Chapter22-TheCivilWar

QuickFactsTwoSides TheNORTH TheSOUTHNation:

UnitedStatesofAmericaFormedonJuly4,1776

ConfederateStatesofAmericaFormedonFeb.9,1861

President:

AbrahamLincoln

JeffersonDavis

General: UlyssesS.Grant

RobertE.Lee

Nickname: TheUnion,Yankees TheConfederates,RebelsColors:

Blue Grey

States:

20Maine,NewYork,NewHampshire,Vermont,Massachusetts,Connecticut,RhodeIsland,Pennsylvania,NewJersey,Ohio,Kansas,Illinois,Michigan,Indiana,Wisconsin,Minnesota,Iowa,California,andOregon

11SouthCarolinawasthefirsttosecede.ThenGeorgia,Mississippi,Texas,Florida,Alabama,Louisiana,Virginia,NorthCarolina,Tennessee,andArkansas.

The US started the Civil war with 33 states and by the end of the war there were 36 staes. Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri were called Border States. They were between the North and the South. They were slave-holding states but did not secede from the Union.

Background

After Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th President on November 6, 1860, the state of South Carolina seceded in December that year. Seceded means to separate or leave. By February 9, 1861 the new nation of The Confederates State of America was formed. A total of eleven states will end up being part of the Confederacy by April 1861. The Civil War began on April 12, 1861 when Confederate soldiers attacked Fort Sumter, South Carolina. President Lincoln wants to restore the Union. But, the South wants to be recognized as a sovereign nation. The Confederacy elected Jefferson Davis as their president. The Confederate capitol was designated at Richmond, Virginia.

Section 1

Advantages and Disadvantages Economy, Resources, Geography, Population and Transportation The North began with impressive strengths. Its population was about 22 million, compared to the South‘s 9 million. The North was both richer and more technologically advanced in the south. About 90% of the nations manufacturing, and most of its banks, were in the north. The North had geographic advantages too. It had more farms to provided food for troops. Northern land contained most of the countries iron, coal, copper and gold. These minerals were used to make weapons. The north controlled the seas with a stronger larger navy. It also had 21,000 miles of railroad tracks that allowed troops and supplies to be transported wherever they were needed. The South did have important geographic disadvantages. If the Union could control the Mississippi River, they could split the confederacy into two. The South main weaknesses were economy and its transportation systems. The regions agriculturally based economy could not support a long war. It had a few factories to produce guns and other military supplies. The Confederacy also faced serious transportation problems. The South lacked railroads that are needed to haul troops or other supplies over long distances. They had relied on steamships as their major transportation for goods. The South had geographic advantages as well. Their strategy to win the war was being on defense. The North would have to invade and conquer the South. The sheer size of the South made this an overwhelming task. The South could win simply by defending its territory until the Northerners grew tired of fighting. Advantages and Disadvantages Leadership and Strategies At the time of secession, Jefferson Davis was a US senator from Mississippi. He left the seat of Senator to become the newly elected president of the Confederacy. He called for volunteers to defend the South. He was a firm believer in states rights. He referred to the Declaration of Independence and he believed that the South was fighting for the same freedoms mentioned by the founding fathers. The South’s greatest strength was its military leadership. Most of Americas best military officers were Southerners who chose to fight for the confederacy. Robert E Lee was not a supporter of either slavery or secession but he decided he could not fight against his native state of Virginia. Lee resigned from the US Army to become the commander-in-chief of the Confederate forces of the South. The North’s greatest advantage was its newly elected president, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln never wavered from his belief that the Union must return as one. He referred to the Declaration of Independence many times during his presidency and that the Civil War was to preserve the Union and ideals that were fought for in the American Revolution. However the North’s greatest weakness was its military leadership. At the start of the war, about 1/3 of the military officers resigned, and they returned to their homes in the South. During much of the war, Lincoln searched for effective generals who could lead the union to victory. Lincoln finally found the general he needed in Ulysses S Grant. Grants views on war were quite straightforward. Strike them as hard as you can and as often as you can, and keep moving on. This strategy was called Total War. Grant mapped out a plan for ending the war.

Northerners hoped for a quick victory using the Anaconda Plan. But it took 4 years for it be completed.

§ Step 1 of the Anaconda Plan was to blockade the South ports and cut off its trade. In 1861, the Union navy launched the blockade. By the end of the year, most ports in the south were close to foreign ships.

§ Step 2 was to divide the confederacy by gaining control of the Mississippi River. The step started in 1862, but would not be completed until 1863 at the battle of Vicksburg.

§ Grant added a step 3… he would lead a large force against Lee to capture Richmond. At the same

time, General William Tecumseh Sherman would lead a second army into Georgia to take Atlanta.

Section 2 Key Battles and Events The Civil War will last four years, from 1861-1865. Throughout the war there were many battles where many soldiers from both sides were wounded or killed. Here are some of the major battles and events. The Battle of Bull Run

§ The North was trying to attack the South by surprise. Union troops left D.C. to capture Richmond, Virginia. The attack was supposed to be a surprise but General Lee found out the Union troops were on their way. A lady named Rose Greenhow sent a secret message telling the Rebels about it. Lee had his troops ready. The Confederate troops were led by General “Stonewall” Jackson who defeated the inexperienced Union troops. He earned the nickname “Stonewall” after this battle because he kept the line against the North strong against the Union attack. Upon observing Jackson, one of his fellow generals reportedly said, “Look, men, there is Jackson standing like a stone wall!” The North fled back. It was a great victory for the South. Shocked by the loss, President Lincoln realized winning the war would not be easy. Lee was a superior general and Lincoln needed a stronger military leader for the North.

The Battle of Antietam

§ General Lee sent his Confederate troops to Maryland in the North to show his army’s strength. But this time, the Union troops were ready and pounded the Rebel South. This was the Bloodiest battle so far. Many men died in the cornfields of Antietam. The South had 2,770 dead and 11,000 were wounded or missing. The North had 2,100 dead and 10,300 were wounded or missing. Lee retreated back to Virginia. America was never the same after losing 23,000 men in one battle.

Emancipation Proclamation

§ Lincoln issued a formal document as an executive order called Emancipation Proclamation. It declared slaves in the “rebellious” states to be free. The Confederate states ignored the document.

§ European nations opposed slavery and would not support the side that did not want slavery to end. This would hurt the Southern economy even further,

§ Border States (Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland or Delaware) were slave-holding states but because they did not secede, Lincoln omitted or excluded from the Emancipation Proclamation.

§ The document also stated that African American could now serve for the Union military.

The Battle of Gettysburg § General Lee attempts to take the war to the North again by taking his troops to a northern city in

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was a victory for the Union but this was a 3-day battle that had major losses on both sides. The North had 17,500 killed or wounded and the South had 23,000 killed or wounded. A total of over 50,000 Americans. Hearing about this horrible deadly battle, Lincoln traveled to the battle site to honor the men that died. He read his famous speech, the Gettysburg Address at the new cemetery.

The Battle of Vicksburg

§ The city of Vicksburg was a stronghold on the Mississippi River for the Confederates. They needed that city to stay in the hands of the South in order to protect the Mississippi River area. The Union attacked the city by land and sea for 6 weeks. Low on food and supplies, the Confederate soldiers finally surrendered. Jail was a better alternative than starving to death in the eyes of the Confederate soldiers. With the Union in control of Vicksburg, the Mississippi River was now a Union waterway and the Confederacy was cut in two. Step 2 in Anaconda Plan was complete.

Sherman Captures Atlanta

§ In September of 1864, General Sherman, with orders from Grant, marched into Georgia to get to the city of Atlanta. The plan was called “Total War”. General Sherman promised to “make Atlanta howl”. His goal was to destroy the last supply base for the Confederacy. Atlanta was the South’s most important rail and manufacturing center. He set the factories and rail stations on fire. Later in the year he would march to and capture Savannah, Georgia. Sherman’s troops burned everything they found of value including fields, homes, hay and food.

Fourscoreandsevenyearsagoourfathersbroughtforthonthiscontinent,anewnation,conceivedinLiberty,anddedicatedtothepropositionthatallmenarecreatedequal.Nowweareengagedinagreatcivilwar,testingwhetherthatnation,oranynationsoconceivedandsodedicated,canlongendure.Wearemetonagreatbattlefieldofthatwar.Wehavecometodedicateaportionofthatfield,asafinalrestingplaceforthosewhoheregavetheirlivesthatthatnationmightlive.Itisaltogetherfittingandproperthatweshoulddothis.…weherehighlyresolvethatthesedeadshallnothavediedinvain--thatthisnation,underGod,shallhaveanewbirthoffreedom--andthatgovernmentofthepeople,bythepeople,forthepeople,shallnotperishfromtheearth.AbrahamLincolnNovember19,1863

Section 3

The Civil War Ends

§ Grant’s forces go to step three of the Anaconda Plan and attack Lee’s army for 9 days as they march into Richmond, Virginia. They surround Lee’s army. On April 4, 1865, dressed in full uniform, General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant at The Appomattox Court House in Virginia. Lee said, “There is nothing left for me to do but go see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths.” Grant does not want to insult the Confederate soldiers after winning. He wanted the South and the North to heal and become one nation again. He pardons Lee’s soldiers to show kindness and that they are fellow countrymen.

§ The pardon included: Confederate soldiers could go home if they promised to fight no longer. They

could take their own horses and mules for spring plowing (farming). Officers could keep their swords and weapons. Grant also ordered food to be sent to Lee’s men. Lee accepted the terms.

The Cost of War

§ Billions of dollars had been spent on the conflict. Almost every family had lost a member or friend. More than 620,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died. More soldiers died during the Civil War than in all the other U.S. wars combined.

§ Thousands came home missing an arm or a leg. It took generations for the South to recover from the environmental destruction brought on by the war. Croplands lay in ruins. 2/5th of the South’s livestock had been destroyed.

After the War

§ On April 14, 1865, five days after the war ended, Lincoln was watching a play at the Ford Theater in D.C. A confederate named John Wilkes Booth walked up behind Lincoln and shot him in the head, assassinating the president. Booth thought he would save the Confederacy by killing Lincoln.

Section 4 Modern War

§ The death was a horrifying fact of the Civil War that showed the new realities of “modern” war. Improved weapons were more advanced, like rifles instead of muskets, which were more accurate in killing over long distances. Improved canons and artillery also made it easier for armies to attack from away.

§ Medical care was not as advanced. Battle death tolls were staggering. Thousands of soldiers died from infections and diseases than wounds. Most men faced amputations as a solution for their sever injuries. Nurses at this time, worked heroically as they cared for the sick and wounded. Poor sanitation in the hospitals led to the spread of infectious diseases like typhoid, typhus, and dysentery. This mostly occurred due to lack of medical information and important medicines such as antibiotics had not yet been discovered.

Recent burials at City Point Hospital

Ironclad Vessels: The Battle of the Merrimac and the Monitor § Union forces withdrew from the navy port in Norfolk, Virginia. When they left, they also left behind

a warship named the Merrimac. The Confederacy began with no navy. They took the wooden Merrimac and placed iron plates to make it more powerful to ram into other ships. The Union navy built its own ironclad ship called the Monitor.

§ In March 1862, The Merrimac, which the Confederates had renamed the Virginia, sailed north to

attack Union ships. The union fired cannonballs at the Virginia but it did nothing to the iron monster. They destroyed three wooden ships and threatened the entire Union blockade fleet.

§ The next morning, the Virginia was unmarked by the Monitor. The two ironclad vessels exchange

shots for hours before with the drawing. Neither side had a victory but at the same time, neither side was harmed.

§ The battle of the Merrimack and the Monitor showed that ironclad ships were superior to wooden

vessels. Afterwards both Union and Confederate navies added ironclads plates to their vessels. However, the South was not able to build enough ships to end the Union blockade of southern harbors. The North was able to complete step one of the Anaconda plan using ironclad ships.

Women’s Participation in the Civil War

§ When the men went to fight in the war, women had to take over the duties in running the

farms and the business. Many women went to work in the factories for the first while others worked as nurses, teachers and in government jobs. Other women served in the military as spies, messengers, smugglers, and scouts. Rose Greenhow, spied for the Confederacy until she was caught and later moved to the South, where President Davis welcomed her as a hero.

§ Women who volunteered to help the sick and wounded soldiers. Prior to the Civil War, Dorothea Dix was well known for her help to improve the conditions and treatments of the mentally ill. During the Civil War she worked in the Union military hospitals and enforced the women nurses’ organization. She wanted all her nurses to be over the age of 30 and to dress plainly to avoid tempting the male soldiers and doctors. Dix forbade her nurses from wearing jewelry, makeup and bows. She trained her nurses to be physically strong and be willing to do unpleasant work. Her strict rules earned her the nickname “Dragon Dix.”

§ Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross. She had her members, mostly women, worked

in the battlefields versus the military hospitals. They tended the troops where they fell in battle. She was looked at as “the angel of the battlefield.”

Dorothea Dix Clara Barton

• African Americans and the War

§ 186,000 African Americans enlisted with the Union army. They were less trained and poorly equipped. They risked death or enslavement if captured. Even though, fought with great courage to save the Union.

§ The 54th regiment of Massachusetts was one of the first organized black infantry. There were

1,000 soldiers and two of them happen to be the sons of Fredrick Douglas. Blacks were paid less than white solders. They protested this injustice and refused to accept any pay. Congress finally granted the soldiers equal pay. After three months of training, the 54th regiment was sent to Fort Wagner, South Carolina to be part of the attack. It was an impossible mission and nearly half of their men died. They retreated but were respected widely across the Union for their bravery.

**The Civil War

The Civil War Begins (April 12, 1861) - The South attacks Fort Sumter South Carolina and starts the war. More States leave the Union (April 1861) - within a short period of time Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas all leave the Union to join the Confederacy. Union Blockade (April 19, 1861) - Abraham Lincoln announces the Union Blockade where the Union Navy will attempt to keep supplies from entering or leaving the Confederacy. This blockade will weaken the Confederacy later in the war. General Grant calls it the Anaconda Plan (1. block the coasts, 2. control the Mississippi River and 3. capture the Confederate capitol in Richmond, Virginia).

Many Battles of 1861 and 1862 - Throughout 1861 and 1862 there were many battles where lots of soldiers from both sides were wounded and killed. Some of the major battles include the First and Second Battles of Bull Run, The Battle of Shiloh, and The Battle of Antietam. A very important battle in the South was the Battle of Vicksburg, where the Union takes control of the Mississippi River. There was also the famous sea battle between the two ironclad battleships the Monitor and the Merrimac. These ships had iron or steel plates on their sides for armor making them much stronger and changing war on the seas forever. Emancipation Proclamation (Jan. 1, 1863) - President Lincoln issues an executive order freeing many slaves and laying the groundwork for the Thirteenth Amendment. The Battle of Gettysburg (July 1, 1863) - A 3 day battle with the most deaths in any battle of the Civil War. The North not only wins the battle, but also starts to win the Civil War. Lincoln reads the Gettysburg Address to honor the dead. Sherman Captures Atlanta (Sept. 2, 1864) - General Sherman captures the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Later in the year he would march to the sea and capture Savannah, Ga. On his way he would destroy and burn much of the land his army passed through.

The Civil War Ends General Robert E. Lee surrenders (April 9, 1865) – The Union captures Richmond (Confederate capital). General Lee, the leader of the Confederate Army, surrenders to General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia. President Lincoln is Assassinated (April 14, 1865) - While attending the Ford's Theatre, President Lincoln is shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth. Reconstruction of the South (1865-1877) - The South is occupied by Federal troops while state governments, economies, and infrastructure are rebuilt.