Bull Run to Antietam 1861 -1862

Perceptions of the War

• Most thought the Civil War would be quick

maybe one battle

• This changed with Arkansas, Mississippi,

Tennessee and Virginia joining the Tennessee and Virginia joining the

Confederacy

Bull Run- Manassas

• Many wanted to

witness 1st battle, so

they packed picnic

lunches to watch the

battlebattle

Bull Run

Bull Run

• Union- General Irvin McDowell has 35,000 green

troops- takes 4 days to march 25 miles, ordered to

attack Manassas RR junction

• Confederacy- PGT Beauregard uses 4 days to move

up troops with RRup troops with RR

• Union troops attack and gain advantage – General

Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson stops the attack and

rallies the troops

• Union troops retreat through picnic area and troops

run back to Washington D.C.

Outcome

• 2,900 Union casualties

• Less than 2,000 Confederate casualties

• Many realized this would be a lengthy war

• Congress authorizes Lincoln to raise• Congress authorizes Lincoln to raise

• 1 million 3 year volunteers

Union Strengths

•

Union strengths

• Technology- railroads, telegraph and roads

• Factories- easily converted to wartime production

• Natural resources

• Economy- balanced with far more money

• Functioning government• Functioning government

• Established army and navy

• Population- workers

• More men of fighting age- 4 to 1

• Food production

Southern Strengths

• Military colleges were mostly in the South

• More experienced fighting men- Mexican war,

skilled marksman and horse soldiers

• Most of trained officers were from the South• Most of trained officers were from the South

• Needed only to defend their land

• Reason to fight- protecting their way of life

Northern Weaknesses

• No reason to fight – slavery didn’t affect them

• North must be aggressor

• No strong military leaders

• Very few experienced fighting men• Very few experienced fighting men

Southern Weaknesses

• Little manufacturing- couldn’t supply their

armies

• No food production

• Large area to protect• Large area to protect

• Few railroads and roads

• Small population

Union Strategies

• Blockade- keep South from

trading

• Control the Mississippi- split

the South in two

• Capture the Southern

•

• Capture the Southern

capital- seize government

• This was called the

Anaconda Plan by

newspapers

Southern Strategies

• Fight a defensive war

• War of attrition

• Use guerilla war tactics-

hit and run

•

hit and run

• Hoped European

nations would help for

their cotton

Fighting Tactics During the War

•

Fighting Tactics

• Concentrate troops and drive the enemy off

the battlefield

• War fought only in open fields, not in cities

and townsand towns

• These tactics worked in previous wars because

weapons were inaccurate