Existing comment:
1863: November 4 - December 5:
Knoxville Campaign, Tennessee:
In the late summer, Federal drives into Tennessee had forced the Confederates to abandon both Knoxville and Chattanooga. In November, Confederate forces under Lt. Gen. James Longstreet tried to recapture Knoxville. An unsuccessful assault against the fortified city (November 29) and the approach of Federal reinforcements from Chattanooga ended Longstreet's campaign. He withdrew into upper east Tennessee.
November 19:
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address:
President Abraham Lincoln attended ceremonies dedicating a national cemetery at Gettysburg. Lincoln's brief address gave full expression to the ideal of American nationhood, concluding in the eloquent pledge "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom."
As Lincoln spoke, the South was already on the defensive. The disasters at Gettysburg and Vicksburg would soon be followed by defeats at Chattanooga, thus assuring the North's control over Tennessee and depriving the South of vital resources. |