Strategy and Battles of the Civil War

General Information

• The American Civil War lasted 4 years

• From April 1861 till April 1865

• It was the deadliest war ever fought with over 550,000 deaths

• It was a war fought between the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South)

• Sometimes brother against brother

Civil War Begins

• First shots were fired at Fort Sumter, off the Coast of Charleston, South Carolina on April 12, 1861

• Confederate forces attacked the Union fort and captured it

• War had begun

Fort Sumter today

Union Strategy• The North was on offense—they will need to

bring the South back into the U.S.• Planned to use the Navy to blockade the

Confederate ports to keep them from getting supplies from Europe

• Union Generals in the East planned to seize the Confederate Capital— Richmond, Virginia

• Union Generals in the West would seize the Mississippi River which would stop the South from using the River and cut off Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana from the rest of the Confederacy

The Union strategy will become known as the ANACONDA PLAN

Anaconda Plan

Confederate Strategy

• The Southern states were on defense

• They had left the United States and felt they were right in doing so

• They would fight to defend their rights until the Union gave up

Important Military Leaders

• Union Commanders

1. George McClellan

2. George Mead

3. Ulysses S. Grant

McClellan Grant

Important Military Leaders

• Confederate Commander

Robert E. Lee

Other Important Military Leaders:--Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson

Battle of Bull Run (Virginia)

• July 1861—Union forces fought the Rebels at a small stream in Virginia called Bull Run near the town of Manassas

• Stonewall Jackson forced the Union to retreat

• Showed that both sides that soldiers needed better training and the war would be long and bloody

• Sometimes called 1st Manassas

Battle of Bull Run

Shiloh--Mississippi• April 1862—Battle occurred along the

Tennessee River in Mississippi• Union forces under Grant were attacked by

Confederates• Grant lost his ground the 1st day but regrouped

and pushed the Confederates out of the area the next day

Battle of Shiloh• This Union victory

helped them seize control of the Mississippi River

• After Shiloh, Grant led a series of maneuvers to gain control of Vicksburg, Mississippi

• The Union had total control of the Mississippi River in July of 1863

Antietam-Maryland

• September 1862—Confederate General Robert E. Lee wanted a victory on Northern soil

• Wanted to decrease the moral of the Union

• Union found out about Lee’s plans and struck first

Antietam-Maryland• Although the Confederacy retreated back

to Virginia at the end of the battle, it was not a true victory for the Union

• The Union did not follow the Rebels and because of this Union General McClellan was replaced as commander because he acted too passively

Antietam-Maryland• It was not a true victory for the Union

because so many soldiers were lost

• It was the bloodiest single day battle of the war

• Over 23,000 troops were killed or wounded within a few hours

Antietam-Maryland

Emancipation Proclamation• After the Battle of Antietam,

President Lincoln wanted to weaken the South’s ability to fight the war

• He issued a Proclamation called the Emancipation Proclamation

• This order would go into effect on January 1,1863

Emancipation Proclamation• In his order, Lincoln freed all the slaves

living in the Confederate States

• In the four slave holding states still in the Union slavery was still allowed

Emancipation Proclamation• Lincoln felt that the Emancipation

Proclamation would weaken the Confederacy’s ability to carry on the War

• Since the slaves were needed to run the farms, if they were freed, many soldiers would return home to their farms.

Emancipation Proclamation

• This document changed the purpose of the war

• At first the Union soldiers were fighting to bring the Confederate states back into the U.S.

• After Jan. 1, 1863, Union troops were fighting to end slavery as well as preserve the Union

Gettysburg-Pennsylvania• July 1863 Confederate General Robert E

Lee wanted to capture the U.S. capital of Washington D.C.

• Moved into Pennsylvania to surprise the Union

• The Confederates marched 75,000 soldiers into Gettysburg

• The Union met their advance with 88,000 soldiers

Gettysburg-Pennsylvania• The Union took the high

ground

• A three day battle followed

• The Confederates came on strong at first, but were outnumbered by the Union and forced to retreat several times

Gettysburg-Pennsylvania• Confederate General George Pickett led

the final Southern assault against the middle of the Union lines

• Pickett’s Charge resulted in a Confederate slaughter

Gettysburg-Pennsylvania• At the end of the three day battle 51,000 men

were dead or wounded

• This battle marked the turning point of the war

• It depleted the South’s military strength and ability to fight in the North

• More men fought and died at the battle of Gettysburg than any other battle, past or present, in America.

Gettysburg Address• Four months after the battle, President Lincoln gave

his most famous speech known as the Gettysburg Address when the battle field was turned into a national cemetery.

• In his 3 minute speech, that began “Four score and seven years ago” Lincoln discussed the principles of human equality defined by the Declaration of Independence and redefined the Civil War as a struggle not merely for the Union, but as "a new birth of freedom" that would bring true equality to all of its citizens.

Gettysburg Address

Sherman’s March to the Sea• By 1864, Ulysses S Grant was in charge of the

Union army and he wanted the war to end• He gave orders to Union General William

Tecumseh Sherman to

weaken the South’s ability

to fight

Sherman’s March to the Sea• Sherman began marching from

Tennessee to Atlanta, Georgia

• As he marched he destroyed everything useful to the South

Sherman’s March to the Sea• Union soldiers were commanded to destroy

food, equipment, houses, etc. that might be useful to the Confederacy

• Southern towns, farms. homes, businesses and railroads were destroyed

• This military tactic of destroying everything useful to the enemy is called total war

Total War

Sherman’s March to the Sea• Total War effected the citizens as well as the

soldiers

• In September of 1864, Sherman captured Atlanta, Georgia and burned the city in November

• He then marched to the coast and did the same to Savannah, Georgia

The Fall of Richmond

• May of 1864, Union General Grant moved towards the Confederate Capital of Richmond, Virginia

The Fall of Richmond

• In Petersburg, Virginia Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee fought for 9 months against Union forces under Grant

The Fall of Richmond

• On April 9, 1865 Confederate General Robert E Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia

The Fall of Richmond

Appomattox Courthouse

• The Civil War was over

• The Union won

• Now, the Southern States needed to be brought back into the United States