THE CIVIL WAR1861-1865

THE CALL TO ARMSVocabulary

civil war- war between opposing groups of citizens in same country

secede/secession

border states- slave states that remained in Union during Civil War

martial law- a type of rule in which the military is in charge, and the

citizens’ rights are suspended

Neutral-not favoring either side

blockade-military action of shutting a port or roadway to prevent

people/supplies from coming into or leaving an area

A. Immediate Causes of the War

1. Election of 1860- election of Abraham Lincoln

2. Secession of South Carolina- South felt they no longer had voice

in national government-six states follow their lead

a. Created a new nation called The Confederate States of America

b. elected Jefferson Davis as their president

c. Richmond, Virginia was their capital

3. Firing on Fort Sumter- first physical encounter of war

a. Federal fort in Charleston, SC harbor

b. Lincoln did not want to give it up; feared sending troops–WHY?

c. Confederates opened fire; 34 hours later, the fort surrendered

President Abraham Lincoln United States of America Washington, DC

President Jefferson DavisConfederate States of America Richmond, Virginia

Firing on Fort Sumter

When Lincoln ordered ships to resupply the fort, Confederate leaders decided to attack before the supplies arrived. At 4:30 am on April 12, 1861, shore batteries opened fire on the fort. After 34 hours of bombardment the federal troops surrendered. The Civil War had begun.

As the Southern states seceded from the Union, they took over most of the federal forts inside their borders. Fort Sumter, located in the middle of Charleston harbor held out, but was running out of supplies.

d. Result of Fort Sumter

1. Lincoln calls for 75,000 troops to put down the “rebellion”

2. Four more Southern states secede- Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee,

and North Carolina (now 11 states in Confederacy)

e. Border States- slave states that did not secede; critical to Union

1. Delaware remained part of Union ;

2. Kentucky- supported North only after Confederate troops invaded it

3. Missouri- fighting between both sides; Lincoln sends in troops

4. Maryland- southern sympathizers destroyed railroads/telegraphs

a. Lincoln places them under martial law (type of rule where

military is in charge and citizens’ rights are suspended) to

protect it from destruction, & to protect Washington, D.C. WHY?

Map of the United States During the Civil War

NOTE: Western Counties of Virginia refused to secede; they become West Virginia and remain faithful to the Union.

B. North v South

1. Northern Advantages

a. factories/farms

b. railroads

c. population-more free people

d. strong navy

2. Southern Advantages

a. fight would be on their land

b. better military officers

c. true cause- protect their homeland

d. skills that made them good soldiers

3. North (Union) Disadvantages

a. would have to invade the South

b. Not all Northerners opposed slavery

c. unfamiliar territory to fight on

d. no real cause to fight

4. South (Confederacy) Disadvantages a. lack of freemen population

b. lack of industry

c. lack of railroads

d. money

5. Strategies for Victory a. North 1. blockade (military tactic to prevent traffic to or from an area) Southern ports to cutoff supplies and block export of cotton 2. Anaconda Plan- control the Mississippi River to cut off Southern transportation, and blockade their ports 3. Invade Virginia and seize Richmond, the Confederate capital b. South 1. defend their land until the North tired of fighting 2. sought aid from Britain and other nations by selling their cotton

General Winfield Scott’s ANACONDA PLANScott’s plan was to stop the South by controlling the Mississippi and blocking its ports. It was unpopular by more aggressive Northerners who likened it to being strangled by a snake, hence the name. Oddly, historians now believe that it was taking control of the Mississippi that expedited the end of the war.

6. Americans against Americans a. families broke apart-brother v brother b. men rushed to join on both sides c. soldiers all from different backgrounds d. aged from 18-45 on both sides7. First Battle of Bull Run a. Union Gen. Irvin McDowell-wants quick end to war-heads to Richmond 1. Confederate Army met them at Bull Run Creek near Manassas 3. People traveled from Washington, DC to watch the battle b. Confederate Gen.Thomas Jackson -stopped the Union like a stonewall. This becomes his nickname. c. untrained Union soldiers retreat ; Confederates too tired to follow

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On July 12, 1861 President Lincoln sent troops from Washington, D.C. to Richmond, Virginia. As soon as they left Washington, the Union soldiers clashed with the Confederate soldiers near a small stream called Bull Run.

Thomas Jackson, the general for the Confederacy, held his ground like a “stone wall.” Jackson henceforth became as General “Stonewall Jackson".

This showed both sides they needed more training to win the war. Hence forth, this battle became known as the Battle of Bull Run. It showed both sides that this war would be a long and bloody war!

The Battle of Bull Run

At the end of the battle the Union retreated. The Confederate soldiers won the first major battle of the Civil War.

8. Soldier’s Life a. spent most of their time in camp training b. food was minimal c. conditions in camp were harsh-sickness spread d. Prisoners of War camps were brutal-many died in captivity

C. Early Years of War

1. New Technology

a. better rifles and more accurate cannons with greater range

b. this allowed for enemy to be taken out before they reached their

opponents

c. Ironclad ships-warships covered with protective iron plates

1. Confederates ship-Merrimack- changed name to Virginia

2. Union ship-Monitor- battle ended in a draw

3. The use of ironclads in the Civil War changed naval warfare-

WHY??

Ironclad Ships

• The navy used ships covered in steel for the first time. These ships were called ironclad ships. The Confederates used a steel ship called the Merrimack to fight the war. They covered the ship with steel and renamed it the Virginia.

• The Union used a steel ship called Monitor. This was the first Union ironclad that held its own in battle, but was unable to claim a victory.

•Neither ship was seriously damaged after their battle. • But, both sides realized that ironclad ships has changed naval

warfare forever. WHY? Merrimack/ Monitor

Virginia

2. War in the East

A. Gen. George McClellan leads Union Army

1. his cautious, slow approach bothered Lincoln

a. heads towards Richmond; but he waits for more troops

b. this delay allowed the Confederates to prepare for the Union

c. Union forced to retreat

B. Battle of Antietam

1. General Robert E. Lee heads the Confederate Army

a. follows Union Army North- split his forces

1. both sides suffer major casualties – military term for killed,

wounded, or MIA

2. Union claims victory because Lee retreats-no clear winner

Lincoln and McClellan at Antietam Confederate soldier at Antietam

Use of photography made the realities of war evident to the people.

3. War in West a. General Ulysses S. Grant leads Union troops 1. more aggressive leader than McClellan a. took control of most of Mississippi River- WHY??? b. Battle of Shiloh- railroad center 1. Union wins-takes control of rest of Mississippi River 2. allows Union Navy to capture New Orleans & mouth of Miss.Riv. 4. Emancipation Proclamation a. Lincoln’s original goal was to “save or restore the Union” regardless of slavery issue

c. proclaims as of Jan. 1, 1863, enslaved people in any area fighting

the Union would be free

1. does not include areas already in Union or border states-

2. hope was to weaken the South

d. Effects of Emancipation Proclamation

1. Lincoln’s goal now included saving Union AND ending slavery

2. killed South’s hope to get Britain’s help- Eng. Against slavery

3. united African-Americans throughout country

5. African-Americans in War

a. not allowed in Union Army initially

b. joined after Emancipation Proclamation

c. slaves in South tried to help Union by spying; working slowly

6. American Life in Civil War A. Divisions over the War 1. South- not all states supported secession a. states with highest # of slaves did b. did not want to force their men to serve in military 2. North- not all supported Emancipation Proclamation a. some believed the South had a right to secede 3. both sides tried to get soldiers to desert a. both presidents revoked habeas corpus- constitutional protection against unlawful imprisonment- so dissenters went to jail B. Draft- a system of required military service 1. due to desertion in North and South 2. rich people bought their way out of service- “poor man’s fight”

Men Present for Duty in Civil War

C. Economic Issues

1. North

a. many factories for war production; short on workers

b. income tax- tax on money people received-passed to finance war

c. printed money which led to inflation- general rise in prices

2. South

a. could not sell all their cotton- financing war difficult

b. food production low due to destroyed crops & farmland

c. some stole from slaves

D. Women in War

a. some disguised themselves and fought, or spied on enemy

b. took over businesses, farms, and plantations, worked in factories

c. became teachers and nurses

1. Elizabeth Blackwell –America’s first doctor trained Union nurses

2. Dorothea Dix- headed Union nurses

3. Clara Barton – cared for wounded Union soldier on battlefield

4. Harriet Tubman- continued to lead slaves on Underground RR

7. Major Battles

A. The Tide Turns

1. McClellan replaced by Gen. Ambrose Burnside WHY?

2. Confederates win at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville

B. Turning Points of War

1. Battle of Gettysburg July 1863

a. Lee goes for a Northern victory

b. General George Meade now heads Union Army

c. accidental meeting at Gettysburg-battle went on for 2 days

1. both sides up on ridges across from each other

d. Lee orders General George E. Pickett to charge center of Union

Line

1. Pickett’s Charge over open field- men killed by artillery fire

2. both sides lose 25,000 men; Lee retreats

3. Meade fails to follow; angers Lincoln

2. Battle of Vicksburg –Western front May- July 1863

a. last key city on Mississippi finally taken after weeks of fighting

and siege-surrounding a place with military to cut it off until it

surrenders

3. Gettysburg Address- Lincoln honors ALL fallen soldiers

a. wants a quick end to war

4. Lincoln appoints Grant as head of Union Army

a. Richmond was their goal

b. Grant sends Gen. William Sherman to attack Atlanta- he burns it

1. Sherman’s March to Sea helps Lincoln get reelected

5. Petersburg- Lee’s troop holed up-waiting for supplies

a. under siege by Grant; Lee retreats to Appomattox

6. Surrender at Appomattox Court House April 9, 1865

a. Confederates had to give up weapons and return home

b. Union troops begin to celebrate; Grant silences them

1. “The war is over. The rebels are our countrymen again”

7. Results of war

a. Over half a million men killed

b. Nation united

c. slavery ended

B. The Civil War (1861 – 1865) 1. Immediate Causes A. Election of 1860 B. Secession of South Carolina – 1860 C. Firing on Fort Sumter – April 12, 1861 2. Formation of The Confederate States of America 3. Strengths and Weaknesses of Both The North And The South 4. Major Military Campaigns A. First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas – July 1861 B. Battle of Antietam – September 1862 C. Sherman’s March To The Sea – 1864 5. Emancipation Proclamation – 1863 6. Turning Points of The War A. Battle of Gettysburg – July 1863 B. Battle of Vicksburg – July 1863 7. Gettysburg Address – 1863 8. Economic And Social Life During The War 9. African American Involvement In The War 10. Surrender At Appomattox Court House – 1895 11. Outcome Of The War