The Civil War

Chapter 15

First Shots of the War: 1861

Lincoln maintained control of Federal land in the South, despite secession

Sent troops to Fort Sumter in Charleston to resupply it

President Davis faced a dilemma: no sovereign nation would allow another country into a vital harbor

April 12 --Confederates take Fort Sumter; first shots of war fired

First Modern War? Use of rifles, more accurate

and deadly

Use of trenches

Cavalry played a secondary role

High casualties = replacement of soldiers

But, most battle still involved mass charges and hand-to-hand combat

Battle Bull Run/Manassas: 1861

First battle with casualties

Just outside of D.C.

Thomas J. Jackson brought reinforcements and refused to retreat

This earned him the name Stonewall Jackson

Confederate army wins

Lincoln/North realize this won’t be a short war, needed a large, well-trained army

1862 - The Peninsula Campaign: McClellan hesitates and loses the opportunity for success. Lincoln replaces him with Burnside

1862- The War in the West:

The Battle of Shiloh: enabled the Union to take control of most of the Mississippi River

Battle of Antietam: Sept. 17, 1862

Gen. Robert E. Lee and others believe invasion would convince North to accept South’s independence

Victory on northern soil might win recognition from Britain, send money, supplies

Bloodiest One-Day BattleBattle of Antietam- bloodiest one-day battle in

war and American history

6,000 men killed, 16,000 wounded

Lee’s lines never break but he retreats

Union victory

Ready to step in and mediate, Britain decided to wait, see what happens

Confederacy loses chance to gain international recognition and support

Lincoln realizes slavery must end in South

Emancipation ProclamationDrafted because of Antietam

Ends slavery with a decree, Emancipation Proclamation

Freed all slaves in states in rebellion

Not in Union states, did not want any more states to secede, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland

Transformed war from just being a war to preserve the Union to a war of liberation

Battle of Gettysburg: 1863 Lee launched an invasion in

the North

June 1863, Lee marches north into Pennsylvania

Union general fails to stop Lee, is replaced by General George Meade

Some of Lee’s troops head to Gettysburg searching for shoes

Encounter Union cavalry, eventually both armies meet to push one another out of town

The Turning Point After long bloody battle, Union wins, great cost of life on both

sides

Turning point of war, Confederates go on the defensive and slowly lose ground to Union Army

Battle of Vicksburg: 1863

Fighting in the West-Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant divided the Confederacy with the Battle of Vicksburg, 1863 (Mississippi)

Union army now controls Mississippi River

Grant earned a reputation of not quitting, aggressive

Gettysburg Address: Nov. 1863

Dedicates portion of battlefield as a national military cemetery

Lincoln’s speech was given in honor of the more than 7,000 Union and Confederate soldiers who died at Gettysburg

Inroads to SouthAfter Gettysburg, Grant gained control of Tennessee

Now has access to major railroad lines into Atlanta

Prior to battle, Lincoln reorganizes military leadership , places Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in overall command of Union forces

Grant clears way for invasion of Georgia

Spring 1864, Grant, with Gen. William T. Sherman’s help, march southward, attacking Lee’s forces relentlessly until South surrenders

Fall of Atlanta: 1864

After Union’s capture of Chattanooga, Sherman’s army pushes toward Atlanta

Union Army destroys rail lines (Sherman Neckties)

Sherman marched across Georgia, captured Savannah Dec. 21, 1864: March to the Sea

Sherman's March to the Sea Union troops ransacked

houses, killed cattle, burned fields and pillaged, or looted nearly everything in their path

After reaching sea, Sherman’s army turned north, headed to South Carolina, which many northerners blamed for starting the war

Many towns were burned, including Columbia, S.C.

The March's Effect wreaked vengeance

demoralized South

destroyed its economy

broke morale of civilians and soldiers

War coming to an end

Now the final battles are between the most successful Union General, Grant and the most renowned Confederate commander, Lee

The Final Battle: 1865

Lee and Grant fight each other in Virginia

Lee tried to retreat, growing desperate

Grant’s cavalry blocks Lee’s escape at Appomattox Courthouse, Va

Lee surrenders to Grant on April 9, 1865

Grants conditions of surrender very generous

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

-General Robert E. Lee