Unit 6: Causes of the Civil War Through Reconstruction

Chapter 14: A Violent Choice – Civil War, 1861-1865

The Union & Confederacy, 1861

Northern Advantages

Wealthy – better able to finance the war

Strong industrial base

Larger population

Superior Navy

Extensive railroad network

Southern Advantages

Vast in size, making it difficult to conquer

Fought a defensive war on its home territory

Group of experienced & skilled military commanders

North vs. South

Immigrants

as a %of a

State’sPopulation

in1860

Resources: North and South

Railroad Lines, 1860

Union Strategies

Anaconda PlanNaval blockade to shut

out supplies from Europe; eventually was effective

Campaign to take the Mississippi River, which would split the South in two

The taking of several strategic points, which would require huge armies to apply pressure on the Confederacy

The Anaconda Plan

The Diplomatic Front

Southerners thought that the British & French, driven by their desire for cotton, would intervene on the South’s behalfConfederates prohibited the export of

cotton in order to hasten British & French intervention

British were successful in finding alternative sources of cotton

British public opinion opposed slavery

The Diplomatic Front

Northern leaders took a hard line warning Europeans not to interfere

Europeans remained neutral

The Diplomatic Front

The Trent IncidentNov. 1861 Union leaders

stopped the British ship, Trent, & removed Confederate emissaries

British were outraged, viewing it as a violation of their rights on the seas

Lincoln peacefully resolved the situation

Battle of Antietam: Bloodiest Day of the War

September 17, 1862

23,000 casualties

•First major battle fought on Union territory (Maryland)•Ended in a draw, but Confederates retreated•Gave Lincoln confidence to issue the E.P.

The Emancipation Proclamation

•“Freed” the slaves in the South, but not in the border states•Strengthened the north’s moral cause•Helped rally anti-slavery support in Europe

Emancipation in 1863

The Union & Blacks/Slaves

The initial purpose of the war was to “save the Union”

The idea of ending slavery was difficult for Lincoln Racism in the North Border states were slave states Slavery was constitutional Re-election in 1864?

Summer 1862 Congress authorized A-As to fight in the armed forces

By issuing the E.P., slavery became the official cause of the war

African Americans in Civil War Battles

The 54th Massachusetts

First black regiment recruited in the North

Protested unequal pay

Lead the assault on Battery Wagner in Charleston Harbor but lost (July 1863)

Proved that blacks could fight

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry attacking Fort Wagner July, 1863

Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863)

Lee attempted but failed to invade the North; victory by the south would have ended the war

Union soldiers won the 3-day battle, but casualties were high

The Gettysburg Address

Lincoln’s address at the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, Nov. 19,

1863

•Lincoln & others assembled here to dedicate a plot of land that would become a soldier’s cemetery

Instituting the Draft

Initially, the North relied on volunteers, but few volunteered by 1863

Congress passed the first Conscription Act in 1863

The rich hired substitutes to go in their place & paid $300

With the burden of the war falling on the urban poor, many protested the draft & became violent – New York City Draft Riots (July 1863)

NYC Draft Riots July 13-16, 1863

Election of 1864

Sherman’s March to the SeaAfter capturing Atlanta,

General Sherman began a “scorched-earth” campaign with an objective of reaching SavannahDestroyed industry,

infrastructure, & civilian property

Plantations were burned, crops destroyed, & stores of food pillaged

Beginning of the end for the Confederacy

End of the War

Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox on April 9, 1865

Casualties of the War

Casualties in Comparison to Other Wars

Extensive Legislation Passed Without the South in Congress

Morrill Tariff Act – 1861

Homestead Act – 1862

Legal Tender Act – 1862

Morrill Land Grant College Act – 1862

Pacific Railway Act - 1863