Civil War Unit

U.S. History

Mr. Dunn

Causes of War

1. Tarriffs- Enacted to protect

northern factories- Made manufactured

goods more expensive for southern farmers.

- Source of friction in congress and in the general public

Causes of War

2. Slavery vs Free Labor- separate ways of looking at life- different core values- north relied on cheap immigrant labor- south relied on free slave labor

Causes of War

3. Control of Congress

- Series of Compromises were developed to calm both sides – like a Band-Aid covering an infected wound.

- Compromise of 1850

- Kansas – Nebraska Act

- Missouri Compromise

- Crittenden Compromise

- 3/5 Compromise

- Fugitive Slave Act

Causes of War

4. The election of Lincoln

- Last straw for the south

- Even though Lincoln said he would not outlaw slavery in his campaign, southern states didn’t trust him

Importance of the 1st Shot

• Lincoln did not want to “start” the war– Northern opposition to war– It was fine if he were “drug into” war

• Border States– Needed to keep Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland

and Delaware in the Union• Occupation of Maryland

– Surrounds Washington, D.C. on 3 sides

Fort Sumter

• First “Battle” of the Civil War– Union Ships tried to re-

supply the fort.– Confederate forces fired on

the fort to prevent the re-supply effort

• 34 hour bombardment

• Union surrenders the fort when supplies run out

• No casualties on either side

– The war was on!!!

Secession

• When Lincoln moved to re-supply Fort Sumter – S. Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas seceded from the Union.

• When Lincoln called for Federal Troops following Ft. Sumter, Arkansas, N. Carolina, Tennessee & Virginia seceded.

Confederate and Union Resources and Positions

Northern Position – Start of War• Slavery tolerated and legal• Preserve Union• Population advantage

– 2.1 million serve in military during war• Factory capacity

– 110,000 factories with numerous facilities that could produce weapons, railroad track and locomotives.

• Wealth– 81% of nations banks located in the north

• Aided in financing the war• Had to fight offensive war

– Unfamiliar territory• Poor Military Leadership

– Generals were inexperienced or incompetent or both

Southern Position

• Slavery is common and is supported by the majority of society

• Fought to preserve Slavery• Sparse population - 8.5 million with 4 million slaves

– 800,000 men serve in the military during the war• Factory Capacity

– 10,000 factories with 1 foundry with the ability to manufacture weapons, railroads and locomotives

• Able to fight defensive war– Familiar territory– Defending own homes

• Excellent Military Leadership– Experienced, battle hardened commanders

War Strategies - North

• Anaconda Plan– Based on region’s

geography• Divide south at

Appalachian mountains

• Control Mississippi River and capture western ports

• Blockade south on the east and the south

• Capture Richmond– Totally cut off the south

from the outside world– Destroy transport hubs

– War of attrition

War Strategies - South

• Invade the North and Capture Washington– Gain support from Europe

if they could show that the south could win

– Shatter Northern Morale by capturing capitol

– Use cotton as leverage to get help from Europe

– Speedy Conclusion

Opposition to the War

SouthConscription – also known as the draft

Mostly the poor whites were drafted – the large plantation owners were granted exemptions (were excused from the draft) – this caused widespread anger in poor southerners

NorthCarpetbaggers – Southern sympathizers who made speeches and wrote articles in the north that were in support of the south’s war effort

It became such a problem for Lincoln that he suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus and imprisoned copperheads without trial

1st Bull Run

• 1st major land battle of the civil war

• War as a spectator sport– Stonewall Jackson rallies

confederate troops – First use of the rebel yell– Considered Confederate

Victory– Over 4,000 casualties

Eastern Theatre

• Peninsula Campaign– Gen. McClellan moved

troops from D.C. to Richmond

– Series of small battles that end in an attempted siege of Richmond

– Confederate Forces were able to break the siege and push back the Union army

Seven Days Battle

• Confederate forces attack Union as the Union is setting up the Siege of Richmond

• This counterattack fought back union advances from the peninsula campaign and led to the firing of Union General George McClellan

• Attack was considered a Confederate victory

McClellan

• Commander of the Army of the Potomac (Union)– Was an excellent organizer, supplier and trainer of

armies– Did not like to place army in danger– Was a slow, plodding decision-maker– Because he did not follow and engage confederate

forces following the battles of Seven Pines and Yorktown, The confederates were able to regroup, bring in reserves and counterattack

• Lincoln fired him following the mistakes at Richmond

Western Theatre

• Forces led by new general – Ulysses S. Grant– Aimed to secure the

Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers so troops could easily be moved into Tennessee

– Combined naval and ground forces

– First Union Victories at Fort Henry and Fort Donaldson

– nickname “Unconditional Surrender Grant”

Shiloh

• P.T. Beauregard led confederates in attack against Grants troops– Day 1 very intense fighting,

and Rebels had Union pinned against Tennessee River

• Grants advisors urged retreat

– Day 2 - Grant surprise counterattack –after fierce fighting rebel forces retreat giving Grant another victory

War at Sea

• Blockade– North used its superior

navy to blockade the southern and eastern shoreline

– 1st use of ironclad warships

• Monitor and the Merrimack

USS Monitor - Union

CSS Merrimack – CSA

War at Sea

• Battle of New Orleans– Admiral David

Farragut led Union ships past fort guarding New Orleans and captured the city.

– Citizens of the city were furious, but Union controlled the mouth of the Mississippi

2nd Bull Run

Manassas, Virginia – Aug. 1862- Lee (CSA) defeats Pope (Union)- Lee splits army and tries flanking maneuver on Pope’s Army

- maneuver was a success

Confederate VictoryLed to Pope’s removal as

Commander of the Army of the Potomac

Confederate Invasion of the North

• Battle of Antietam– Occurred in Sharpsburg,

Maryland– 17 days long– 1st Major battle on Union

soil– 23,000 dead– Union victory, however Lee

continued to fight battles on Union soil

• This victory discouraged European Powers to become involved – didn’t think the south could win

Emancipation Proclamation

• Lincoln’s plan to free the slaves in the states in rebellion – Sept. 1862– Wartime necessity – went into effect on Jan. 1, 1863.– Did not free slaves in the states that remained loyal to

the union– Psychological warfare

• What to do with escaped slaves? They had to be free to be employed by the US gov’t.

– Needed a union victory to announce plan so that he didn’t sound “desperate” – Antietam gave him that battle

Emancipation Proclamation

Effects of the Emancipation Proclamation

Fredericksburg

• Union – 114,000 troops led by Burnside

• CSA – 75,000 troops led by Lee– Union frontal attack across an

open plain (poor leadership)– CSA had high ground with

good fields of fire• Referred to as the “shooting

gallery” or the “slaughter pen”

– CSA wins battle – 12,000 union dead, 5000 CSA dead

– Lincoln transfers Burnside (fired) and appoints General Hooker to replace him

Chancellorsville

• Hooker (Union) divided army of 134,000 into 3 parts

• Lee also split his troops and attacked

• CSA wins battle– Lost Gen. Stonewall

Jackson who was shot mistakenly by his own troops – he died 8 days later

The Battle of Gettysburg

• Lee invades north a 2nd time with 75,000 troops– Purpose was to get supplies– Scouts found a large store of shoes in Gettysburg

• Unaware of 2 large brigades of union troops on the high ground outside of town

– Day 1 – Union forces attack raiding party that was after the shoes

• CSA forces push the union line back to Cemetery Hill and Cemetery Ridge

• CSA held Seminary Ridge • North held the high ground and pounded CSA troops with

artillery

Battle of Gettysburg

• Day 2 – Lee attacks Union left flank (a hill called Little Round Top)– Union lines held

• Day 3 - Lee attacks Union center at Cemetery Ridge – attack known as Pickett’s charge– Union lines held and Lee was forced to retreat

• Bad weather and indecision prevented Gen. Meade (union) from pursuing Lee and the CSA forces as they retreated back into Virginia

Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

• Casualties– Union 23,000– Confederate 20,000

• Critical turning point in the war

• Lincoln – “Our army held the war in the hollow of their hand and they would not close it.”

Gettysburg Address

• Lincoln’s address dedicating a cemetery for fallen soldiers at the Gettysburg Battlefield

• The short speech was widely criticized at the time but is now considered one of the best in history

Vicksburg• Grant splits troops

– Held off 1 confederate army near Jackson, MS

– Surrounded another in Vicksburg

• CSA had high ground and Grant’s forces took heavy losses

• Laid seige to the city for 6 weeks until the CSA ran out of Ammo and food.– Nothing allowed in or out of

Vicksburg– CSA unable to break out at

Jackson to re-supply Vicksburg

– Grant waited patiently

Vicksburg

• Demanded Unconditional surrender

• CSA surrender on July 3, 1863

• Union now controlled the Mississippi

• Louisiana, Texas , and Arkansas are now cut off from the rest of the south and are effectively out of the war

Lincoln finds his General• Grant was trained at West

Point, but was not a good student (2nd to last in his class)– He drank too much – He had a weakness for the

ladies• He understood men and

strategy– Willing to take risks– Very stubborn– Made decisions and stuck to

them– Drove men hard, but was

respected by them– Was not afraid to put men in

harms way – almost to a fault– Unconditional surrender

Ulysses S. Grant Grant at Cold Harbor

Grant and staff at War Planning Meeting

War of Attrition

• Strategy that attempted to keep engaging the south in battle until they ran out of men, supplies and will to fight

• Effective strategy with brutal results

• Total war – not only attack the enemies army, but society as well– Civilians as casualties of

war

Fort Sumter RuinsRecovering the dead

Columbia, SC ruinsPetersburg

RichmondRichmond

Shiloh

Wilderness Campaign

• Grant repeatedly forced Lee’s troops to engage and fight.– Grant lost 60,000 men

during this period– CSA losses mounted as

well and they were running out of supplies and men

– At the conclusion of the Wilderness Campaign, Grant laid siege to Petersburg to rest and regroup

Wilderness Campaign

Siege of Petersburg

Sherman’s March to the Sea

• Sherman used total war to capture Atlanta– He then proceeded to

destroy everything in his path on his march to the sea

– Captured Charleston using same tactics

– Burned or destroyed everything in his path

Appomattox

• Terms of surrender– Confederate Officer’s

could keep their side arms

– All soldiers would be fed

– All soldiers would be allowed to keep their horses or mules

– None would be tried for treason

Final Surrender

• April 26th, 1865 General Joseph Johnston surrendered to General Sherman at Durham Station, N.C. under similar terms to those at Appomattox

• The war was finally over