THE CIVIL WAR

Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861

OPENING SHOTS OF CIVIL WAR:

FORT SUMTER, 1861

THE FORT, LOCATED IN

CHARLESTON HARBOR, SOUTH CAROLINA, WAS

THE UNION’S PROPERTY SO

WHEN THE CONFEDERATE

ARMY ATTACKED, IT

WAS AN ACT OF WAR

THE WAR BEGINSTHE WAR BEGINS -- FT. SUMTER, FT. SUMTER, SCSC

• Rebels took this federal fort on April 12, 1861

• Stirred feelings of nationalism in both sides - both began forming armies

• 4 more states seceded after this attack: AR, NC, TN, VA

Border StatesBorder States – slave states that remained in Union: MD, KY, DE & MO

(eventually WV also)Lincoln established “martial law” to keep them

The Leaders

• 16TH U.S. President• 23 STATES in Union• CAPITAL - WASHINGTON,

D.C.• PURPOSE FOR WAR:

PRESERVATION OF THE UNION– see secession as

rejection of democracy– Why not a war against

slavery yet?

• Jefferson Davis, President• 11 states in CSA• Capital - Richmond, VA

(originally Montgomery)• Purpose for War: protect

states’ rights– right of self-

determination• Will be charged with treason

at war’s end

Story of the Bonnie Blue Flag

President Lincoln’s Cottage at the Soldier’s Home

During the Civil War, President Lincoln and his family resided here from June to November of 1862, 1863, and 1864.

Founded in 1851 as a home for retired and disabled veterans of American wars, the Soldiers’ Home stood on 250 acres atop the third highest area in the District of Columbia. Like President Buchanan before him, Lincoln enjoyed the cool breezes and refreshing peace of the Soldiers’ Home which was three miles north of downtown. But unlike his predecessor, Lincoln could not escape the Civil War and his burden of leadership even while at this seasonal retreat.

UniformsAt the beginning of the Civil War, uniforms were provided by individual states who chose a variety of colors for their uniforms. This led to massive confusion on the battlefield and often to soldiers firing on their own men. As the war went on, both sides chose a single color for their uniforms. The Confederates choosing grey while the Union selected blue.

ADVANTAGESADVANTAGES

• POPULATION - 22 million vs. S

with 9 million (& 3.5 are slaves)• INDUSTRY - more than 80% of

manufacturing• TRANSPORTATION - ships &

railroads (22,000 mi.)• AGRICULTURE - most of grain

crops & meat• GOVERNMENT –already in

place; strong central gov’t• FINANCING – extensive banking

system already in place• LINCOLN’S WAR MACHINE!

• MILITARY LEADERSHIP -strong military traditions with many officers trained at West Pt.;Southerners “bred to fight”

• MILITARY STRATEGY - defensive strategy only & fighting on familiar territory

NORTH SOUTH

The Generals

Ulysses S. Grant

William T. Sherman

Robert E. Lee

Thomas Stonewall Jackson

George Meade James Longstreet

George B. McClellan James E.B. Stuart

UNION ARMIES• Much trial and error in

generals before ultimately commanded by GEN. ULYSSES S. GRANT

• Why so hard for Lincoln to find a commander?

• ARMIES named after rivers (“Army of the Potomac”)

• BATTLES named after closest body of water (“Antietam,” “Bull Run”)

ROBERT E. LEE declined Lincoln’s offer to lead U.S. troops after VA’s secession

ARMIES were named after regions (such as Lee’s “Army of the North”)

BATTLES were named after the closest settlement (for example, “Sharpsburg, Manassas”)

CONFEDERATE ARMIES

ANACONDA PLAN:

•BLOCKADE Southern ports•Keeps foreign aid out•Ruins South’s economy

•Send gunboats down MS River to cut off flow of supplies & divide S

•Capture Memphis, Vicksburg, New Orleans•Capture the Capital of Richmond•Exhaust S’s resources, forcing surrender•Once Grant in command – “TOTAL WAR”

UNION / YANKEE STRATEGY

CONFEDERATE / REBEL STRATEGY

• DEFENSE!• Initially, South had

most victories

• Alliance Attempts– With Britain and France– Required South to show it had a chance to

win.– Attacks into Union territory to draw Union

troops away from the South and to impress potential allies

• As war goes on, strategy is:– evading the Union army– keeping the war going as long as possible, while

inflicting casualties to demoralize the North.

• A diplomatic crisis that took place between the U. S. and Great Britain from November to December 1861

• Captain of the USS San Jacinto ordered the arrest of two Confederate envoys sailing to Europe aboard a British mail ship, the Trent, in order to seek support for the South in the Civil War.

• The British, who had not taken sides in the war, were outraged and claimed the seizure of a neutral ship by the U.S. Navy was a violation of international law. Ultimately Lincoln released the envoys and averted an armed conflict with Britain.

FINANCING THE WAR

• Income tax (3% on incomes over $800 - collected $667 million)

• Direct tax on states

• Loans - over $2.2 billion

• Issuing “greenbacks” ($431 million) - leads to inflation

• Tariffs• Cost of living

doubled in N by end of War

• Blockade is major issue– no $ through

tariffs– supplies difficult

• Income tax & excise taxes - (covers only 2% of needs)

• Loans - borrowed $712 million

• Printing paper $ - over $1.5 billion

UNIONUNION CONFEDERACYCONFEDERACY

UNION POLITICS

• Republicans - large majorities in both Houses• Party positions on slavery:

– DEMOCRATS - leave it alone– COPPERHEADS (Peace Democrats) - want peace at

any cost; anti-war– RADICAL REPUBLICANS - total = rts. for blacks; led

by Sen. Sumner & Thaddeus Stevens in House– MODERATE REPUBLICANS - no slavery but not in

favor of equal rights

• Lincoln suspends individual rights such as….

Weapons of the Civil War

Canister Shot

Minié ball

Rifled Barrel

Springfield Rifle, 1861 (Union)While the Union used many types of rifles, this was the most common.

British Enfield Rifle, 1853 (Confederacy)While the Confederacy used many types of rifles, this was the most common.

Officer’s Sword

Artillery Projectile

First Modern War

• Better guns and bullets

• Gatling Gun• Better Artillery• Submarine• Ironclads• Telegraph• Balloons

Tragic story of the H.L. Hunley

World’s FirstCombat Submarine

BATTLE OF BULL RUNBATTLE OF BULL RUN

• July 186l• Bull Run Stream / Manassas, VA

(near Washington, D.C.)• North after Richmond -

expecting a short war - McDowell

• South – under Beauregard - starting to retreat…except Stonewall Jackson – got his nickname here

• Jackson kept fighting, reinforcements showed up & SOUTH WINS SOUTH WINS decisively

• North panicked / ran back to DC• McDowell fired; McClellan hired• North realizes it will not be a

short & quick war

The “Picnic Battle”The “Picnic Battle”The “Great The “Great Skedaddle”Skedaddle”

Sullivan Ballou

Clara Barton & the Red Cross

• Clara Barton's civil war work began in April 1861. After Bull Run, she worked to obtain and distribute supplies to wounded soldiers and had special permission to travel freely behind the lines and put herself in danger.

• Common sense practices: triage, clean bandages, everyone trained in basic first aid.

• 20,000 women become nurses

• She founded the Red Cross in 1861 to provide emergency relief in disasters and times of war and served as director until her death

MONITOR vs. MERRIMACK

March 1862Merrimack (S) was 1st ironclad ship -- the VirginiaMonitor (N) is first U.S. iron ship

Merrimack attacking in Chesapeake Bay –

- major damage to Union wooden ships

Monitor arrives next dayBattle of the Ironclads – first time in

historyNeither side “wins” butNORTH regains control of Chesapeake Bay

SUPERIORITY OF IRON SHIPS SHOWN!SUPERIORITY OF IRON SHIPS SHOWN!

BATTLE OF SHILOH

• April 1862• TN & MS borders• North on way to Corinth,

MS - rail center• Surprise attack by South• Terrible, bloody 2-days

with extremely high casualties– more in 2 days than all

battles of Rev. War, War of 1812 & Mexican War combined!

• U.S. Grant for North & Johnston for South

• Grant allows S to retreat;gets demoted

• War no longer seen as “romantic” test of courage

NORTH WON … but Grant realizes the only way the war will be won is by total conquest of South

BATTLE OF BULL RUN -- II

• August 1862• Same Place - Bull Run

Stream, VA (near Washington, D.C.)

• South led by Lee & Jackson• North led by Pope (McClellan

demoted after 7 Days Battles attempting to take Richmond - but gets command again after Pope loses Bull Run II)

• SOUTH WON SOUTH WON again• Significance: Gen. Lee is Gen. Lee is

now encouraged to invade now encouraged to invade the Norththe North

Gen. Stonewall JacksonGen. Stonewall Jackson

September 1862 at Antietam Creek, Sharpsburg, MD

Lee has invaded the North hoping for victory that will give European support

McClellan found Lee’s plans wrapped around cigars & attacked Lee’s divided forces

S lost 11,000 & N lost 13,000 in one day!

NORTH “WON” since Lee retreated back to VA (but … & McClellan fired for good)

North doesn’t have another major victory for a year!

ANTIETAMANTIETAM -Single Bloodiest DayIn U.S. History!

EFFECT:Lincoln issues theEmancipationProclamation

• Abolition pressure by 1862 – Radicals abolished

slavery in DC, then territories

– Confiscation Act - freed all slaves owned by persons in rebellion against US

EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION September 22, 1862

• Why did Lincoln resist emancipation?

• His preference?• Finally issued it - WHY?• Applies where?• How is it different from

Confiscation Act?• Impact in South? In

North?• Result when slaves are

later freed in South?

Emancipation in 1863Emancipation in 1863Emancipation in 1863Emancipation in 1863

FredericksburgDecember 13, 1862

• After ANTIETAM, the SOUTH WINS two major victories in Virginia under Generals Lee & Jackson

• Fredericksburg - December 1862.

• Union Gen. Burnside delayed for more than 2 weeks due to late supplies – Confederate Gen. Lee positioned his army, deploying snipers to easily pick off Federal troops. Burnside retreats with the remnants of his army – fired by Lincoln.

Chancellorsville May, 1863

• North’s Gen. Hooker lost 17,000 men to an army half his size (Hooker then fired)

• South’s Gen. Stonewall Jackson was killed at this battle – by “friendly fire”

• Lee is encouraged to try invading the North again

The Road to Gettysburg: 1863

The Road to Gettysburg: 1863

The Road to The Road to Gettysburg: 1863Gettysburg: 1863

The Road to The Road to Gettysburg: 1863Gettysburg: 1863

GETTYSBURGJuly 1-3, 1863

South - Generals Lee, Longstreet, Pickett – 76,000 North - General Meade – 92,000 men South takes town & force North to high ground South spends next 2 days trying to take the position NORTH WINS; South suffers devastating losses South lost 10,000 in “Pickett’s Charge” alone South - 28,000 lost; North – 23,000 lost TURNING POINT - loss from which the South could

never recover Lee’s 2nd & final invasion of the North Lee retreated on July 4, 1863 Again, Meade doesn’t pursue – 2 more years of war!

Pickett’s Charge

Gettysburg Gettysburg CasualtiesCasualtiesGettysburg Gettysburg CasualtiesCasualties

GETTYSBURG MEMORIAL SERVICESThursday, November 19, 1863

The Gettysburg Address November

19, 1863The speech contains only 272 words, but is considered by most historians to be one of the greatest speeches in American History.

Click on pic to hear Lincoln’s Address

VICKSBURG - May 2-July 4, 1863

• Gen. Ulysses S. Grant for the North

• North is seeking full control of the Miss. River & Grant had made 5 attempts to capture Vicksburg

• Grant surrounds the city & bombards them for more than 6 weeks ----

• starves them out• NORTH WINS – significance?

• now has total control of the MS River

• has cut the S in two -- cut off from TX & AR, its major food source

THE CIVIL WAR ON THE HOMEFRONTEconomies

CONFEDERATES• Inflation; high prices• Collapse of South’s

transportation• Little industry• Many food shortages –

led to food riots• Southern morale down

UNION• Booming economy• Growing industry –

troops well supplied• Many women workers

– Invention of sewing machine by Elias Howe

• Agricultural technology

BLACKS IN THE MILITARYRecruiting Poster

BLACK SOLDIERS GET THEIR CHANCE!

• Many join Union army & navy after the Emancipation Proclamation

• Jan. 1863 – MA Governor establishes one of first black regiments

• 54th Massachusetts – led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, 25 year old son of wealthy white, Boston abolitionists

• Union, however, was reluctant to let them fightand will use them primarily in what way?

-manual labor