Texans Go To War

Ch. 15 Section 2

Civil War Begins

• The Civil War begins in April 1861 at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina.

• Confederate forces fire on a Union fort in the harbor, and war begins.

• Beauregard vs. Anderson – Friends yet enemies.

In its declaration of secession, Texas stated that it intended to go to war to preserve a southern way of life that made racial distinctions, in part, by maintaining blacks in a condition of servitude.

Many Texans Become Soldiers

• Thousands of Texans joined the Confederate army immediately.

• In April 1862, the Confederate Congress passed the Conscription Act.

• Texas German immigrants objected to fighting against the Union.

The two highest-ranking Texans in the Confederate army were Albert Sidney Johnston and John Bell Hood.

Most Texans Support the South

• After the war began, most Texans who previously had been against secession now supported the Confederacy.

• About 60,000 Texans joined the armed forces of the Confederacy.

5TH TEXAS VOLUNTEER INFANTRY, CO. K

Some Texans Aid the Union

• About 2,000 Texas Unionists, including 50 African-Americans, took up arms for the Union. Mexican-Americans served on both sides of the war.

• Texas Unionists who did not want to fight on either side left Texas.

Major Battles of the Civil War

Chapter 15 Section 2

Union “Anaconda” Plan

• 1. Capture Richmond, Virginia – Capital of Confederacy

• 2. Blockade Southern ports– Prevent trade with other countries

• 3. Capture the Mississippi River– Cut Confederacy in half– Cut off trade routes from New Orleans and

Texas

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Scott-anaconda.jpg

Texas-Mexico Trade RoutesTexas-Mexico Trade Routes

Texas was economically important to the Confederacy because the Confederacy was able to conduct foreign trade through Mexico by way of Texas. (See p. 142.)

Ft Sumter

• April 12, 1861

• Charleston Harbor – Charleston, S.C.

• Union surrendered the fort

Significance of Ft. Sumter

• Led to the secession of Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina

• First military action of the war

First Battle of Bull Run

• July 21, 1861

• Manassas, Virginia – 30 miles from Washington, D.C.

• Confederates won the battle, but failed to chase the Union army

• 4,700 killed/wounded/captured

Significance of Bull Run

• First major battle of the war

• Morale boost for the South.

• War would not go exactly as either side expected

Battle of Shiloh

• April 6-7, 1862

• Pittsburg Landing, Tennessee– near Shiloh Church

• Confederates drove Union back the first day, but Union won the battle the second day

• 24,000 K/W/C

Significance of Shiloh

• Texas General Albert Sidney Johnston killed.– Considered one of South’s best Generals– Fought at Battle of San Jacinto

• Showed that this would be a long and bloody war

• Showed the determination and skill of Ulysses S. Grant as a Union commander

Battle of Gettysburg

• July 1 - 3, 1863

• Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

• Gen. Robert E. Lee led Confederate forces into the North. Union army defeated the Confederates in a costly battle.

• 46,000 K/W/C

Significance of Gettysburg

• Turning point of the war

• Confederate invasion of the North failed.

• Huge morale defeat for the South

• Combined with the defeat at Vicksburg the next day, the South was never able to recover.

Vicksburg

• May 18 - July 4, 1863

• Vicksburg, Mississippi – high on a bluff above Mississippi River

• Confederates surrender after 47 day Union siege of the city

• 36,000 K/W/C

Significance of Vicksburg

• General Ulysses S. Grant took control of the Mississippi River.

• Split the Confederacy in half, and cut off important trade routes through New Orleans and Texas.

Texans on the Attack

• The Confederacy’s first objective was to overtake Union garrisons and supplies.

• Texas launched a preventative strike on Union Forces in New Mexico.

• The New Mexico Campaign failed and was abandoned in July 1862.

Battle of Galveston

• Union ships blockaded Texas ports.

• Cotton was transported through Mexico and sent to Europe in exchange for war supplies.

• In October 1862 Union forces attacked and captured Galveston.

• Texas Confederate forces retook Galveston in January 1863.

Texans Defend Sabine Pass

• Confederate soldiers defeated Union forces at Sabine Pass.

• Dick Dowling and the Davis Guards played a major role by capturing 350 soldiers and two boats.

• The Battle of Sabine Pass was an important Confederate victory, foiling the Union’s major campaign against Texas.

In the fall of 1863, Confederate forces under the command of Lt. Richard Dowling turned back a much larger Union invasion force at the Battle of Sabine Pass.

"There is no parallel in ancient or modern warfare to the victory of Dowling and his men at Sabine Pass considering the great odds against which they had to contend" Jefferson Davis

The Battle The Battle of Sabine of Sabine PassPassSeptember 8, 1863September 8, 1863

Forces Battle over Brownsville

• Hoping to cut off the overland supply line, the Union focused on Brownsville, Texas.

• In November 1863, Confederate troops drove back a Union attack on Brownsville.

Red River and Beyond

• Union forces captured New Orleans.

• With 25,000 troops, they moved toward East Texas.

• A smaller Confederate army met the Union forces 25 miles from the Texas border in one of the bloodiest campaigns.

Red River and Beyond

• Hood’s Texas Brigade and Terry’s Texas Rangers served bravely.

• Terry’s Texas Rangers served in more battles than any other cavalry regiment in the Civil War.

• General Robert E. Lee called Hood’s men his “finest soldiers.”

Battle of Palmito Ranch• General Robert E. Lee surrendered to

General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia on April 9, 1865.

• The last land battle of the Civil War took place on May 13, 1865, at Palmito Ranch near Brownsville.

• Texans learned from their prisoners that Lee had surrendered a month earlier.