THE CIVIL WAR 1861 1865 The Civil War

THE CIVIL WAR, 1861 -1865

The Civil War: A Long, Bloody Affair No one thought the war would last long. n n. One congressman said he’d be able to wipe up all the blood spilt over secession with his handkerchief.

Northern Advantages North had the population advantage, with 22 million people to the South’s 9 million. n North had the economic advantage, controlling 85% of U. S. industry. They could produce military supplies faster n Most of the railroads were located in the Northeast and Midwest, so the north could move troops and supplies more easily n Most of the U. S. Navy remained loyal to the Union. This allowed for the Anaconda Plan, which involved a naval blockade of the South. n

Southern Advantages u u South had to fight only a defensive war – they just needed to protect their territory until the North gave up. The South had excellent military leadership

The War Begins… • After the 1860 presidential election of Abraham Lincoln, SEVEN seceding Southern states formed the Confederate States of America. • The War began on April 12, 1861 when Confederates bombarded Fort Sumter. The Confederates took the fort without either side losing a man. FOUR more states seceded from the Union and joined the Confederacy. The bombardment of Fort Sumter

4 slave states stayed with the Union 1 new state got created (West Virginia)

THE OBJECTIVES OF UNION STRATEGY Blockade the coast Liberate slaves/undermine economy of the South Cut Confederacy in half by seizing Mississippi River Chop the Confederacy to pieces by sending troops through Georgia and the Carolinas Capture Richmond, the Confederate capital

• Lee had gained recognition serving in the Mexican War. Robert E. Lee • Lincoln asked him to lead the Union Army but he said no. • He opposed secession and slavery but said he could not fight against his home state of Virginia. He became commander of the Confederate Army

Battle of Bull Run / Manassas The first major battle of the Civil War, July 1861 § Some Northerners set up a picnic to view this, the first battle of the Civil War § Union called it Bull Run after the creek that ran near the battlefield. § South called it Manassas after the town it was near Spectators at Bull Run

Two of the Confederacy’s best generals, Jackson and Johnston, were at Manassas. Neither of them would survive the war. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson Alfred S. Johnston Bull Run was a Union defeat that shamed the North and helped them realize that the war was going to take longer than a couple of months.

Additional Bull Run information July 21, 1861; Confederate victory u Near Washington, DC u Union soldiers fled, and Confederates did not pursue them because they were hungry, tired, and disorganized u South got overconfident, while North realized the fight would be long u

Fighting Conditions n n Both sides suffered from lack of supplies and disease during the war Disease, malnutrition and infection took the lives of over 65% of the soldiers who fought in the war. A Union doctor gets ready to amputate a soldiers leg. Amputations were a very common procedure during the war.

Part of the reason there were so many infections is because there were many amputations. n The bullet being used in the Civil War was known as the Minie Ball. It was made of soft lead, and unlike modern bullets, when it hit bone it would spread, turning bone into dust. n The Minie Ball also made Civil War rifles much more accurate n

Peninsula Campaign/ Seven Days’ Battles

Peninsula Campaign Information u u June 26 -July 2, 1862—Confederate victory Mc. Clellan was Union general—brilliant, but too hesitant Lincoln joked that if he wasn’t going to use the army, Lincoln would like to borrow it; Mc. Clellan called Lincoln his baboon Campaign was headed for Richmond, Lee counterattacked in Seven Days’ Battles

Merrimack vs. Monitor

Merrimack vs. Monitor The Merrimack was on old wooden Union ship that the Confederacy reconditioned into an ironclad, unseaworthy vessel n The Monitor, another ironclad ship, brought in by the Union in March 1862 to defeat the Merrimack (now called the CSS Virginia) n Merrimack (Virginia) was eventually destroyed so Union would not get it n

Antietam—September 1862

Additional information on Antietam n Mid-September 1862, in Maryland n Union “victory”, led by Mc. Clellan n Lee’s battle plans wrapped around a cigar pack that a Confederate soldier had dropped were found by the Union n Gave Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which strengthened the moral cause of the war

even more info: Antietam n n n Lee invaded Maryland trying to end war. Regarded as the bloodiest day in American History There was no clear winner of the battle, but it was enough for Lincoln to call it a Union victory and issue the Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation Proclamation § Document was issued on September 23, 1862, and became effective January 1, 1863 § Freed slaves in areas rebelling against the Union (NOT those in border states) § Some thought Lincoln had gone too far, and others that he had not gone far enough

Emancipation Proclamation Freed all slaves in South occupied territory. n Some argued that it did nothing since the South wasn’t a part of the Union at the time. n Officially made the war about slavery. n The most unpopular act of Lincoln’s presidency (in the North and South). n

Fredericksburg, VA—December 1862; Union commander Burnside

Fredericksburg u General Burnside sends Union troops across an open field at Lee and his men, who were set up behind a stone wall. The Union Army took huge losses. “General Lee, A chicken could not live on that field when we open on it” -Gen. James Longstreet before Fredericksburg

Chancellorsville, VA—May 1863 n Lee divided his army and sneaked up behind the Union, led by General Hooker. Federal troops are taken totally by surprise and the Confederacy wins, but Stonewall Jackson was mistakenly killed late in the day by his own men.

Jackson is buried in Lexington, but his arm is buried 100 miles away on a farm

Gettysburg—July 1 -3, 1863

Sample battle maps

Day 2: Little Round Top Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and his Maine Regiment defend Little Round Top from repeated Confederate assaults. Out of ammo, he orders a bayonets charge to finally push back the Confederate attack.

Little Round Top after the Battle

Cemetery Ridge

The weapons were more advanced than the tactics

n A big reason casualties were so high during the Civil War was because the weapons technology had advanced, but generals were still using the old way of fighting – marching up men in columns, lining up and firing.

Gettysburg Lee gambles again and invades the North n He hopes to bring the war to the North hoping that public support would drop and the Union would have to recognize the Confederacy. n Lee’s army was short on supplies, and the North is where they would be able to raid towns for food, clothes and other necessities. n

75, 000 Confederates in Pennsylvania! n n The first shots are fired by Illinois Cavalry when a Southern raiding party was discovered coming into Gettysburg looking for shoes. This was the only major battle fought in the North

Pickett’s Charge n On the 3 rd day of the battle, Lee orders 15, 000 men under Gen. George Pickett to assault the center of the Union line. They must cross a half mile of open ground to get there.

After Gettysburg Casualties after 3 days at Gettysburg – Union: 23, 000; Confederacy: 28, 000. Gettysburg permanently turned the tide of the war for the North. From that point on Lee’s army was hurting.

Matthew Brady’s photos of Civil War battlefields presented the horrors of the war to the public in a way they had never seen before.

Gettysburg Address: 272 words that provide hope for liberty worldwide

Meanwhile…. OUT WEST IN 1862 -1863, THE UNION FINALLY BEGINS TO IDENTIFY A GREAT GENERAL WHO WILL HELP WIN THE WAR….

Capture of Fort Henry out west, Feb 1862— Ulysses S. Grant proves himself; this helps open the way to capture Tennessee

Fort Donelson, Feb 1862—Grant demands “unconditional surrender”

Battle of Corinth, Mississippi

Battle of Shiloh, TN—April 1862

By the end of the war, 7 more battles as deadly as Shiloh (or more) would be fought. Shiloh was particularly gory, and a northern “victory. ”

Casualties from the entire Revolutionary War: 4, 500 Casualties from two days at the Battle of Shiloh: 23, 500

Battle of New Orleans, spring 1862— Farragut commands the troops

Battle of Vicksburg, 1863

Goals: control of the Mississippi River and cutting off Confederate supply routes

Vicksburg facts § Siege ended July 4, 1863 § Confederate garrison was so hungry that men were eating rats and mules to survive § Union victory came one day after the victory at Gettysburg and ended any hope that the Confederacy had of getting foreign aid

Ulysses S. Grant n n n In the West, Grant’s siege of Vicksburg is a success giving the Union control of the Mississippi River. Grant was an aggressive military leader. And always wanted to push his army forward. Lincoln says of Grant, “I can’t spare this man, he fights. ”

Atlanta and Sherman’s March to the Sea

Facts about the march n Sherman’s men captured Atlanta in September 1864 and burned the city n They then cut a 60 -mile-wide path of destruction during their 250 mile journey southeast to Savannah n Soldiers burned buildings, tore up railroad tracks and shaped them into pretzels, and ran off with souvenirs after looting towns

Ruins in Charleston, SC

Wilderness Campaign, May-June 1864

Grant’s Plan § Grant tells Lincoln he is going to march on Richmond, take is losses and press on until the South ran out of men, supplies or the will to fight – this tactic is called a “war of attrition”. § Grant was criticized because of his willingness to take losses. Some in the North called him a “butcher”. He knew the fastest way to end the war was to use the Union’s superior numbers.

Additional information § Cold Harbor on June 3, 1864, was a particularly bloody encounter; in a few minutes, about 7000 Union men were killed or wounded § Union forces were headed for Richmond § Casualties were very high; Lee’s desperation as troop numbers were depleted led to brutal trench warfare

Appomattox Courthouse, April 9, 1865

Lee Surrenders at Appomattox n With his army starving and getting smaller every day, Lee eventually meets with Grant to sign terms of surrender in Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia

n Lee thought Grant’s terms were generous. n The Confederate Army had to turn over its arms and provide lists of its men. n After that, all Confederate soldiers could go home. n Officers could keep their side-arms, horses and baggage. n 40 hours after Jefferson Davis fled Richmond, Lincoln sat in his office and walked the streets of the former Confederate capital.

Roles played by African-Americans § 180, 000 served in the Union army, made up 10% of § § § § enlistments Participated in about 500 engagements Won 22 Congressional Medals of Honor Extremely heavy casualties; about 38, 000 died, and if captured, were often executed Fort Pillow massacre in Tennessee as they tried to surrender Some slaves served as spies and scouts for the Union South enlisted African-Americans during the last month of the war as an act of desperation About 500, 000 escaped to the North

54 th Massachusetts In the North, all black regiments were being formed. The 54 th Massachusetts gained military fame for leading the failed assault on Fort Wagner. Casualties were at 50%

Election issues in 1864 § Democratic party split: War Democrats are pro. Lincoln, Peace Democrats want to end the war, and Copperheads support the South § Radical Republicans resent Lincoln’s use of power and want to run Salmon Chase § UNION party formed by Republicans and War Democrats § Democrats run Mc. Clellan vs. Lincoln § Andrew Johnson, a War Democrat, is chosen as Lincoln’s running mate to help gain victory

Lincoln’s death and its impact n Shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC on April 14, 1865 n Made things worse for the South and intensified the struggle over Reconstruction; Lincoln had been a moderate and skilled at the political game in ways that Andrew Johnson would prove not to be

Casualties of war Casualty rates for many Civil War battles were at 50%. Nowadays a 10% casualty rate is considered a “bloodbath” Some regiments that began with around 1, 500 men would be reduced to less that 300 in a year.

Toll the war took on the country u Over 600, 000 casualties, which is almost as many as in all other US wars combined u $15 billion in losses u Southern economy paralyzed; the impact of this lingers today u No more ideas about secession and nullification u End of slavery u Despite the destruction, the war served as inspiration for the champions of democracy in the US and around the world…. though the road to equality would be difficult for African-Americans