The Civil War (1861-1865)

The Civil War(1861-1865)

Created by: Sarah Rice

Section 1: The Two Sides

• Main Idea 1: Both the North and the South had strengths and weaknesses that helped determine their military strategies.

• Main Idea 2: Soldiers in the Civil War came from every region, and each side expected an early victory.

Section 1 Vocabulary

•border states•blockade•offensive•Rebel•Yankee

The Border States• Seven left the Union to join the Confederacy• Four remained: Kentucky, Maryland,

Delaware, Missouri• Each had strategic locations for the North, but

were slave states and teetered towards secession

• Missouri=controlled parts of Mississippi River• Kentucky=controlled Ohio River• Maryland=Washington D.C., U.S. government

at risk, close to Richmond• Delaware=close to Philadelphia

Lincoln is Cautious• If Lincoln aims to end slavery, border states

will secede• If he ordered Northern troops into border

states, they might secede

• Result of caution:– Border states stayed in the Union– Many border states’ population joined armies in

the South

Northern Advantages• Larger population• More industry• More abundant resources• More ships and larger railway network• Better banking system • Abraham Lincoln

Northern Disadvantages • Trying to bring Southern states back into the

Union (#1 goal)• Have to invade the South(an unknown

territory), occupy the territory, and subdue a population of millions to win the war

• Not as much people support as the South

Southern Advantages

•Fighting in familiar territory•Military leadership superior•Strong support from the people

Southern Disadvantages

• Smaller population of free men• Possessed few factories to manufacture

weapons + supplies• Produced half as much food as the North• Difficulty in delivering food, weapons, and

supplies due to lack of railway

Main Northern Goal• Bring Southern states back into the

Union• Later on in the war, ending slavery

also becomes a major goal

Main Southern Goal• To win recognition as an

independent nation– This would allow them to preserve their

traditional way of life (slavery)

Northern Strategy• 1. Blockade Southern ports

– to prevent supplies from reaching the South and from the South earning money through exporting cotton

• 2. Gain control of the Mississippi River – to cut Southern supply lines and to divide the

Confederacy• 3. Take control of Richmond, Virginia

– The Confederate capital

Confederacy

Mississippi River (Union)

Southern Strategy• Offensive strategy:

– Moved armies northward to threaten Washington, D.C.

• *Main* Defensive strategy:– Hold onto as much territory as possible

until the North tired of fighting– Thought Britain and France would help

them out since they bought large quantities of cotton

William Tecumseh Sherman and George McClellan

• Union generals

Robert E. Lee• Confederate general

Who Were the Soldiers?• Most came from farms• Young

– Average age was 25 years old– 40% were 21 years or younger

• North later enlists free African Americans • Confederates/South (REBELS) near 112,000

soldiers• Union/North (YANKEES) near 187,000 soldiers

False Hopes• Each side expected an early victory

– They were both wrong.

Section 2: Early Years of War• Main Idea 1: The North realized with the first major

battle that the war would be a long, difficult struggle.

• Main Idea 2: The North set up a blockade along the South’s coastline, which caused serious problems for the South.

• Main Idea 3: The action shifted to the West after the first Battle of Bull Run as each side recognized its forces.

• Main Idea 4: Battles continued and after several Southern victories, Lincoln removed General McClellan for his failure to act in these battles.

Section 2 Vocabulary

• ironclad•casualty• “Stonewall” Jackson•Ulysses S. Grant•George B. McClellan

First Battle of Bull Run• First major battle of the Civil War• Union attacks Confederates• Union pushed back by General Jackson who

fought like a stonewall (aka “Stonewall” Jackson

• Confederates push forward with a strange scream of power (aka Rebel yell)

• Union flees back to Washington D.C.

A Shock for the North• Union was flabbergasted about the retreat• Lincoln recruits volunteers for the army• Hires a new general: George McClellan

War at Sea• Lincoln ordered a naval blockade of Southern ports

• Imports in short supply during the war due to blockade: coffee, shoes, nails, salt, guns, ammunition

• Monitor versus Merrimack– Rebels rebuild the abandoned Yankee warship the

Merrimack with iron plates, renamed it Virginia– Rebels retaliate by sending their new ironclad Monitor to

engage Virginia in battle– Neither ship sank, but Yankee’s Monitor was able to keep

the Merrimack/ Virginia in Northern harbor so they could not do any damage to Northern ships

Early Victories for the North• Ulysses S. Grant captures Confederate’s Fort

Henry on Tennessee River. • Then, he captures Fort Donelson• Nickname became “Unconditional Surrender”

Grant because that is what he told the Confederates the terms were

• Union gains access to lower Tennessee River and a path for troops to march through into the South.

Battle of Shiloh• Confederates launch a surprise attack on

Union in Mississippi• Battle lasted two days, but some of the

bloodiest fighting in all of the war– Day 1: Rebels drive Yankees back to Ten. River– Day 2: Union fight back and push back to Miss.

*20,000 casualties on both sides*Union almost have control of Mississippi River

New Orleans Falls• Union captures New Orleans--South’s

largest city– Rebels could no longer use the river to carry

its goods to sea– Gives Yankees control of almost all the

Mississippi River

McClellan Hesitates• Expert in reorganizing and drilling an army• Too cautious and worried that his troops

weren’t ready so he hesitated to initiate battle• Lincoln directs McClellan to take Richmond,

but McClellan sneaks around enemy sizing up their strength

• “You must act,” Lincoln ordered him. He didn’t.

• This gave Rebels time to defend Richmond.

• Finally, when McClellan does fight, they are outnumbered.

• Launch into the Seven Days’ Battles – Confederates circle around Union army and spy to

learn about Union positions– Then the Rebels force Yankees back– Yankees fail to capture Richmond– Restores Rebel hope

Gloom in the North• Disheartened by Richmond failure• Confederates win the Second Battle of Bull

Run, allowing them to keep Richmond– This Confederate victory brought Rebels closer to

Washington, D.C., which posed a huge threat for the Yankees

Lee Enters Maryland• General Robert E. Lee tries to convince

Maryland to become part of the Confederacy• Two soldiers find Lee’s copy of attack orders

wrapped around three cigars– McClellan learns Lee’s plans and that his army was

divided into four parts (Trevor Trivia)– McClellan’s big opportunity to redeem himself has

arrived– But he was too cautious again and he waited four

days to attack, giving Lee enough time to gather his troops together

Battle of Antietam• September 17th—single most bloodiest day of the entire

war• Casualties were heavy on both sides, but neither army

was destroyed• Lee withdraws to Virginia and Union takes this as a

victory– McClellan ignored Lincoln’s order to pursue the

Rebels and destroy them– Lincoln fires McClellan and replaces him with General

Ambrose Burnside *Lincoln uses this major victory as a sign to take action

against slavery. He begins this new conquest.

Section 3: A Call to Freedom

• Main Idea 1: Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which led to the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment freeing enslaved Americans.

• Main Idea 2: The Civil War provided opportunities for African Americans to contribute to the war effort.

Section 3 Vocabulary:

• emancipate• ratify

Lincoln’s Official Position• At first, Lincoln thought slavery was immoral

but did not want to move against it in fear of losing the border states

• “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…I do because I believe it helps to save the Union.” ~ Abraham Lincoln 1862

Weakening Slavery• Slavery helped the South because slaves

raised crops to feed the armies and did the heavy work in the trenches at army camps

• Therefore, Lincoln decided to emancipate all enslaved African Americans in the South

Rotten to the Core

• Lincoln saw America as becoming rotten by the nasty worm Slavery

• Who wants to fight for a nation with a rotten core?

• America could no longer speak of liberty and equality and be cruel and hateful to a large group of its own people.

Emancipation Proclamation• “…all persons held as slaves within any

state…in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.” ~ The Emancipation Proclamation January 1, 1863

• “ I never, in my life, felt more certain that I was doing right than in signing this paper.”

~Abraham Lincoln

Effects of the Proclamation1) Applied only to areas the Confederacy

controlled, but African Americans in the North were happy about it

2) Britain and France were against slavery, so they didn’t want to help the Confederacy even though they bought cotton from them

3) 1865 Congress passes the Thirteenth Amendment—abolished all slavery in the U.S. (this is what truly freed enslaved Americans)

Civil War Changes the South• Loss of population due to many slaves

fleeing to the North• Slave rebellions because Rebels refused to

let African Americans into the army• Eventually, Rebels plea with slaves to join

the Confederate army in exchange for freedom to fight for the country they love instead of doing the “slave” work for the armies. (The war ended before any African American regiments could be organized)

Civil War Changes the North• Lincoln at first sends back all runaway slaves who wanted to

fight for the Union because he didn’t want to stir up a problem

• The ones who stayed were called contrabands: property seized from the enemy

• 1862 Congress passes a law allowing African Americans to serve in both the Union army and navy

• African American regiments were separate– 54th Massachusetts most famous African Am. Regiment– Their bravery attacking Confederates won deep respect

for all African American troops

Section 4: Life During the Civil War• Main Idea 1: In both the North and the

South, civilians and soldiers suffered terrible hardships and faced new challenges.

• Main Idea 2: Many Northern and Southern women took on new responsibilities during the war.

• Main Idea 3: The war efforts of the Union and the Confederate governments faced opposition.

• Main Idea 4: The war created economic problems in the North and in the South.

Section 4: Vocabulary• habeas corpus• draft• bounty• inflation• Dorothea Dix• Clara Barton

Reality of War• Soldiers’ lives were filled with boredom,

discomfort, sickness, fear, and horror• Daily drills, bad food, marches, and rain• Medical facilities were overwhelmed• Rebels also suffered from starvation

Women and the War• Women became teachers, office workers,

nurses, and spies– Clara Barton- famous for her work with wounded

soldiers– Dorothea Dix- organized women to serve as

military nurses• They did jobs to help troops

– Rolled bandages, wove blankets, made ammunition, collected food/clothing/medicine, and raised money

Marching Soldiers• Where do they sleep?• What do they eat?• How do they stay warm

and dry?

Army Food—Yum? No—Yuck!• Southern army ate “sloosh”

– Fried bacon and then cornmeal dough wetted by bacon grease, which was then cooked around their ramrods over a campfire.

• Northern army had water, soft bread, flour, coffee, bacon, and a heavy cracker called “hardtack”

Life at Home• Northern families saw war from a distance• Everyday life in the North suffered little disruption• Southern life was dramatically changed

– Lost crops, homes, shortage in food and everyday clothing, medicine, and amenities

– Northern soldiers burned abandoned houses, stole, destroyed railroads, burned crops, and destroyed cities

– Economy of the South suffered immensely due to destruction of crops along with railways and ports being blocked (no exports)• Leads to inflation-increase in prices to make

money

Draft Laws• Volunteers for the Union and Confederacy were

decreasing • The Confederate Congress passed a draft law

– Draft law: required men between 18 and 35 to serve in the army for three years

– A male could substitute someone in his place if he was drafted

• The Union encouraged enlistment by offering bounties (payments to encourage volunteers)– This method fails so they too draft men, but from

the ages 20-45

The First Modern War• Civil War is called the first “modern” war because it

required the total commitment of resources

Section 5: The Way to Victory• Main Idea 1: After Confederate victories in

Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, a turning point occurred when Union forces won in Gettysburg and Vicksburg.

• Main Idea 2: The end of the war in sight with Sherman’s capture of Atlanta and Grant’s pursuit of the Confederates in Virginia.

• Main Idea 3: After four years of war that claimed the lives of more than 600,000 Americans, the Northern forces defeated the Southern forces.

Section Five: Vocabulary

• entrench• total war

Victories and Failures• Union General Burnside fails to take Rebels in

the Battle of Fredericksburg, so Burnside resigns and is replaced by General Joseph Hooker

• Hooker disobeys Lincoln so he is replaced by General George Meade

• General Lee also defeats Yankees at the Battle of Chancellorsville, but Rebel General Stonewall Jackson is killed

Total War:• Union troops took what food they needed

and tore up railroad lines and fields on purpose in an effort to destroy anything useful to the South.

• The Union also hoped this would destroy the moral of the Southerners and they’d stop supporting the war

• Their destruction was about 50 miles wide

The Battle of Gettysburg• Yankees and Rebels met by accident in 1863

and head into a three day battle. • (Lee was marching to the North hoping to fight Yankees on

their home ground to know the pain they’ve caused the South).• Lee decided to create a panic of overwhelming

numbers marching toward the Yanks and fire off canons for a consistent two hours, which would destroy the Union army

• Lee loses because Union troops were hidden behind a ridge and shot down over half of the exposed Confederate soldiers

Abe Is Disobeyed Again• Abe orders an attack on Lee’s retreating army

to finish them off and end the war• General Meade was too cautious like General

McClellan and didn’t act• “We had them in our grasp. We had only to

stretch forth our hands and they were ours,” stated Lincoln.

Victory at Vicksburg• Yankees capture Vicksburg in 1863• This allows Yankees to have the entire control

of the Mississippi River

** Victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg become the climax of the Civil War

Lincoln at Gettysburg• Lincoln dedicates a cemetery for all soldiers

both Union and Confederate lost at Gettysburg

• He writes a beautiful speech called the “Gettysburg Address”– “…It is for us the living…that this dead shall not

have died in vain-that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom; and that this government, of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” ~Abraham Lincoln

The Election of 1864• Lincoln battles for presidency with McClellan and the

odds were not in his favor• Abraham Lincoln gets reelected as president after

Union restored faith in him by his order of taking control of the Gulf of Mexico, which was a success

• Lincoln stresses peace with all nations in his Inaugural Address on March 4, 1865

Surrender at Appomattox• Union army blocks Confederates of any escape

– “There is nothing left for me to do but go and see General Grant, and I [would] rather die a thousand deaths,” General Lee.

– On April 9, 1865, General Lee surrender at the Appomattox Court House

– General Grant allows Confederates to go home, keep their horses, and three days worth of food to all the Conf. hungry troops

– THE CIVIL WAR IS OVER

Tragedy Strikes• President Lincoln does not live to see the

end of the war• On April 15, 1865 (five days after Lee’s

surrender) he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth

• This was a tragedy for both the North and South because he was the only person who could mend the country back together

• It was the “heaviest blow which has ever fallen upon the people of the South,” a Richmond newspaper stated.

Results of the War• More than 600,000 soldiers died• Caused the U.S. billions of dollars in damage• South’s economy was in total state of collapse• 2/3rds of transportation systems lay in ruins• Bitter feelings among Southerners that lasted

for generations to come• North’s victory saved the Union• Federal government was strengthened and

more powerful than the states

Results of the War• Freedom of millions of African American • 13th Amendment 1865: no slaves in ALL U.S.• 14th Amendment 1868: equal protection of the

law to ALL Americans• 15th Amendment 1870: all citizens have the

right to vote (didn’t specify if women were citizens so they couldn’t vote still)

New Questions• How do does the Union bring Southern states

back into the Union?• How do now free African Americans coincide

with white Americans in the South?

• We now try to answer these questions in the period now as the Reconstruction.