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The American Civil War, 1861-1862

Early War Years: 1861-1862

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I. Nicknames:

• Johnny Reb- South (Rebels)

• Billy Yank- North (Yankees)

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II. Arsenals:

• Storage and manufacturing places for weapons and ammunition.

• Augusta, Savannah, Macon, Atlanta, and Columbus had arsenals

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III. South began with better military leadership, but fewer men….so:

• Draft begun by Confederate government• Gov. Brown opposed this (idea of states’

rights)- He thought of Georgia first and the Confederacy second

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IV. Life in Georgia:

• No fighting close to Georgia for the first few years• Blockades caused farmers NOT to be able to sell

cotton, so very little money circulated for military supplies and food

• Civilians suffered food shortages and high, high prices for everyday items

Northern Blockade – Anaconda Plan

• Union ships formed a blockade of Southern Ports vital in the cotton trade.

• The Confederate economy depended on cotton trade with Europe.

• Northern ships blocked this trade disrupted the cotton trade and the Southern economy.

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V. Women join in:

• Substituted for coffee, sugar and tea• Medicine- used herbs, roots and other plants• Old clothes were dyed to make into uniforms• Ran the farms and plantations• Cared for the wounded soldiers

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First Few Major BattlesManassas - Bull Run• Virginia –

Confederate Victory. Proved to all that the war would not be short.

Antietam • Lee’s first invasion of the

North• Battle Plans discovered• Bloodiest day battle of the

Civil War – No clear victory

• Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation

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VII. Emancipation Proclamation September, 1862- speech made by President Lincoln

– Slaves in all Confederate slave-holding states are to be free– Stable blacks would be welcomed into the armed forces of the

U.S. (Example: 54th Massachusetts Regiment from the movie ‘Glory’)

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VIII. Georgia supplies the Confederacy:

• Georgia became the Confederacy’s most important source of supplies.

• Farmers are told to switch from growing cotton to food products

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VIII. Georgia supplies the Confederacy:

• More industry than any other state:– Supplied military equipment: rifles, cannons, gunpowder,

sabers, wagons, railroad cars, tools, saddles, harnesses and clothing

– Main manufacturing centers: Atlanta, Macon, Columbus, Augusta and Savannah

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VIII. Georgia supplies the Confederacy:

• More industry than any other state:– Thousands of small industries, some in homes, supplied:

Uniforms, shoes, bandages and other supplies– Over 1400 miles of railroads (best system in the deep south)– Atlanta ‘Heart of the Confederacy’ being the hub was vital in

supplying and transporting Confederate troops