates its immense strategic, diplomatic, and political importance.
April 15 The Gettysburg Campaign: Lee’s Second Invasion
The Battle of Gettysburg, perhaps more than any other battle in our history, has captivated Americans for over 160 years. The horrific human cost is one reason but there are other explanations: Lee’s audacious invasion of the North, the fascinating cast of characters, and Lincoln’s subsequent Gettysburg Address are among them. Weddle examines the full campaign and the numerous strategic and political outcomes that resulted.
April 22 The Vicksburg Campaign: U.S. Grant’s Finest Hour
Most academic and popular attention has been given to the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. This is largely due to the presence of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the East and the fact that some of the costliest battles of the war were fought in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. However, an argument can be made that the Western Theater was even more strategically important. Of all the battles and campaigns conducted in the West, the plan to seize the strategically vital Mississippi city of Vicksburg was arguably the most crucial. The drawn-out campaign was conducted simultaneously with that of Gettysburg and saw the emergence of Major General Ulysses S. Grant as the best of Lincoln’s senior military officers. Weddle traces the conduct of the campaign through its various phases, culminating in the siege of the city and the ultimate surrender of an entire Confederate army.
3 sessions
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