CIVIL WAR

Amanda DonnerSt. James High School

Key Figures of the Civil WarThe Union

Abraham Lincoln

President of the United States of America and the first Republican president in history

Ulysses S. Grant An effective general

in the Union’s Western battles, eventual commander of the entire Union army, defeated the South and accepted Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, 18th president of the United States

George McClellan

Young, talented general in the Union, Lincoln’s first choice to command the union forces, too cautious and hesitant to attack, fired twice for lack of aggression, Democratic nominee for president against Lincoln in 1864

William Tecumseh Sherman

Union general in command of the western forces, captured Atlanta in 1864 signaling the end for the South, most remembered for his “march to the sea” in which he burned and destroyed southern cities and railroads to trap General Lee between him and Grant

Key Figures of the Civil WarThe Confederacy

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America

Robert E. Lee

Assumed command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, despire impressive victories, he didn’t have enough manpower to win the war, surrendered to Grant in 1865

Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson

Confederate general and right hand man to Robert E. Lee, noted for his ability to use geography to his advantage, led troops to victory at Chancellorsville, some say the South may have won had he been at Gettysburg

Advantages for the North

Both sides enjoyed certain advantages and weaknesses during the course of the Civil War

Ultimately, the Union’s strengths proved to be too great for the Confederacy to overcome

For starters, the North had more railway lines, which allowed supplies and troops to be transported to more locations and at a faster pace

Industrialization wins out

The Union also had more factories for producing guns, ammunition, shoes for soldiers, etc.

In addition, it already had an established government and a standing army with which to fight and administer a war

Finally, the Union states were home to two-thirds of the nation’s population

Not only did this mean they had more soldiers to fight, but it also supplied the needed labor force to keep the northern economy going and supply war needs

Southern Advantages

The South did enjoy some advantages For one, the South initially had better

military commanders In fact, General Robert E. Lee, who

eventually commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, was such a brilliant and respected commander that he was originally offered commando f the Union forces by President Lincoln

He declined because he could not bring himself to fight against his homeland of Virginia

Home field Advantage

In addition, although the South had fewer men, it also did not need as many because it intended to fight a war of attrition

In other words, the South would fight a defensive war designed to inflict enough damage to wear down its enemy’s will to fight

Much like the colonies during the American Revolution, the confederacy believed it didn’t need to win the war, it only needed to resist long enough for the Union to give up

You gotta fight for your right

Lastly, the South had the advantage of motivation

Southerners saw themselves fighting for states’ rights or the right of a state to decide issues like slavery for themselves

Thus, they felt they were defending their homeland, their way of life, and the right to govern themselves

In this respect, they identified themselves with the founders of the US who had fought for the same principles against the British

Key Battles of the Civil War The First Battle of Bull Run (July 21,

1861) was the first confrontation between the two armies and a humiliating defeat for the Union forces

Because they were only 30 miles from Washington, DC, the victorious confederates could have invaded the capital had they been better organized

Instead, they failed to pursue the retreating Union army and missed a golden opportunity

It’s gonna be a long one

The battle made it evident that the war would be longer than expected and led Lincoln to adopt General Winfield Scott’s “Anaconda Plan”

This plan involved surrounding the Confederacy and cutting off all supply lines, like an anaconda wraps around its prey and squeezes the life out of it

The Anaconda Plan

Hey it worked!

It restricted southern trade, transportation, and communications by seizing control of the Mississippi River, cutting Confederate territory in half, and instituted coastal blockades or the use of naval power to keep ships from entering or leaving enemy ports

Smugglers often used ships called “blockade runners” to get through these blockades and supply the South with goods

Naval Battles

The Civil War saw innovations in naval technology

The Confederates created an ironclad or a warship shielded with iron to protect it from enemy fire

They made it from an old wooden steamship called the Merrimack

The Union navy’s wooden ships found themselves powerless against this innovative weapon

We want one ,too

In response, the Union finally built an ironclad of their own called the Monitor

On March 9, 1862, the two ships met in battle off the coast of Virginia

After several hours of fighting, the Merrimack withdrew with neither ships suffering much damage

Eventually the South blew up the Merrimack to keep it from falling into enemy hands and the Monitor sunk during a storm

This began a new era in naval warfare

Did you ever go see the Hunley?

The Civil War also marked the first time that submarines or ships that remain entirely under water, were used as American weapons of warfare.

The Union was actually the first to use a sub, but no Union submarine ever engaged in battle with a confederate ship

The most notable Confederate sub was the CSS Hunley

I could have never been on a sub

It’s still in Charleston

The Hunley was intended to sink Union ships blockading Confederate harbors.

On February 18, 1864, it became the first North American submarine to successfully sink an enemy ship

Unfortunately for the South, the Hunley also sank during the same battle

Second Battle of Bull Run

On land, the war was fought on two primary fronts, or theaters: eastern and western

In 1862, Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia after General Joseph Johnston was wounded

One of his first major victories came at the Second Battle of Bull Run

The battle ended Union hopes of invading Richmond and emboldened Lee to attempt invasion of the North

The Bloodiest Single Day in American History

Lee and his generals tried to maintain secrecy as they made preparations for their invasion

Meanwhile, General McClellan (the Union’s commanding general), remained unaware of the Confederate army’s whereabouts until a copy of Lee’s orders were found wrapped around some cigars at an abandoned Confederate army camp

How lucky was that?

Now aware of Lee’s plans, McClellan saw to it that Lee met a prepared Union force at Antietam Creek, Maryland

The battle of Antietam proved to be the bloodiest single day of the war, halting the Confederate advance

McClellan hesitated, however, and let Lee’s army slip away to fight another day

HE STOOD LIKE A STONE WALL

The battle of Chancellorsville is known by many as “Lee’s perfect battle” because of the great planning and good fortune that aided the Confederates

Thanks to the efforts of his most gifted general, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Lee’s army defeated more than 70,000 Union troops with only 40,000 Confederate troops

Unfortunately for the Confederacy however, Jackson, was accidentally shot by his own troops scouting the enemy’s position at night.

And I quote

They had to amputate his left arm, leading to Lee’s famous quote:

“Jackson has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right”

Although his injuries did not initially seem life threatening, Jackson died after contracting pneumonia during his recovery

As a result, Robert E. Lee was without his most talented and reliable commander at Gettysburg

Four score and seven years ago…..

Fought just outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the battle of Gettysburg was a key turning point in the Civil War

Without Jackson to assist him, Lee’s forces proved less aggressive than usual and failed to win valuable high ground early in the battle

Union forces under the command of General George Meade defeated Lee’s army and ended any hope that the South had of successfully invading the North

More death, more blood shed With more than 51,000 soldiers killed,

wounded or missing, Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the entire Civil War over a three day period.

Four months later President Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address at a ceremony dedicating a cemetery on the sight of the battlefield

Although a relatively short speech, it was powerful affirmation of Lincoln’s desire to see the Union survive and the nation reunited

This is the only confirmed picture of Lincoln at Gettysburg

In the west

In the West

In the late spring of 1863, the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi was the last Confederate obstacle to total Union control of the Mississippi River

Ignoring advice to withdraw, General Ulysses S. Grant laid siege, a strategy by which an army surrounds its enemy, cuts off their supplies, and starves them into surrendering, to Vicksburg for almost to months

By the time the town finally surrendered on July 4, residents had been reduced to eating horses, mules, dogs and even rats

“Sherman’s coming, Sherman’s coming”

Making their way from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Union forces under the command of William Tecumseh Sherman captured Atlanta in Septmeber of 1864, there by helping President Lincoln to win reelection

Then after burning the city, Sherman’s continued his “march to the sea”

“War is hell”

In this march, Sherman and his men destroyed bridges, factories, and railroad lines

Union forces cut a nearly 300 mile long and forty mile wide path of total destruction across Georgia to Savannah then straight up north through South Carolina into North Carolina intending to trap Lee’s army between himself and the forces of U. S. Grant