The Civil War, 1861-1865

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The Civil War, 1861-1865

Chapter 5

Communities Mobilize for War

The two nations that existed in 1861, the US and the Confederate States of America, were surprisingly similar

Both Presidents were trying to maintain unity

Both prayed for peace in their Inaugural Addresses

Both nations were unprepared to fight such a war

Fort Sumter was a Federal fort at the entrance of Charleston, SC waters

SC knew that they would not be able to mobilize with the fort under Federal control

They began asking for its surrender even before they seceded The fort was low on supplies so Lincoln, hesitantly,

ordered non-military supplies be sent to them Now, the Confederacy would have to make the first charge of

war Davis did not hesitate; on April 10 he ordered General P.T.

Beauregard to attack if the fort did not surrender Two days later, after open fire had occurred on the fort, the

stars and bars hung over Fort Sumter


Prior to the attack on Fort Sumter Congress had authorized a volunteer army of 10K for 12 months

They evoked the Revolutionary sentiment of freemen without tyranny

The attack on Fort Sumter made men even more willing to “protect the southern soil, and settle blame later”

In the South, they believed that the Northerners would scatter—”blue-bellied Yankees!”

They thought that the war would be over within 60 days Fort Sumter startled the North into action

On April 15 Lincoln called for 75K state militiamen to serve in the Federal army

Eager to serve included black men who were turned away


Scenes like this were common throughout the North

The women would organize assistance for the troops (clothes, food, etc.) and their families at home

The North “accompanied” their men into war


When war broke out the 8 border states had to choose sides

VA went first, leading AR, TN and NC to join the South The other 4 controlled key assets

MO bordered the Mississippi River and controlled access to the West

KY controlled the Ohio River MD controlled the main RR; plus if they went, that would mean

that Washington, D.C. would be surrounded by the Confederacy DE controlled access to Philadelphia

All 4 states would ultimately choose to stay with the Union MD stayed after a crowed that attacked a troop of Union soldiers

headed for D.C. were fired on, killing 12 people The laws that Lincoln put in place to punish them included martial

law, suspension of due process


A new state was birthed out of the Civil War

55 of Virginia’s western counties decided to side with the Union, resulting in Lincoln accepting the new State of West Virginia, 1863

Division was also common amongst families

Even Mary Todd Lincoln’s brothers fought for the Confederacy


The preconceived notions that this would be a quick, easy war disappeared at the first battle of Bull Run

So naive were the Northerners about war, sightseers followed the troops to watch the battle

The Union held their own until an extra 2,300 troops appeared for the Confederacy

The Union broke ranks, swept up the sightseers and retreated back to Washington in a confused mass

The Confederate soldiers lacked the discipline to follow them This was a reality check for everyone

The Civil War has been the most lethal military conflict in our history

620,000 (1:4 soldiers in the war) died—more than WWI & WWII combined


Advantages for the North: 22M people versus 9M (3.5 of which were slaves) Industry: 9x larger than the South 97% of firearms production 71% of the RRs, 94% of cloth produced, 90% of footwear

produced By the end of the war the North was able to feed, cloth and

care for their 2M soldiers (South only had 800K) South’s advantages:

Desire and defense Military personnel, many of the regular Federal troops choose

to side with the South The troops that the North did have were untrained in comparison to

Southern troops Gen. Robert E Lee choose to side with the South, despite not

agreeing with the cause…”I have been unable to raise my hand against my native state, my relatives, my children, and my home.”


The economic advantage that the North had seemed unimportant to the South initially

“Cotton is King” as James Hammond had declared in 1858 would rule the day according to Southerners

They believed that the industrialization of the North still depended on the Southern cotton

They also believed that Britain and France’s need for Southern cotton would force them into recognizing the Confederacy as a separate nation

They were wrong


Lincoln considered his main task was to preserve the Union

Task 1: Assert control over his Cabinet who was staffed with Republicans such as William Seward and Salmon Chase

Lincoln called up state militias, etc. without Congressional permission

Gen. Frémont wanted to free slaves in MO, Lincoln said no to avoid KY and MD from joining the South

Lincoln’s military planning was guided by his desire to reunite the country, thus many did not take heed of his now famous speeches

The War Department expanded significantly to help feed, cloth, and supply their troops (community efforts also helped with this)

The Lincoln Presidency

Lincoln did not try to control economic policy, he believed it was the job of Congress

Treasury Secretary worked with private sector financial experts to create a plan for financing the war

The government used patriotism to sale war bonds Government borrowed $2.6B and the first federal Income Tax

(3%) was imposed Printed paper money (disputed by Congress)

Legal Tender Act of 1862 establish a national currency (called greenbacks)

National Bank Act of 1863 forbade banks from issuing notes and forced them to apply for federal charters

These two acts took away the independence of state banks The only reason this worked is because Southern Democrats

who opposed these efforts were not currently a part of Congress


Republican agenda: Morrill Tariff Act, as well as other acts doubled tariff rate Created two federal corporations to build a transcontinental

railroad Homestead Act granted 160 acres of land to any citizen who

agreed to live on and improve it Morrill Land Grant Act (1863) provided land to states to

create colleges offering education to ordinary citizen 1862—Creation of the Department of Agriculture to push for

modern agriculture This package was an updated version of Henry Clay’s

American System of National Economic Development


Gen. Seward fought to keep Britain and France from recognizing the Confederacy

King Cotton did not gain European support British support for abolish would not favor the South British cotton manufactures turned to Egypt and India for

their supplies They and France did allow the Confederacy to use their ports

and Britain built 6 ships for them When Britain built two iron clad ships for ramming for the

South, the Union threatened war France had used the war to invade Mexico, violating the

Monroe Doctrine To avoid the French helping the South, war was not declared

but troops were placed in TX to prevent invasion from France France withdrew from Mexico in 1866 after diplomatic

pressure


Jefferson Davis’ job included not only fighting the war but creating a nation based on a loose relationship between 11 States

He was unable to hold the Confederacy together not only because of his status as “new money” but the structure of the Confederacy itself

Having a representative from each state in his Cabinet caused him to not be able to unify them under one country due to “States’ Rights”

Davis was a micro-manger who alienated people under him Rich slave owners refused to give up their privileges for the

good of the new nation Failure of “cotton diplomacy” shocked Southerners

They withheld their cotton from the market hoping that it would drive up demand, they were wrong

When they released their supply again, prices plunged

The Confederacy

States refused to raise taxes for war By the time uniform taxes were laid it was too late Inflation occurred at a rate of 9000% damaging morale and

unity After the initial surge of volunteers the Confederacy was

forced to institute a draft All able bodied white men age 18-35 were eligible Purchasing substitutes was allowed Men who owned more than 20 slaves were exempt which

created class resentment “It’s a rich man’s war, but a poor man’s fight”

The Confederacy

States refused to raise taxes for war

By the time uniform taxes were laid it was too late

Inflation occurred at a rate of 9000% damaging morale and unity

After the initial surge of volunteers the Confederacy was forced to institute a draft

All able bodied white men age 18-35 were eligible

Purchasing substitutes was allowed Men who owned more than 20

slaves were exempt which created class resentment

“It’s a rich man’s war, but a poor man’s fight”

The Confederacy

Politics pushed Lincoln to become more aggressive in fighting the war

Lincoln’s original plan was to simply blockade the South at sea and on the Mississippi River

The only reason Lincoln agreed to the Battle of Bull Run was because the people wanted a fight

Gen. McClellan invaded Virginia with 120K troops in order to capture Richmond

Lee’s army of Northern VA pushed him back to the James River so he returned to Washington

Lee also won the Second Battle of Bull Run in August of 1862 Davis felt the same pressure for action that Lincoln had

He supported an attack on MD and tried to get MD to make peace with the South

Lee invaded MD but was turned back in the Battle of Antietam (1862)

The war was a stalemate in northern VA

Fighting Through 1862

In the West Gen. Grant pushed Confederate troops back to northern MS

Despite loosing 13K men in the Battle of Shiloh, Grant capture Memphis in June 1862 and moved on to Vicksburg

Earlier in the year naval forces under Adm. Farragut captured New Orleans and moved up the Mississippi River

In effort to spread slavery into SW Confederate forces from TX occupied Santa Fe and Albuquerque

Confederate troops were not able to spread further because of resistance from militias from CA

Other fighting took place along the KA and MO border


Many Indians fought Confederacy They were angry about previous treatment from the US Indian support for the Confederacy was used as justification

to take more land from them after the war (the Union’s was of retaliation)

The Santee Sioux in MN rose up against the US killing between 500-800 settlers

Even more Sioux were killed in retaliation and all Sioux were expelled from MN

In 1863 the US Army invaded Navajo Country in AZ and forcefully marched 8000 prisoners to NM

They were held there until a treaty was signed in 1868


The Union naval blockade of the South was initially unsuccessful

In 1862 it only stopped 1/8th of all Confederate shipping Confederate privateers destroyed US ships By 1865 the blockade was stopping ½ of all shipping

The Confederate Navy covered the Merrimac an old Union vessel with iron plating and renamed it the CSS Virginia

The North had its own ironclad ship called the Monitor These two ships met at the Battle of Hampton Roads and

fought to a draw By the end of 1862 the North had captured the sea islands

of NC and SC and Fort Pulaski at the entrance to Savannah Harbor


Blacks moved in droves to Union lines and fortresses Slaves were considered a contraband of war

“Contrabands” were put to work building fortifications Many took refuge in Washington, D.C. By war’s end nearly 1M blacks (25% of all slaves in South)

had run to Union forces


As slaves fled to Union lines it became apparent that any policy would have to include emancipation of the slaves

Lincoln began his presidency by declaring that slavery would go untouched

He personally hated the idea of slavery, but understood the South’s economic attachment

He refused to free slaves before the war for fear of starting the war, and refused to free them early in the war for fear of losing MO, DE, KY, and MD

He also needed to be able to keep the Republican Party together—most of them were not in favor of freeing the slaves, but rather stopping expansion of slavery

Most people were still anti-black even though they were anti-slavery

The Democrats played to this saying that free blacks would flock to cities and take white people’s jobs

The Death of Slavery

Lincoln proposed that every state undertake gradual, compensated emancipation

Former slaves were to be resettled in Haiti and Panama (neither under US control)

Some such as Horace Greenly believed it was foolish to fight the rebellion without immediately freeing the slaves

Lincoln told Horace Greenly in a letter: “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would

do it; and if I could save it by freeing all slaves, I would do it; and if I could do it by freeing some slaves and leaving others alone, I would also do that. Why I do about Slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save this Union.”

Lincoln had already decided to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, he was just waiting for the right time

After the win in Antietam in Sept. 1862, Lincoln gave the South the ultimatum: surrender or your slaves will be “free forever”


On Jan. 1, 1863, as promised, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation

Problem: It only freed slaves in the Confederate areas, not in Union held lands

Seward remarked, “We show our sympathy with slavery by emancipating slaves where we cannot reach them and holding them in bondage where we can set them free.”

Lincoln tried to impress Britain, but instead just puzzled them The symbolic gesture of the Emancipation Proclamation was

met with cheers from African Americans outside the White House

Blacks hoped that the news would encourage a work stoppage among southern slaves, which did happen

Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony pushed Lincoln to support a constitutional amendment outlawing slavery

Lincoln made it part of his 1864 platform, and the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865 (without any say from the southern states)


After the Proclamation is passed, Lincoln supported the idea of free blacks joining the military

They were assigned to all-black units under the command of white officers

Officials were unsure of how black units would be treated as they marched through northern towns, but they were cheered by people of both races

Blacks had to prove their worth through their performance in combat

Many high-ranking officers began to welcome the idea as African-Americans proved themselves over and over

Confederates did not feel the same way about black soldiers

Captured black soldiers were treated as runaway slaves and executed

Southern blacks were overjoyed to see black units come through


The soldiers still faced racism in the military They were only paid $10 as opposed to the $13 white soldiers They protested by not accepting any pay until it was equal to

whites It worked…in 1864 the War Department equalized pay

Service in the military also ended discrimination in some states

MA enacted the first laws forbidding discrimination in public places

Other major cities soon followed: San Francisco, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and NYC

OH, CA, and IL repealed laws barring black people from testifying in court or being on a jury

Frederick Douglass: “Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.”


Many thought that the Civil War would be one of “brotherly” fighting, avoiding excessive violence

Due to more accurate weaponry this was not true The Generals were using the strategy of throwing as many

men as possible into the gun fire hoping enough would survive to win the attack

Another reason for so many deaths on the front lines was medical ignorance

Minor wounds led to Gangrene and unsanitary conditions led to smallpox, dysentery, typhoid, pneumonia, and malaria

Soldiers would be recalled in Aug. and Sept. due to high risk for spread of disease

Another health risk was prison space Andersonville, a Southern stockade, led to 100 Northern deaths

per day due to disease, exposure, and malnutrition

The Front Lines and the Home Front

Men who were injured during battle would often be left in the fields to die

Soldiers at the battle of Shiloh, unable to move, drowned as the rain poured down 24 hours after the battle


Many people were opposed to the idea of women working in army hospitals taking care of strange men

Despite objections from army doctors, women became nurses in military hospitals thanks to the leadership of Dorothea Dix and Mother Bickerdyke

Clara Barton used her political connections to get nurses and medicine to the front lines, and to reform the military medical system

Southern women worked in small organizations to provide care to troops, but were not well connected like their northern counterparts

Southern women view the war as a wake-up call, and become more politically active following its end


A soldier’s daily life was filled with disease and destitution Mud, dirt, lack of uniforms, communicable diseases, and a

lack of sanitation all made life difficult Many soldiers simply deserted their units Fraternization between the two sides caused problems


Stephen Douglas helped promote unity in the north between Democrats and Republicans

His death created a separation between the “War Democrats” and the “Peace Democrats”, known as “Copperheads”

“Copperheads” drastically opposed many of Lincoln’s policies such as emancipation, the draft, and martial law

They referred to him as “King Abraham” They played to midwest farmers by saying Republican tariffs

hurt farmers, and played to immigrants’ racial fears, claiming that black workers would flood into northern cities

The leader of the Copperheads, Clement Vallandigham, wanted to negotiate peace without regard to slaves

He, as well as 13,000 others, were arrested and imprisoned under martial law due to suspected conspiracy with the Confederacy

Within his own party, Lincoln struggled with Radicals, the strongest being Salmon Chase


Wartime needs caused massive economic growth in the North

Industries such as coal, iron, and agriculture are some of the beneficiaries

As with all governmental spending, there was corruption and an unequal distribution of wealth

Most people did not realize any economic upturn They still faced day-to-day hardships like inflation Due to the need for goods to be shipped nationally, there is a

rise in large organizations to accomplish this goal This lead to battles between employees and employers going

into the 20th Century Read from p. 471 (New York City Draft Riots) to 472 (stop

at The Tide Turns)


The opening of 1863 saw a stalemate between North and South

In May, Robert E. Lee daringly divided his forces General “Stonewall” Jackson lead his men to

Chancellorsville, VA, where, despite losing 13,000 soldiers and Jackson himself, the Confederacy gets a victory

Lee took his forces to Gettysburg in July, where on the last day he sent George Pickett and 15,000 men to advance on the Union lines

“Pickett’s Charge” has been deemed the symbolic representation of the Confederate war efforts

Matchless valor, apparent initial success, ultimate disaster Gettysburg was the last offensive mounted by the

Confederacy On July 4th, 1863, Ulysses S. Grant took Vicksburg The news of Gettysburg and Vicksburg ensured that France

and Great Britain would stay out of the war

The Tide Turns

Grant devised a plan of strangulation Grant rook on Lee in Virginia, while William Tecumseh

Sherman heads through Tennessee into Atlanta The new strategy was to make sure that the war directly

affected the citizens Total War was evident as Sherman marched to Atlanta,

earning the nickname “Burnin’ Sherman” Sherman’s goal was to make the war so terrible to the

citizens of the south that they would never resort to it again

The Tide Turns

The war was the main focus of the election of 1864 Radicals thought Lincoln was too conciliatory with the south,

while conservatives balked at emancipation The Democrats ran General George McClellan, who didn’t

really endorse the party platform Proclaim the war a failure and seek an armistice Stoked racial fears by warning of a racially mixed society

Lincoln anticipated losing unless a miracle occurred The miracle was Sherman’s capture of Atlanta This allowed Lincoln’s policy of unconditional surrender to

continue Lincoln’s reelection was a mandate from the people to

continue a war that had been extremely hard on the citizens

The Tide Turns

In a last-ditch effort to replace Confederate soldiers, the South armed slaves to serve in the Confederate army.

Slaves who fought for the Confederacy were granted freedom The South never had to go public with this irony because

support had disintegrated by the spring of 1865 Davis sent his Vice President to negotiate peace Lincoln would accept nothing less than total surrender, while

Davis insisted on Southern independence While this is going on, Grant advanced on Lee’s men, leading

to full surrender at the Appomattox Davis hoped to set up a new government in Texas, but was

caught in Georgia on May 10th, 1865, thus ending the war

The Tide Turns

While attending a play at Ford’s Theater on April 14th, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth

He died the next day, and after a week of observance in Washington, D.C., his coffin was shipped back to Springfield to be buried

People gathered along the railroad tracks to pay last respects to the President

Booth was a Southern supporter, but killed the best friend the South had when he assassinated Lincoln

The Death of a President

The Civil War, 1861-1865

Documents

Transcript of The Civil War, 1861-1865