The first couple years of the Civil War were some of the bloodiest.

Battles were so deadly, in fact, that some left no clear winners.

President Abraham Lincoln's goal to reunify the nation had turned into war, chaos, and confusion.

So in 1863, Lincoln made a bold move that changed the course of the Civil War and the nation.

He issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared that all enslaved people in states fighting against the Union shall be forever free.

The Emancipation Proclamation marked a moral turning point in the Civil War, but it also served as a military strategy.

The war was no longer just about preserving the Union.

It had become a fight for freedom.

And this new purpose gave Union forces a deeper understanding of what they were truly fighting for.

But freedom wouldn't come easily.

That same year, Georgia became the site of one of the bloodiest battles in the entire war.

The Battle of Chickamauga.

Confederate forces fought fiercely to defend their territory and their way of life.

While Union troops pushed forward, now driven by a new purpose, to end slavery once and for all.

So how did a presidential order for freedom lead to a devastating battle in Georgia's back country?

And what did Chickamauga reveal about the South's resistance to change and the North's growing will to fight on?

(dramatic music) Georgia didn't see much direct action in the first couple years of the Civil War, but in 1863, things took a big turn.

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation at the top of the year.

It freed enslaved people in designated areas and offered liberation to Black soldiers who would fight for the Union.

Initially, Lincoln had hoped to end the war and reunite the country, but after years of conflict between the Union and the Confederates, Lincoln shifted his strategy.

The President believed he could weaken the Confederacy's expansion by freeing enslaved people in the South, empowering freed, Black men to join the Union Army and Navy, and providing the Union a moral cause to fight for.

While the Emancipation Proclamation made it clear that the fight was now about ending slavery, not just keeping the Union together, it had limits.

The proclamation only applied to Confederate states that were rebelling against the Union, not to border states that stayed loyal to the Union.

It also didn't affect southern areas already under Union control like Georgia's Sea Islands.

And most importantly, it could only take effect if the Union actually won the war.

In the fall of 1863, another major event took place, the Battle of Chickamauga.

It would become the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War and the largest battle ever fought in the state of Georgia.

It started when Union Forces launched a campaign to capture Chattanooga, Tennessee, and then move on to Atlanta, Georgia.

They hoped to cut off Confederate supply lines in northwest Georgia and southern Tennessee.

Just south of the Tennessee border near Chickamauga Creek, Confederate troops set up their headquarters, becoming the Union's next target.

On the first day of battle, the Union's plans were discovered and Confederate soldiers struck first.

They crossed Chickamauga Creek and fought hard to stop the Union's advance.

By the second day, the fighting was chaotic and brutal.

Thick forests made it difficult for either side to see, or move their troops easily.

The battle spread from miles and turned into total confusion.

On the final day, Confederate troops launched a massive early morning attack, and the Union Army was forced to retreat toward Chattanooga.

The result was a staggering loss for both sides.

Over 34,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, captured, or went missing during the battle.

While the Battle of Chickamauga marked the largest defeat for the Union, not all Confederate leaders viewed the battle as a victory for the South.

There were more than 18,000 casualties for the Confederacy versus the Union's 16,000 casualties.

The Union may have lost the fight at Chickamauga, but it stayed focused on its larger goal, and eventually that determination led the Union to win the Civil War.

The battle of Chickamauga was a reminder that freedom comes at a high cost.

However, even in the face of loss, the Union's determination only grew stronger.

From the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation to the bloodshed in Georgia, the fight for freedom pushed the nation toward a new beginning and a new definition of what it meant to be united.

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