Total War: a military policy in which one side in a conflict decides it is willing to make any sacrifice necessary to completely defeat the opposing side

Chapter 10: The Civil War Total WarName:___________________________________ Date:____________ Period:_______

Objective: Students will explain how total war led to the North winning the Civil War.

DO NOW!

Answer the following questions in complete sentences in the allotted time.

Do Now:

Directions: Choose three of the following words to create a sentence. In your sentence show how it is related (connected) to our big question.

Introduction to New Material: Total War Forces the South to Surrender

After the defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, Southerners continued to defend their land fiercely, despite dwindling resources. To force a Confederate surrender, General Grant adopted a policy known as total war, which called for doing whatever was necessary to undermine the enemy's willingness or capacity to fight. To implement this policy, Grant adopted a two-pronged strategy. He would lead his forces into Virginia to engage Lee's army and take the Confederate capital of Richmond. Meanwhile, another Union general, William Tecumseh Sherman, would wage a campaign of destruction through Georgia and the Carolinas.

Grant’s Total War Policy

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Total War

LeadersResources

Emancipation ProclamationSlaves

What are some synonyms for the

word total?

Chapter 10: The Civil War Total WarName:___________________________________ Date:____________ Period:_______

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF TOTAL WAR: WORLD WAR I

Partner Work: Sherman’s March to the Sea

Directions: Read and annotate the following passage thinking about how Sherman used total war.

Sherman was a battle-hardened veteran who believed in total war. "We cannot change the hearts of these people of the South," he said, "but we can make war so terrible . . . and make them so sick of war that generations [will] pass away before they again appeal to it." In May 1864, he marched his troops southward from Tennessee with orders to inflict "all the damage you can."

In 1864, General William Tecumseh Sherman waged total war on the South in an effort to bring the Confederacy to its knees. During his infamous March to the Sea through Georgia, his troops burned farms and towns, leaving a path of destruction 60 miles wide. When criticized for his actions, Sherman replied, “War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.”

In September, Sherman captured Atlanta and burned much of it to the ground. He then continued toward the coast. During Sherman’s March to the Sea, his troops destroyed everything they found of value. They looted houses, burned fields, and killed livestock. After taking the port city of Savannah, Georgia, Sherman turned north and swept through the Carolinas.

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By the middle of World War One it was known as 'Total War' - the organization of entire societies for war in a social, economic, and even spiritual sense. There were, of course, protests and debates, but the vast majority of people fought in World War One, or supported it with the 'Home Front' because they believed that victory for their own country was worth the cost.

Chapter 10: The Civil War Total WarName:___________________________________ Date:____________ Period:_______

While Sherman waged total war, Grant and Lee were locked in fierce combat in Virginia. Despite heavy losses, Grant continued on toward Richmond. On April 3, 1865, he captured the capital. With his army surrounded, Lee was finally forced to surrender.

On April 9, Lee and Grant met at the village of Appomattox Court House. Oddly enough, their meeting took place in the house of Wilmer McLean, the same man whose farm in Manassas had been the site of the first real battle of the war. As McLean later said, "The war started in my front yard and ended in my parlor." The terms of surrender Grant offered Lee were generous. Confederate officers could keep their weapons. Any officers or troops who claimed their own horses could keep them. Most important, "Each officer and man will be allowed to return to his home, not to be disturbed by the United States authorities." At long last, the Civil War was over.

How did Sherman use total war?

Assess the benefits and costs of Sherman’s total war

Benefits (+) Costs (-)

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Sherman’s Total War

Chapter 10: The Civil War Total WarName:___________________________________ Date:____________ Period:_______

Independent Practice:

Chronology

Directions: Create a timeline of the events that led to the North winning the war.

Key Concepts

Directions: How did each event/situation lead to the North winning the Civil War?

Battle of Bull Run:

Resources:

Battle of Antietam:

Emancipation Proclamation:

Battle of Gettysburg:

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Chapter 10: The Civil War Total WarName:___________________________________ Date:____________ Period:_______

Total War:

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