Civil War Major Battles Events United States History
Civil War - Major Battles & Events United States History, Chapter 15
st 1 Battle of Bull Run – Manassas, VA § 1 st Major battle of Civil War in VA, July 1861 § Union led by General Mc. Dowell – 35, 000 § Confederates led by Beauregaurd 22, 000 § Met at Bull Run Creek, Manassas § Hundreds of people from the North gathered to watch the battle and picnic
General Mc. Dowell
st 1 Battle Bull Run Continued § 10, 000 more Confederates arrive under General Thomas Jackson. § “…look there’s Jackson standing like a stonewall. ” § Became “Stonewall” Jackson § Confederates Win! § North realized war would not be easy or quick – Lincoln begins to doubt his generals
Battle of Bull Run, July 1861
“Stonewall” Jackson
Chaos at Manassas
2 nd Battle of Bull Run § § Fought in August, 1862 Confederates – Gen. Robert E. Lee Union – George Mc. Clellan Confederates Win (again)!
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee § § § Born to a wealthy family in 1807 Graduate of West Point Fought in Mexican American War Stormed Harper’s Ferry with Marines Lincoln asked him to serve for the Union Lee resigned, stayed loyal to Virginia & became a Confederate General
Battle of Antietam – Sept. 17, 1862 – Fought in MD § § Bloodiest single day battle in U. S. History! General Mc. Clellan – North (Union) General Robert E. Lee – South (Confederates) 12, 000 Union + 13, 000 Confederate Casualties § Important victory for the Union – Stopped Lee’s advance North – UNION WINS!
Antietam - Continued § Sept 4, 1862 – Lee and 40, 000 Confederate Soldiers arrive in Maryland. § Lee issues a Proclamation urging people in MD to join the Confederates § They don’t. § Union Soldiers find Lee’s battle plans wrapped around his cigar § Soldiers take plans to Mc. Clellan. § He does nothing for 4 days (too timid)! § Armies clash at Antietam Creek (Sharpsburg) on Sept. 17, 1862
Antietam Continued § After the battle – Lincoln created the Emancipation Proclamation § War Strategy to weaken Southern war effort § Emancipation Proclamation set (Confederate only) Slaves Free § He fired General Mc. Clellan
General Mc. Clellan
Lincoln visits Antietam
Ambrose Burnside – (Sideburns) Was given command after Mc. Clellan but was crushed at the Battle of Fredericksburg, VA - He asked to be relieved!
Emancipation Proclamation § “. . . 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. ” ( Sept. 22 nd, 1862) § By freeing slaves in all rebellious states (the South), Freed African Americans could then be recruited into the Union Army.
President Lincoln Signs the Emancipation Proclamation with his cabinet § Went into effect January 1, 1863
What did it do? § Every slave working in a field or factory freed a white Southerner to fire a gun at Union soldiers! § Slaves in areas of rebellion are free! § Did not free slaves in border states nor Confederate areas under Union control. § Congress began to allow African Americans to volunteer as laborers in July 1862.
• War Department also gave “contrabands” (escaped slaves) the right to join the Union army in South Carolina § About 180, 00 African Americans served with the Union Army
Hampton Roads § § § 1 st battle ever fought with ironclad ships Monitor was the Union ship (North) Merrimac was the Confederate Ship (South – renamed Virginia) The battle was near the Chesapeake Bay in Hampton Roads, VA. Battle is a draw (no winners) – Invention of ironclad ships proves to be successful
Monitor – Union Ship (North)
Merrimac – Confederate Ship (South)
Growing Opposition • A group of northern Democrats began to speak out against the war – Peace Democrats (Led by Ohio Representative Vallandigham). • Their enemies called them “copperheads, ” comparing them to a poisonous snake. • Copperheads were midwesterners that sympathized with the south and opposed abolition. They called for an end to the war. • Lincoln, seeing them as a threat, suspended the right of Habeus Corpus- the right to know what your crime is if you are jailed • Habeus Corpus is the Constitutional protection against unlawful imprisonment
Battle of Gettysburg July 1 -3, 1863 § § Robert E. Lee – South George Meade – North Bloodiest (worst) battle in Civil War Known for Pickett’s Charge (South) – Confederates Slaughtered § Became a Cemetery where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg - Continued § Spring 1863 – Lee split forces into 2 groups. § While riding the front lines – Stonewall Jackson is shot by his own men. Jackson dies a few days later. § Lee launches more attacks – Goal is to break the North’s will to fight.
Gettysburg - Continued § Day 1 – Confederates split into raiding parties in PA – looking for food and shoes in Gettysburg. § Union and Confederates find each other and start shooting. § Day 3 – A failed Confederate Attack up Cemetery Ridge. § Almost 75, 000 Confederate soldiers and 90, 000 Union soldiers fought in Gettysburg. § Casualties: 23, 049 Union / 28, 063 Confederate = 51, 112 Total!
Gettysburg Continued § Victory at Gettysburg was on same day as Victory in Vicksburg. § Turning Point of the War for North! § After Gettysburg – France and England refused to help / support the C. S. A.
George Meade (North)
General Meade’s HQ Gettysburg, PA
Soldiers at Gettysburg, PA
Federal (Union) Casualties
Gettysburg Address § Nov. 19, 1863 – Lincoln gives speech at Gettysburg. § Dedication speech for battlefield cemetery. § 269 words, less than a 2 minunte speech!
Gettysburg Address 11/19/1863 § 15, 000 folks came to hear Lincoln’s dedication to the memorial. § It was a 2 -minute speech about the state of the Civil War. § Here’s the audio of the speech read by Jeff Daniels: http: //www. americanrhetoric. com/speec hes/gettysburgaddress. htm
Cemetery Dedication
Gettysburg Address
Gettysburg Cemetery
Siege at Vicksburg, Mississippi- ended early July 1863 § § § § General Grant (North) Pemberton (South) Goal – Split the South and take control of Mississippi River (Admiral Farragut had taken New Orleans, Baton Rouge & Natchez) Turning point of the war (North gets upper hand & control of the west) Grant seals off city and starves people out. People eat dogs, horses, rats (7 weeks) People live in caves to avoid being hit with shells.
Vicksburg Continued § Confederate Soldiers almost mutiny! § Confederates surrender on July 4 th. § Vicksburg did not celebrate the 4 th of July again for almost 80 years. § North wins!
Siege of Vicksburg
General U. S. Grant
Sherman’s March- TOTAL WAR • Lincoln needed a victory for the Union Army to help him win the election of 1864 • Sherman’s goal – Campaign to destroy the south’s infrastructure and provide Lincoln with victory – it worked!
Sherman's March to the Sea § William Tecumseh Sherman (North) § Marches 100, 000 troops from Atlanta, GA to Savannah, GA. § Goal: Destroy everything in their path (buildings, RR, homes, farms, animals) § Strategy: TOTAL WAR! § Total War – Destroying civilian and economic resources. § Left path of destruction 60 miles wide – angered the south deeply!
William Tecumseh Sherman
End of War – Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia § April 9 th – 1865 § Union (Gen. Grant) & Confederate (Lee) meet in Appomattox Courthouse (small town) § Grant assured Lee that his troops would be fed and allowed to keep horses. § They would not be tried for treason. § President Davis called for guerilla warfare- Lee declined § “The war is over, the rebels are our countrymen again. ”
Mc. Lean Home
Effects of the War § § § About 620, 000 Americans died Slavery was ended-13 th Amendment South was in ruins Southern economy destroyed Hostility between North & South How does Lincoln re-unite Country again? He won’t have the chance
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