Chapter 15

The States at War

The Civil War

• Both the North and South claimed that God represented their side.

• This belief led some to question providence, God’s control over all events

Raising Northern Forces

• The states were responsible for recruiting soldiers. Most states paid a bounty, or bonus to volunteers

• After the volunteers dwindled, Congress passed a conscription (draft) law to raise an army

• Those drafted could hire a substitute or pay $300 to get out of service

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Raising Southern Forces

• The South initially had no problem raising forces but was forced to use a draft after the first year

• One of the ways used to get out of service was the Twenty-Negro Law which stated that anyone who owned 20 slaves did not have to fight

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Preparing Civilians for War

• The Civil War was an example of total war, one that involved both the military and civilians

• Many times, civilians were forced to give up their homes for a period of time or house soldiers passing through

Northern Preparations

• With the men at war, women began to work in factories

• The increase in machinery also allowed the same amount of goods to be produced with fewer workers

• Private volunteer groups, called commissions, helped purchase medicine and reading material for soldiers

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Southern Preparations

• The South was hindered by their lack of factories and effective transportation system.

• Agriculture was also hurt greatly in the South due to many workers going to war

Modern Warfare

• Many new methods and weapons were used for the first time

• Both sides used air balloons to gain a vantage point of the other side. The telegraph was also instrumental

• New bullets were used by both sides that had devastating consequences

Modern Warfare

• Warships began to be constructed from iron, giving them an advantage over wooden ships

• Photography was improving and provided insight into the conditions that soldiers dealt with

• Matthew Brady formed a team of photographers to follow the troops and record the war

Strategies of War

• The North had to be more aggressive to win the war.

• Winfield Scott created the Anaconda Plan which focused on blockading the South and dividing the states

Civil War Amputations

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The First Battle of Bull Run

• The Union army was getting pressure to fight. General Irvin McDowell led the march to Richmond where an audience was waiting

• The Confederates learned of the attack and combined troops under Joseph E. Johnston and P.G.T. Beauregard

• The Confederate army was inspired by Thomas Jackson who held firm and earned the nickname “Stonewall” Jackson

Results of Bull Run

• The Battle of Bull Run was won by the South and affected both sides.

• Lincoln promoted George McClellan to lead a new army. McClellan helped get the Union army trained

Defeats for the North

• McClellan was being pressured to attack Richmond but delayed by saying he needed more time and men

• Lincoln eventually ordered him at attack and McClellan caught Joseph Johnston by surprise but McClellan delayed again

Defeats for the North

• The situation got worse for the Union after Joseph Johnston was injured and replaced by Robert E. Lee, who routed the Union army and pushed them back to their starting point

The Second Battle of Bull Run

• Lincoln replaced McClellan with John Pope who led a new attack

• Robert E. Lee left half his army in Richmond and sent the other half after Pope.

• J.E.B. Stuart robbed Pope’s headquarters and stole $300,000 and the plans for the Union army

• The Second Battle of Bull Run ended just like the first with Union troops running back to Washington

The Union Blockade

• Lincoln had ordered a naval blockade of the southern coast from South Carolina to Mexico to prevent entry or exit of passengers or commerce

• The South fought the blockade with blockade runners, ships designed to slip through the blockade

Taking the Mississippi

• The Union focus soon shifted to the Mississippi River. William Sherman referred to it as the “spinal column of America”

• Ulysses S. Grant was given the job of taking the upper Mississippi

• Admiral David Farragut led the capture of New Orleans and the lower Mississippi

• Vicksburg, Mississippi was the last Confederate town on the Mississippi to fall

Battle of Antietam

• Lee was on the offensive and hoped to get Britain to support the Confederacy

• McClellan was unsure of where Lee would attack until his soldiers found Lee’s lost plans in a road. McClellan attacked at Antietam but hesitated again and allowed Lee to escape

• Nearly 23,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in this battle

Fredericksburg

• Ambrose Burnside replaced McClellan and led an attack at Fredericksburg.

• Burnside failed and lost twice as many men as the Confederates

• Lincoln replaced Burnside with another general, “Fighting Joe” Hooker

Chancellorsville and Gettysburg

• Joe Hooker led his troops to Chancellorsville with troops outnumbering Lee’s by 70,000. Despite this, Lee led the Confederates to victory

• Lee thought that if he had a victory in the North, the tide of the war would change.

• He decided to attack at Gettysburg

Lee’s Advance

• Lee headed to Pennsylvania to fight against George Meade, who had replaced Joe Hooker

• James Longstreet was ordered to attack the Union army but was beaten back

• General George Pickett led 15,000 troops in a brave attack but many were killed or wounded

• Pickett’s Charge was unsuccessful and the Confederacy was forced to retreat

The Emancipation Proclamation

• After 2 years of fighting, both sides are weary of war

• Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to gain support for the war

• This created chaos for the South as many slaves fled their masters

Destruction of the South

• Lincoln found the perfect general for him in Ulysses Grant who was willing to fight a war of attrition that would wear down and possibly destroy the South

Sheridan in the Shenandoah

• The Union is willing to take any steps necessary to win the war

• Philip Sheridan was sent to destroy the food source in the Shenandoah valley which he does by killing livestock and burning houses, barns and crops

Rosecrans in Tennessee

• William Rosecrans led Union troops to battle at Chickamauga Creek where he was defeated by General Longstreet

• Union general George Thomas, however held firm and was given the nickname, the Rock of Chickamauga

March to the Sea

• William Sherman is given the job of taking control of Georgia. He burned Atlanta to the ground and destroyed many other areas also

• Bummers, Confederate and Union deserters, added to the problem by scavenging

• His March to the Sea created bitterness toward the North

The Election of 1864

• Lincoln runs against his former general, George McClellan

• Andrew Johnson, a senator from Tennessee, is chosen to appeal to the South and helps him win reelection

The Road to Richmond

• Ulysses Grant took steps to end the war and moved his army into a wooded area called “the Wilderness”

• Grant lost 18,000 men there and 50,000 in one month but continued to push forward

• Grant surrendered Lee’s army and cut off their supply lines

Surrender

• After evacuating Petersburg, Robert E. Lee tried to link with another army but was blocked

• Lee met Grant at Appomattox Courthouse to surrender

• Other Confederate armies began to follow suit

Lincoln’s Assassination

• While watching a play with his wife, Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth, an actor and Confederate supporter

• Lincoln died the next morning and Booth died by suicide or being shot by a pursuer

• Lincoln’s death may have caused the situation to become harsher for the South