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The Civil War
United States History 1 + The War Begins
What were Lincoln and Davis’ dilemas?
In March of 1861, the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter. In response Lincoln decided to go to war in order to save the Union. The Civil War had begun. + Americans expect a Short War
Northerners and Confederates alike expected a short glorious war. Both sides felt that right was on their side and were convinced their opponents would go down easily. + Northern Advantages
In reality, the North had many advantages over the South. It had more people, more factories, more food production, and better railroads. Its government was “federally centered”. It also had a skilled leader – Lincoln. + Southern Advantages
The South’s Advantages included better generals and soldiers eager to defend their homeland and their way of life. “King Cotton” gave them hope that European countries would side with them
Also, the North would have to conquer Southern territories to win. + NORTHERN & SOUTHERN RESOURCES (pg 1)
Naval Ship Tonnage: North 25 : 1 Iron Production: North 15:1 Population/ Total (in millions) : North 21: 9 Population/ Military Age : 4 : 1.1 Population./ Industrial Workers 1.1 : 0.1 + NORTHERN & SOUTHERN RESOURCES (pg 2) + Northern Strategy
The North developed a three-part plan for victory:
1. to blockade Southern ports in order to keep out supplies
2. to split the Confederacy in two at the Mississippi
3. to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. + The States Secede
Before Fort Sumter: SC, MS, FL, AL, GA, LA & TX
Followed by: VA, AK, TN & NC
IRONY: Union OK with WV “seceding” from VA
+ Northern Strategy
This plan was called the Anaconda plan, after a snake that suffocates its victims by squeezing them.
+ + Confederate Success The Confederates won the first battle of war, The Battle of Bull Run, also known as Manassas just 25 miles from Washington D.C.
The wining Southern general was Stonewall Jackson, he earned his nickname because he and his soldiers stood as firm as a stone wall in battle.
However, the South was too exhausted & disorganized to pursue & attack Washington
Union Aftermath: Lincoln called for 500,00 men w/3 year enlistments & McClellan appointed as new general
+ + + Grant
In 1862, a Union army led by General Ulysses S. Grant captured two Confederate forts in Tennessee. (Henry & Donelson).
Grant used ironclad ships to assist him
Grant earned his nickname
Both sides suffered terrible losses in the Union victory at Shiloh (aka Battle of Pittsburg Landing) + Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh, an important Northern victory that secured western Tennessee and provided access to Mississippi in April 1862.
Confederate troops launched a surprise attack on Union soldiers near Shiloh Church, forcing General William Tecumseh Sherman to withdraw his army. + Shiloh
Union Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Don Carlos Buell soon arrived with reinforcements.
The fighting continued for several days, until the Confederate army could no longer hold its line and General P. G. T. Beauregard ordered his troops to retreat into Mississippi. Each army suffered more than 10,000 casualties (25% casualties).
Lessons Learned: scouts, trenches, fortifications were necessities
+ War in the West
Grant pushed on toward the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, a Union fleet approached the river’s mouth in Louisiana. The navy, under the command of David C. Farragut, captured New Orleans. + New Weapons
New weapons changed warfare during the Civil War. The ironclad ships Monitor and Merrimack made all wooden warships obsolete. New Rifles made military trenches necessary. + + + + Minié Balls + New Weapons Rifling & Minnie Balls
Telegraph – Railroads
Landmines – Primitive Grenades
Lighter Cannon – Explosive Shells
Hot Air Balloons
“Generals condemned to fight the last war”
+ McClellan
While Union forces in the West began their fight to control the Mississippi. President Lincoln appointed General George McClellan to lead the Union Army in the East. + McClellan – was an OVERLY cautious general. Wanted (psychologically needed?) overwhelming numerical superiority.
Lincoln: “ I’d like to borrow McClellan’s army if he wasn’t using it”
Spring ’62: McClellan began Peninsula Campaign to capture Confederate capital of Richmond
Joe Johnson (Confederate General) was wounded and Robert E. Lee was appointed successor
Lee saved Richmond in Seven Days’ Battles through determination & unorthodox tactics
+ Antietam
In 1862, the Union army in the East marched toward Richmond, Virginia – the Confederate capital. Confederate General Robert E. Lee successfully defended the capital, and forced the Union army to retreat. He then began marching his troops toward Washington D.C.
+ Antietam
In August, Lee’s troops won a resounding victory at the Second Battle of Bull Run. A few days later, they crossed the Potomac River into the Union state of Maryland. + Antietam
At this point McClellan had a tremendous stroke of luck, his troops found a plan wrapped that revealed that Lee’s and Stonewall Jackson’s armies were separated. McClellan decided to go after Lee. + Antietam
Union forces met Lee’s army at Antietam, Maryland. It was the bloodiest clash of the war (26,000 casualties). This time Lee was forced to retreat. McClellan and his forces did not chase Lee into Virginia, if they had they might have won the war.
Battle reenactment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJiMlgvygvc
Lincoln fired McClellan in November 1862 and appointed John Pope as the commander in the east
Lincoln at Antietam in October 1862, with Major Allan Pinkerton and General John A. McClernand. Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune
• Greeley had just addressed an editorial to Lincoln called "The Prayer of Twenty Millions," making demands and implying that Lincoln's administration lacked direction and resolve. He urged Lincoln to transform the war into an abolitionist crusade
•President Lincoln wrote his reply when a draft of the Emancipation Proclamation already lay in his desk drawer. His response revealed his concentration on preserving the Union. The letter, which received acclaim in the North, stands as a classic statement of Lincoln's constitutional responsibilities. A few years after the president's death, Greeley wrote an assessment of Lincoln. He stated that Lincoln did not actually respond to his editorial but used it instead as a platform to prepare the public for his "altered position" on emancipation. Lincoln’s Response ….. As to the policy I "seem to be pursuing" as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt.
I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views.
I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men every where could be free. + Britain Remains Neutral
For many years the South had supplied Britain with cotton. When the Civil War broke out, the South hoped that Britain would ally with them. Britain, however, decided to remain neutral.
This was because Britain found other sources in Egypt & India
Another reason is that Europe’s wheat crop failed and Northern wheat & corn became essential imports (replacing cotton) + Britain & The Trent Affair
Fall 1861 – Confederacy sent 2 diplomats on the British ship the Trent to Britain & France to try to sway them
Union ship stopped the ship and arrested the two men
Britain threatened to go to was with the U.S. if the men weren’t released. To emphasize their point, they sent 8,000 troops to Canada
Wanting to fight only “one war at a time”, Lincoln ordered that the men be freed + The Emancipation Proclamation
As the war dragged on, a growing number of people in the North felt that slavery should be abolished. Lincoln, however, was hesitant because he did not believe he had the constitutional right to end slavery where it already existed
He realized he needed to wait for a Union victory so that it wasn’t a hollow document. Antietam gave him what he needed! + The Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
“… all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free….. And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.”
NOTE: it only applied to slaves that were behind enemy lines. It did NOT apply to Southern areas occupied by Union troops nor to states that hadn’t seceded + The Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln considered the Proclamation to be a military policy, the slaves were enemy resources that aided the Confederate war effort. With the slaves free they could no longer work for the Southern cause.
Northern Democrats feared it would antagonize the South and prolong the war
Many soldiers had no love for Blacks supported it anyway – in order to save the union + The Emancipation Proclamation
In the North, the Emancipation Proclamation gave the war a high morale purpose. Free African-Americans cheered the fact that they could now enlist in the Union army. + The Emancipation Proclamation
Confederates were outraged with the issue of the Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation made the Confederacy more determined to fight to preserve their way life. + The Emancipation Proclimation
After the Emancipation Proclamation, compromise was no longer possible. The Confederacy knew that if they lost the war their way of life would perish. The Union knew that it could now only by completely defeating the south. + Politics of War
Neither side in the American Civil War was completely unified. Some Northerners sided with the Confederates. Some Southerners sympathized with the Union. + Politics of War
Both Presidents Davis and Lincoln expanded their power to put down opposition. Both presidents suspended the right to habeas corpus, the right to appear before a court and determine why he/she is being sent to jail. + Politics of War
Suspending the right to habeas corpus allowed police to arrest opposition without a trial. Among those that were arrested were Copperhead politicians. These were Northern Democrats who urged for peace with the South. + + Politics of War As the war continued, it claimed the lives of many soldiers. On both sides soldiers began deserting or running away from the army. South (1862) and North (1863) turned to conscription, or drafting civilians to serve in the army.
Both N & S allowed a person to hire someone to take their place
In the North, if a $300 fee was paid, the person was exempt + New York Draft Riots
In New York City poor white workers and immigrants started draft riots. The workers resented African Americans and did not want to fight and die to free slavery. + + + African American Soldiers
In 1862, Congress allowed African Americans to serve in the Union army. After the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863, many African American enlisted. By the end of the war they made up 10% of the Union Army (despite being 1% of the population) + African American Soldiers Blacks were discriminated against: lower pay, “glass ceiling” on rank (no higher than captain – and that was rare), assigned to labor duty in the garrisons where they contacted typhoid, pneumonia, malaria, etc
South treated captured Blacks harshly: many executed on the spot & many sent to slavery + + Wartime Economies
As the Union forces pushed deeper into the South, many slaves began to run away. This led to the decline of the Southern workforce. It also led to a decline in the Southern economy. Food, medicine and many necessities became scarce, prices rose, and in 1863 riots broke out in some Southern cities. + Wartime Economies
In the North, the war caused the economy to increase as factories produced supplies needed for the war. Due to the booming economy many businesses made immense profits. This led to corrupt practices – especially by businesses with government contracts. + Wartime Economies
In both the North and the South the economies changed dramatically by increasing the role of women in the workforce. In the South women replaced men in the factories and farms. In the North women received government jobs for the first time, mainly as clerks. + Wartime Economies
During the Civil War, Congress passed the first income tax in the nation’s history. This tax helped to finance the war. + Life During Wartime
Life for soldiers on both sides was very harsh. Many soldiers suffered and died from wounds they received in battles. They also suffered from poor army food, filthy conditions, and disease (mainly due to unsanitary living conditions) + Life During Wartime
Early in the war, some Northern women and doctors founded the United States Sanitary Commission to improve conditions for the soldiers. They set up moving hospitals by train and ship to remove the wounded from the battlefield + Life During Wartime
More than 3,000 women served as nurses during the war. Some, like Clara Barton, worked on the front lines.
After her courage under fire at Antietam, she was described as “The angel of the battlefield” + Prison Camps
Conditions for the soldiers in war prisons were horrible. The worst Confederate camp was at Andersonville, Georgia.
The camp was terribly overcrowded.
Prisoners were not provided with any shelter from the elements.
Food rations were meager
The stream was used for drinking water and bodily waste + Prison Camps
Prisons in the North were not much better. Although they provided more space, there was little or no heat. Southern men who were not used to the harsh Northern winter often died
18% of Union & 11% of Confederate prisoners died + Chancellorsville
The South continued to win battles in the East well into 1863, such as Chancellorsville, Virginia. During the battle, the South’s famous and skilled general, Stonewall Jackson, died when he was accidentally shot by his own troops. + Gettysburg
In June of 1863, General Robert E. Lee decided to invade the North again. Lee’s forces clashed with the Union army at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. + Gettysburg
After three days of intense fighting the Union Army defeated Lee’s forces. Each side lost more than 50,000 soldiers. Lee was forced to retreat, and would never again invade the North. The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the Turning Point of the War.
Animated map: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/A- Cutting-Edge-Second-Look-at-the-Battle-of-Gettysburg-1- 180947921/?no-ist
+ + + + Gettysburg
Northerners rejoiced at the fact that Lee’s Army had finally been broken and defeated. Lee would continue to lead his men brilliantly in the last two years of the war. But the Confederacy would never recover from the loss and never again hope to invade the North. + Vicksburg The day after Gettysburg, General Grant captured Vicksburg, Mississippi, after 1 ½ month siege.
Grant shelled the city for several hours every day forcing the Rebels to take cover in caves
Food supplies were so low, the South was forced to eat dogs and mules
It was another significant defeat for the Confederacy. As a result of the battle, the Union completely controlled the Mississippi River, and the Confederacy was cut in two. + The Gettysburg Address In November, of 1863, a cemetery was dedicated at Gettysburg. President Lincoln delivered a short speech. The Gettysburg Address honored the dead and asked Americans to rededicate themselves to preserving the Union. Lincoln promised that “this government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from this earth”
According to historian Gary Wills, it remade America: PRIOR: “The United States are…” POST: “The United States is …”
+ The Confederacy Wears Down
The losses at Gettysburg and Vicksburg caused the Southern morale to drop. Many men had been lost in battle. The Confederate army was low on food, ammunition, and supplies. Soldiers began to desert, and in some cases Confederate soldiers joined the Union Army.
As it could no longer attack, its only hope was to destroy Northern morale & work towards an armistace + The Confederacy Wears Down
The South was exhausted and had few resources left. Southern leaders started to fight amongst each other. The Confederate Congress accused President Davis of ineffective leadership. Some Southerners began calling for peace. + The Confederacy Wears Down
While the South began to crumble, Lincoln made Ulysses S. Grant commander of all Union armies. Grant gave William Tecumseh Sherman command of the military division of the Mississippi. + The Confederacy Wears Down
Grant & Sherman practiced TOTAL WAR. This meant that civilians were now target as they produced the weapons, grew the food & transported the goods.
By committing to TOTAL WAR they hoped to sap the will of the South
+ The Confederacy Wears Down
In 1864, Grant fought Lee’s army in Virginia. Grant’s basic tactic was to attack and then to attack again. Even if his casualties ran twice as high as those of Lee, the North could afford it, the South could not
+ The Confederacy Wears Down
Grant threw his troops into battle after battle. During a six-week period, Grant lost nearly 60,000 men to Lee’s 32,000. Democrats and Northern newspapers called Grant a “Butcher” but Grant kept fighting he promised Lincoln, “Whatever happens, there will be no turning back.” + Sherman’s March to Sea
General Sherman and his troops invaded Georgia, his forces marched across the state to the sea.
He abandoned his supply lines and “lived off the earth”
They destroyed cities and farmland during their march. They did the same in South Carolina, the South quickly became a wasteland. + Sherman’s March to Sea + Sherman wanted to make Southerners “so sick of war that generations would pass away before they would again appeal to it,” + + + Election of 1864
Despite the Union’s success, Lincoln was not sure if he would be re-elected in 1864. Many Northerners felt that the war had gone on for too long and had caused to much destruction. But news of Sherman’s victories helped Lincoln win a second term. + Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
“With malice toward none; with charity toward all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds…” + + Appomattox
By March of 1865, it was clear that the end of the Confederacy was near. President Davis fled Richmond. On April 9, 1865, Generals Lee and Grant met in a Virginia village called Appomattox Court House and arranged the Confederate surrender. + + Appomattox
The terms were generous, Lincoln did not want to impose harsh terms on the Confederates. As a result, Grant paroled Lee’s soldiers, and sent them home with their personal possessions, horses, and three days worth of rations. Officers were permitted to keep their sidearms. Within a month, all Confederate resistance collapsed. After four long years, The Civil War was over. + The Legacy of the War
The Civil War Changed the Country in many ways:
1.The nations experienced significant political changes.
2.After the war, no other state threatened secession again.
3.The Federal government became much more powerful and a part of people’s everyday lives.
4.During the war, conscription and an income tax were passed for the first time + The Legacy of the War
The Civil War also affected the nation’s economy. During the War, the Federal government did a lot to help businesses of the North. The government helped to fund a national railroad system. The government also passed the National Bank Act of 1863, which created a national banking system + The Legacy of the War
The War widened the economic gap between North and South. The economy boomed in the North. The Southern economy, however, had collapsed, mainly due to the loss of slavery. Southern railroads, industry, and farmland had been destroyed by Northern invaders. As a result, the South would remain poor for decades. + The Legacy of the War
The human cost of the war was huge. More than 600,000 soldiers died. More than 500,000 were wounded. Nearly 10 percent of the nation’s population had served in the military, leaving their jobs, farms and families. + The Legacy of the War
The war also led to great changes in individual lives. After the war, African Americans’ lives began to slowly improve – at least on paper. In 1865, the nation added the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. It abolished slavery everywhere in the United States. + The Legacy of the War
After the war, military leaders in both the North and the South had to find a new direction for their lives. Many veterans returned to their small towns or farms. Some moved to large cities or to the West to build the railroads or to mine gold. + The Legacy of the War
Some turned their wartime experience to good. Clara Barton, for example, helped to start the American Red Cross. This organization provided help to civilians as well as soldiers in times of natural disaster or war.
+ + The Legacy of the War Only five days after Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Lincoln attended a play at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.,
Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth, a Southern sympathizer.
V.P. Johnson and Sec. of State Seward were also targeted
The president died the next day. + The Legacy of the War
After shooting Lincoln, Booth then jumped from the President's box to the stage, where he raised his knife and shouted "Sic semper tyrannis" (Latin for "Thus always to tyrants", attributed to Brutus at Caesar's assassination and the Virginia state motto), while others said he added, "I have done it, the South is avenged!"
+ A photographer did manage to snap a shot of the dead Lincoln as he was lying in state in Manhattan's City Hall. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton had the photograph confiscated, and it was supposed to be destroyed. But instead, Stanton kept it, and it was found by historians almost 100 years later. It's the only true Lincoln death photo in existence + The Legacy of the War
Lincoln’s body was carried by train from Washington to his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. Seven million people, or almost one-third of the Union population, turned out to pay their respects.