Chapter 20

Girding for War: The North and the South

• http://youtu.be/IboJrIEDIoY

• http://youtu.be/dbTjbLliL00

Lincoln and Secession• “I consider the central idea pervading this

struggle is the necessity that is upon us, of proving that popular government is not an absurdity. We must settle this question now, whether in a free government the minority have the right to break up the government whenever they choose. If we fail it will go far to prove the incapability of the people to govern themselves.”

• “…physically speaking, we cannot separate.”

Fort Sumter

Battle for Fort Sumter

• Northern Commander – Robert Anderson• South Carolina will put P. G. T. Beauregard in charge of

capturing the fort.• (Beauregard had graduated from West Point in 1838

and his artillery instructor was Robert Anderson)• South Carolina will secede from Union on December 20,

1860• Major will determine that only Fort Sumter is defensible

and will move all northern troops to Fort Sumter on December 26, 1860 “…under the cover of darkness”

• Beauregard will begin to build batteries aimed at Fort Sumter

• January 9, 1861 – James Buchanan will send The Star of the West (a civilian ship) to try and resupply the Union forces at Fort Sumter. They will be repelled by the batteries off of Morris Island (a group of cadets from the Citadel)

• March 1, 1861 – the Confederacy is: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

• Abraham Lincoln is inaugurated President on March 4, 1861

• April 1861 – Abraham Lincoln (will send word to the SC Governor) will call for Fort Sumter to be resupplied.

• April 11, 1861 – Beauregard will demand that Anderson and the Union soldiers leave immediately. Anderson rejects.

• April 12, 1861 at 4:30 am – the Confederate batteries begin firing on Fort Sumter and the Union batteries respond. Fighting will continue for about 34 hours. (By the time of the battle – Anderson had a total of about 80 men, and the Beauregard had thousands)

• April 13, 1861 – Major Anderson will surrender. The Union forces will be allowed to fire a 50 gun salute (only deaths of the battle take place during this ceremony). A ship is allowed to come in and pick up the Union officers.

• Lincoln will call for 75,000 volunteers to enlist in an army that will march on the Confederacy.

• That action will lead to four more states joining the Confederacy:– Virginia on April 17, 1861– Arkansas on May 6, 1861– North Carolina on May 20, 1861– Tennessee on June 8, 1861

• Four slave holding states will not join the Union and will be referred to as “Border States”– Missouri– Kentucky– Maryland– Delaware

• A part of Virginia will secede and form another border state– West Virginia

Northern Advantages• The economy – industrialization• Population – 22 million citizens (the South had

about 9 million)• Contained about ¾’s of all railroads• Controlled the seas and had a navy• Abraham Lincoln

Southern Advantages• Fighting a defensive war – a morale issue (the

people will be defending their homes)• Knew the land better• Better Military leadership – (Robert E. Lee,

Albert Sydney Johnston, Joseph E. Johnston, Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, PGT Beauregard, J.E.B. Stuart, Nathan Bedford Forrest, etc)

Basic Information• Northern Strategy– Anaconda Plan

• Blockade all southern ports• Split the South by controlling the Mississippi River• Capture Richmond – the Confederate capital

• Southern Strategy– Win recognition as an Independent Nation

• Capture Washington, DC and force other border states into the Confederacy

• Defend homeland until North tires of fighting• Get England to pressure US government into giving up their

blockade

• There will be two theaters of battle: The Eastern Theater will generally be fighting in Virginia, and the Western Theater will generally be fighting in Tennessee

• Northern Armies will be named after rivers:– Army of the Potomac; Army of the Cumberland

• Southern Armies will be named after states:– Army of Northern Virginia; Army of Tennessee

– Side note: Winfield Scott will offer the command of the Army of the Potomac to Robert E. Lee. Lee will decline and resign

• The North will often refer to a battle based on a body of water near the battlefield:– Bull Run, Antietam, Stones River

• The South will often refer to a battle based on a town in close proximity:– Manassas, Sharpsburg, Murfreesboro

• The reason for so many deaths during the war:– Everyone killed was an American– Poor sanitation (every battle death = 2 disease

death)– Poor medical techniques – a battle wound was

almost guaranteed death

Death and Disease• Union Numbers– 2.1 million soldiers– 140,414 killed in battle– Over 365,000 total dead (215,000)– 275,200 wounded

• Confederate Numbers– 1,064,000 soldiers– 72,524 killed in battle– Over 260,000 total dead (185,000)– 137,000 wounded

• Antiquated Strategy + Better weaponry = High Death Toll– Rifled guns and minie (minnie) balls.

– Increased the “kill zone” from a few hundred yards to a half mile

– At the beginning of the war both sides massed troops– Cavalry was not used effectively– Followed Napoleonic artillery strategy of softening

troops and then trying to force them from the field

Trouble with England• One of the goals of the South is to get European recognition

as a separate nation – England will never openly support the Confederacy but will covertly support them.

• HMS Trent Affair: will be stopped by an Union ship and the Union will forcibly remove two Confederate diplomats (James Mason and John Slidell)

• CSS Alabama Affair: Built by the British and it became a very effective Confederate warship (it never docked in the America) by attacking Union merchant ships and military ships. She boarded nearly 450 ships, captured or burned 65 Union merchant ships, captured over 2,000 prisoners and never lost a life. Eventually engaged in battle in 1864 and sunk off of coast of France

Conscription during the Civil War• Conscription (draft) is used by both sides – but will

be brought up by the Confederates first. Both sides will allow exemptions (in the North – you could buy your way out for $300).

• New York City Draft Riot (July 13-16, 1863) will be the largest civilian insurrection in United States history. Begins as a riot against the draft will soon become a race riot. Some 2,000 people are killed and another 2,000-4,000 are wounded.

• Lincoln will have to call out troops to put down the riot

Union Economic Upturn

• King Wheat and King Corn will soon replace King Cotton.

• Europe will experience wheat and corn shortage while the Union will benefit from a bumper crop