The 4th of July is a yearly celebration of the Declaration of Independence. There are also many Civil War battles that make this day even more important. In a general sense, everybody who celebrates this day according to their preference is honoring the freedom we have in this country. Specifically, many of the key battles in the Civil War happened on or near this day. The anniversaries of the Battle of Gettysburg as well as lesser known conflicts like Vicksburg and Malvern Hill increase the respect for this day and should make us cherish it even more.
The Battle of Malvern Hill was fought July 1st 1862. This was the last battle of the Seven Days Campaign, and a series of battles in which General Robert E. Lee drove away the Union campaign from the Confederate capital of Richmond. While Lee was successful in his strategic goals of saving the capital and driving back the enemy army, this battle was a bloody defeat for him, and the Seven Days Campaign was lackluster overall with a specifically poor performance from the normally amazing Stonewall Jackson. Lee and his generals sent the attacks on the Union position at separate times, which allowed the Union artillery to concentrate and destroy them one at a time. The war had gone on for over a year, but this blood bath finally convinced many that the war would become incredibly costly.
The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from the 1st through the 3rd of July a year later. Robert E. Lee had invaded the north, and the armies stumbled into each other near Gettysburg. This was a decisive victory for the Union forces as Lee resorted to costly assaults each day and failed to carry the field. His army limped back to Virginia and struggled to maintain relevancy until the end of the war.
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This battle is the most famous of the war and it overshadows what is likely a more impressive victory at Vicksburg. also on July 3rd 1863. General Grant is usually criticized as a subpar general and even a butcher for his costly campaigns against Lee in Virginia. But Grant was under a great deal of political pressure to directly attack his opponent. Lee was a much better general than those Grant faced in the Western theatre, and the geography of Virginia, with numerous impassible rivers made maneuver difficult.
But in Vicksburg, Grant didn’t have those factors influencing his decisions. Grant marched south of the city, crossed the Mississippi river, defeated the relieving force, and then besieged the city. In his maneuver campaign that lasted about three weeks, Grant’s men marched 180 miles, won five battles and captured some 6,000 prisoners; the city fell into his hands just a few weeks after he approached Vicksburg. This was vitally important for the overall war effort which called for a strangling of the south. It cut off the Confederacy from its Western states and opened up the Mississippi rival and vital ports of Midwestern farmers. This defeat on the July 4 was so devastating that Vicksburg reportedly didn’t celebrate the 4th for years after the battle.
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In summary, the decisive events of the Civil War often occurred around this holiday which should give it added poignancy during your Independence Day celebrations. The 4th of July is a great day for Americans to spend time with family, barbecue, and light some fireworks. (Make sure to leave some cookies and milk out for Captain America.) The history of the day, particularly during the Civil War, suggests that we should also celebrate the country being saved and reunited. Divided, it would likely fall, but united it was strong enough to end slavery, advance civil rights, smash fascism, and contain Communism.
