The Civil War in the East, 1861 - 1862 Copyright © 2011 W.W

1861-1865

Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861 Two Combatants   Sometimes called the first modern war  Mass armies fighting with weapons forged out of the Industrial Revolution  Large numbers of casualties  Less distinction between military and civilian targets  Initially, war stimulated powerful feelings of patriotism, and recruits hastened to enlist, thinking the war would be short and glorious  Both sides later resorted to a draft

The Union   President: Abraham Lincoln  Advantages  Larger population-22 million  Most of the country’s industry  Efficient rail system  Controlled the navy  Support of border states  Capable leadership; ex. Ulysses S Grant  Disadvantages  Had to fight an offensive war with longer supply lines  Had to defeat the Confederates defending home and family

The Confederacy   President: Jefferson Davis  Advantages:  Excellent generals; ex. Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson  Fighting on the defensive  Cotton a profitable resource; one big farm  Hearts and minds devoted to the cause  As it seceded, seized arsenals and other public property  Disadvantages  Population of only 9 million (3.5 million slaves)  Limited industry, fewer rail lines

Give Me Liberty!: An American history, 3rd Edition Generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Technology of War   Railroads moved troops and supplies  Ironclads Monitor and Merrimac transformed naval warfare  Telegraph, observation balloons, and even hand grenades and submarines were used for the first time.  Long range rifles replaced the musket leading to large numbers of casualties

Battle of the Iron-clads Monitor and Merrimac Give Me Liberty!: An American history, 3rd Edition Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Mobilizing Resources   Both sides used propaganda to sway public opinion  Using newspapers, telegraph, and photographs  Both struggled with no central banking and no tax system to raise revenue  Problems of purchasing and distributing food, weapons, and other supplies for the armies were huge  Eventually the Union would become the best-fed and best-supplied Northern Plans   The Northern military plan had 6 components: 1) Slowly suffocate the South by blockading its coasts. 2) Liberate the slaves and undermine the economic foundation of the South. 3) Cut the Confederacy in half by seizing control of the Mississippi River. 4) Dismember the Confederacy by sending troops through Georgia and the Carolinas. 5) Capture its capital at Richmond. 6) Try everywhere to engage the enemy and grind it into submission.

First Years (1861-1862)   Initially the North experienced a series of crushing defeats in the Eastern campaign.  Lincoln appointed and replaced a number of generals.  Union will successfully deflect the Confederates at Antietam; however at a high cost. Bloodiest single day of the war-22,000 casualties  Confederate ironclad Merrimac (CSS Virginia) failed to break the Union blockade in its battle against the USS Monitor  Grant will have greater success in a series of battles in the West and Admiral David Farragut will capture New Orleans

Slavery and the War   Ending slavery was not a goal in the beginning in an effort to retain the border states and preserve the Union  Confederates used slave labor for military purposes  As blacks began to escape, Union commanders began treating escaped slaves as “contraband” of war—property of military value subject to confiscation.  Confiscation Acts-series of laws with the intention to free Confederate slaves  Thousands escaped to the safety of Union lines, crippling many plantations. In areas occupied by northern soldiers, slaves refused to work unless paid. Emancipation Proclamation   Radical Republicans and abolitionists including Frederick Douglass pressed to make the ending of slavery a priority  Antietam provided Lincoln with the military backing to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 23, 1862.  On January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued a final proclamation. Strengthening the North’s moral cause.  It called for the freeing of all slaves in Confederate territory.  British will not recognize the Confederacy as a result of the Proclamation and the discovery of new cotton resources in Egypt and India.

The Tide Turns   In the spring of 1863, the Union defeated the Southern army at Vicksburg, MS gaining control of the Mississippi River.  In July 1863, the Northern armies defeated Lee’s forces at Gettysburg, PA forcing a Southern retreat.  A cemetery will be dedicated at Gettysburg  Grant will be made commander of all Union forces in early 1864.  General William Tecumseh Sherman’s march through the South will help to break the Confederate spirit

Give Me Liberty!: An American history, 3rd Edition Map 14.6 The Civil War, Late 1864-1865 Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Election of 1864   Fearing defeat, the Republicans joined with the War Democrats to form the Union Party in the election of 1864. Lincoln's running-mate was Andrew Johnson, a local War Democrat.  The Democrats, including the Copperheads (opposed the war), nominated General McClellan was their presidential candidate.  The Northern Democrats lost the election of 1864; a big defeat for the South for the removal of Lincoln was the last hope for a Confederate victory.

The War Ends   Southern resources will dwindle with the Union blockade, Sherman's March, and Grants successful campaigns in Virginia.  On April 9, 1865, Lee was forced to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia, effectively ending the Civil War.  Only five days later, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a celebrated actor, at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.

25 Political Change   Secession brought Republican majorities to Congress  Arguments of nullification and secession ended  Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus allowing the detention of suspects without giving just cause; designed to eliminate dissent  The Conscription Act allowed for a draft of men ages 20 to 45; July 1863 draft riots erupted in New York City  The 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery Economic Change   Increased tariffs and taxes and sold bonds  Morrill Tariff (1861)  Amassed a huge national debt  Printed paper money called “greenbacks”  Northern manufacturers, railroad businessmen, and financiers benefited from government policies  Republican policy helped growth in the West  Homestead Act (1863) offered free 160 acre parcels in the Great Plains for families that farmed the land for at least 5 years  Pacific Railway Act (1862) authorized the building of a transcontinental RR Social Change   Women  Stepped in to men’s jobs on farms, in offices, and in factory; served as military nurses, spies, and in aid societies  Contributions gave impetus to women’s suffrage

Give Me Liberty!: An American history, 3rd Edition Filling Cartridges at the U. S. Arsenal of Watertown Copyright © 2011 W.W. Norton & Company Social Change (cont.)   Native Americans  Soldiers were removed from Indian Territory to fight; could not stop white settlers  Conflict between whites and federal troops and the Indians increased.  African Americans  More than 200,000 served in the Union army and navy and distinguished themselves; ex. 54th Massachusetts in its assault on Fort Wagner, SC  4 million slaves freed with passage of the 13th Amendment; now had Constitutional protections that previously did not exist.