Existing comment:
July 4, 1863:
A Memorable Fourth:
By the spring of 1863, Lincoln understood something that eluded most of his generals: the war would not end with the seizure of the Confederate capital at Richmond, but with the destruction of Confederate armies in the field.
With Confederate General Lee's 70,000-man force invading Pennsylvania soil, the president dismissed Hooker and turned to a Pennsylvanian, Major General George Meade. Rumors of a great, possibly decisive battle began to circulate. Lincoln was at the telegraph office until midnight on July 3.
Victory at Vicksburg and Gettysburg:
July 4 -- the nation's birthday -- brought confirmation that Lee had been driven off at Gettysburg. Three days later came word of an even greater Union triumph. After a prolonged siege, Ulysses Grant had forced the surrender of the Confederate stronghold at Vicksburg, Mississippi. With the might "Father of Waters" -- the Mississippi River -- closed to Confederate commerce, the South was effectively split in two. |