The Civil War

By #1

Introduction

• The Civil War was between the North and the South.

• The North wanted to end slavery, but the South didn’t.

• The South depended on slavery to work on their plantation crops to make money.

• Soldiers were very lucky if they survived.

The Union and the Confederate Armies

• Most men on both sides fought for glory, money, or adventure.

• In the North, soldiers wore dark blue jackets, a blue cap, light blue pants, and black shoes.

• Southern soldiers wore long gray shirts, light blue pants, and gray jackets.

• Soldiers on both sides thought little blood would be shed, they were very wrong.

The Battle of Gettysburg

• July 1, a group of Confederate soldiers came to Gettysburg to look for shoes, but Union soldiers were in town also.

• Fighting started and Pickett’s men attacked the middle of Meade’s defensive line.

• Pickett’s men soon died and the Union won!

• All of the fighting from now on would be in the South.

Military Tactics and Technology

• Earlier during the Civil War, generals tried to kill their enemies head-on, but later they attacked their enemies on higher ground.

• Many soldiers used rifles instead of muskets.

• Union soldiers rode on railroads to get to places faster and the Confederates communicated over long distances with the telegraph.

Combat Conditions

• When first fighting an enemy usually started with a lot of bombing, that caused lots of black smoke, and deafening noises.

• If soldiers ran out of bullets or lost their rifles they fought their enemies with their fists, stones, or fence posts.

• At the end of a battle many soldiers died and many lay wounded.

Medical Care

• Many men died from diseases or wounds from other wounded men that were around them.

• Men who got hurt on the battlefield didn’t receive medical attention right away, they were lucky if they even survived.

• In the South, doctors had to use knowledge around them, but doctors in the North got supplies from the factories.

Food and Drink

• Food in the North and the South was horrible!

• In the North, soldiers ate hard biscuits that were made of flour and water, this was called “hardtack”.

• Southern soldiers boiled a root called “chicory” to make a coffee like drink.

Conditions on the Home Front

• Many people were angry with the draft that one day an angry mob destroyed the draft offices in New York.

• People in the South lost their homes since all of the fighting took place in the South.

• With the war there were more jobs for women like being schoolteachers, working in factories, nurses, or secretaries.

From Gettysburg to Appomattox

• President Lincoln told General Ulysses S. Grant to take over command of the entire Union army.

• Grant planned to end the war by attacking the Confederate soldiers in two directions.

• His planned worked and on April 9, Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia.

General Ulysses S. Grant

• Grant had a good tactic to end the war.

• His tactic was to end the war by attacking the South from two directions.

• Grant’s idea worked and the Confederate soon surrendered.

• Without a general like Grant the Union might have lost.

Conclusion

• As you can see, the Civil War was a very hard war.

• The Civil War made all slaves free!• The Union and the Confederate

finally joined together as one big powerful country.

• The Civil War was a very important war in America.