This video provides a detailed account of the American Civil War, focusing on key events and figures. It begins with the Union's struggle to gain control in the East, while the war raged on elsewhere. The Confederates attempted to invade Kentucky, but were pushed back. In the East, Lincoln sought a new general to march south and take Richmond. He considered General Hooker and General Burnside, eventually choosing Burnside. However, Burnside and his forces were defeated at Fredericksburg, leading to a significant drop in Lincoln's popularity.
In the West, General Grant made risky and bold movements to take Vicksburg on the Mississippi. Despite not taking the city, Lincoln encouraged Grant to hold firm. Meanwhile, the Confederates decided to attack again, and General Lee entered the North, fighting his way through Maryland and into Pennsylvania. The Confederates were defeated at Gettysburg, and the North managed to score a massive victory.
In the West, after a month-long siege, Vicksburg finally fell, and the North now held the Mississippi. General Grant, now in charge of all western Union armies, showed up and defeated Bragg, who ended up under a Confederate siege at Chattanooga. Grant continued to be Lincoln's top choice, and with these victories, Lincoln hoped the war was finally turning.
In the East, Grant's strategy of relentless attacks on Lee's forces led to heavy casualties but also wore down Lee's forces. Lee hoped to hold out and negotiate for peace, but when the breakthrough finally came at Petersburg, Lee narrowly escaped the city. Richmond was evacuated, and Jefferson Davis went on the run.
The video concludes with General Grant catching up to Lee at Appomattox Court House, marking the effective end of the Civil War. The narrator also introduces a browser extension, Honey, that helps users save money when shopping online.
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2. The video discusses the American Civil War, specifically focusing on the battles and strategies of the Union and Confederate forces .
3. The Confederates attempted an invasion of Kentucky, hoping the state as a whole would join them, but they were pushed back .
4. The Indian territory saw Native American tribes ally with one side or the other in the hopes of securing rights after the war .
5. General Ulysses S. Grant remained one of the few Union generals scoring major victories along the Mississippi .
6. General Burnside was put in charge of the Army of the Potomac and sent south, but he and his forces were soundly defeated at Fredericksburg .
7. Lincoln's popularity and Northern morale continued to plummet, especially as the winter heading into 1863 was bad .
8. The winter camps were rife with disease and the food was less than appealing. On both sides, men began to leave .
9. Lincoln spent much of his time pardoning deserters' death sentences .
10. The Union had finally begun allowing black men to enlist, and these men, knowing what they were fighting for, signed up .
11. By the end of the war, nearly 200,000 troops, 10% of the Union Army, would be black .
12. General Joseph Hooker was put in charge of the Army of the Potomac, and he was put in charge of the Army of the Potomac again, but the Confederates decided to go on the attack .
13. In June 1863, with the momentum behind him, General Lee once again entered the North, fighting his way through Maryland and into Pennsylvania .
14. General Meade set out to meet him for what would be the most significant battle of the entire war .
15. If the Confederates won, DC could fall. If the Union won, it would be a turning point .
16. The North had just managed to score a massive victory, and one they desperately needed .
17. In the West, after a month-long siege, Vicksburg finally fell .
18. The North now held the Mississippi, and Union forces moved into Arkansas and Tennessee .
19. General Grant, now in charge of all western Union armies, showed up and karate-kicked Bragg right back into Georgia .
20. With Sherman and Hooker, Grant took on Confederate positions in the mountains around the city, including the famous Battle Above the Clouds and Mission Ridge .
21. A new national cemetery was to be established at Gettysburg, and Abraham Lincoln traveled out to attend the opening ceremony .
22. In just two minutes, Lincoln masterfully and poignantly iterated America's national purpose and the need to continue the fight .
23. The Gettysburg Address would become one of the most famous speeches in American history .
24. In 1864, there was an election coming, and the Confederates believed their last shot at victory may be in the election .
25. Robert E. Lee hoped that if he could just hold out and continue to inflict more defeats, the people of the North would vote Lincoln out and replace him with a Southern sympathizer .
26. Lincoln knew now he desperately needed a victory .
27. Now, I know what you're thinking. "But OverSimplified, if Lincoln loves General Grant so much, then why doesn't he put him in charge of the campaign in the East?" .
28. You've hit the nail on the head .
29. You're bold, Grant. I'll grant you that .
30. I'm promoting you to general-in-chief, and I ain't taking you for granted .
31. Now, I want you to go defeat Lee. Grant me my wish! [Source: Document