The Civil War

Opening Guns

Lincoln's Inauguration

Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861.
He entered Washington in disguise because of the threats on his life.
In his speech he made it known that he believed the Union was perpetual or everlasting.
He did not accept the secession of the South.
He stated he would preserve the Union at all costs.

Fort Sumter Crisis

The Fort was located on an island off Charleston, South Carolina.
Lincoln sent supplies to the fort.
Southern leaders saw this as an act of war.
The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate cannons opened fire on the fort; after 40 hours the fort surrendered.
This event marked the opening of the Civil War.

Spread of Secession

Lincoln considered the Fort Sumter attack an insurrection, and called up the state militia.
After calling for troops, and after the start of the war, states that seceded from the Union were Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
Virginia was the residence of several experienced army officers like Robert E. Lee.
Slave, or border, states that remained in the Union include Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, and Maryland.
In 1863, 46 western Virginia counties formed West Virginia and stayed with the Union.

Union Plans and Advantages

President Lincoln's main goal in fighting the Civil War was preserving the Union.
Plan: known as the Anaconda Plan, the idea was to blockade the Confederacy by sea from Norfolk, VA to Texas; take over the Mississippi River and divide the South; and keep any European country from recognizing the Confederacy as a separate country.
Advantages: the North had over twice the number of people for an army; factories to make weapons; a better railroad system; and a larger navy.

Confederate Plans and Advantages

Plan: the South wanted to fight a defensive war; they fought on and defended their own land.
Advantages: they knew the land they were fighting on; had many experienced military leaders; and hoped France and Great Britain would continue to buy cotton for European textile mills.
The Confederates hoped to get aid from Great Britain and France. With European help, the Confederacy hoped to force the Union to recognize its independence.

First Battle of Bull Run

Many people in the North thought one quick victory over Confederate forces would end the war.
On July 16, 1861, Union General McDowell led 30,000 troops toward Richmond, VA.
At Manassas, VA they met Confederate troops on July 21, 1861.
Confident of victory, spectators and reporters went with the Union army to watch the Battle of Bull Run.
The Union army was defeated which led to a panic retreat.
The North began to realize it would be a long and difficult war.

From Plans to Action

The leading Union generals were Irvin McDowell, Ulysses S. Grant, and George McClellan. Confederate generals include Robert E. Lee, Thomas Jackson, Joseph Johnston, Pierre Beauregard, and Albert Johnston.
Early Confederate victories were at the First Battle of Bull Run and the Second Battle of Bull Run.

War in the West

On February 6, 1862, Union troops, led by Ulysses S. Grant, moved up the Tennessee River and captured Fort Henry with the help of Union ships.
By February 16, 1862, Grant captured Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River and opened the Confederate west to attack.
On April 6, 1862, Grant led forces, on the southern Tennessee River at Shiloh, in the defeat of Confederate forces.
After Shiloh, the Union controlled much of the Tennessee and northern Mississippi Rivers.
The Union had captured the western forts of Fort Henry and Donelson.

Naval Campaign

At first the Union navy was unable to stop blockade runners.
With more ships the Union navy was able to shut off southern trade.
The Virginia: (ironclads) on March 8, 1862, the Virginia (Merrimac) a southern ship battled the North's Monitor, this was the first battle between metal ships, and ended in a stalemate.
On the Mississippi River: in 1862, Union Admiral Farragut captured New Orleans and other southern ports along the Gulf of Mexico, including Memphis. The Union now controlled the Mississippi River.

War in the East

Richmond: the North wanted to capture the southern capital at Richmond, VA; the South wanted Washington D.C.
Lincoln fired General McDowell after his defeat at Bull Run. George McClellan was given Union command. McClellan was slow in preparing troops. Finally, Lincoln ordered McClellan to attack Richmond. McClellan led over 100,000 troops in a three month campaign against the Confederates forces led by General Robert E. Lee. The Union army was forced back, and Lincoln fired McClellan and put in General John Pope.
Second Battle of Bull Run: Lee defeated Pope, and by September 1862, General Lee invaded the North.
Antietam: McClellan regained Union command. Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862, Lee's army withdrew. There were 23,000 casualties, and it was the bloodiest one-day battle in the Civil War.

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln believed the war was to save the Union, not to abolish slavery.
Lincoln feared abolition would cause border states to secede.
On September 22, 1862, Lincoln stated that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves in Confederate lands would be free.
As Union armies took over more areas in the South, thousands of slaves were freed.
Nearly 200,000 black Americans joined the Union forces, but they were not treated equally; however, during the last two years of the war, black soldiers took part in nearly every battle.

War on the Home Front

People at Home

The roles of women during the war were they set up volunteer aid societies, acted as spies, served as nurses, and helped to provide food and other supplies.
Volunteers and Spies: women set up volunteer aid societies in churches, schools, and homes. Rose O'Neal and Bell Boyd were spies. Some women smuggled medicines, and were blockade runners.
Medical Care: women provided medical care, sanitation services, and food to the armies.

Profits and Poverty

Industries that made a profit from the war were those that made iron, cannons, movable bridges, and locomotives.
North: farms grew because of the need of food, farmers bought more machines to replace workers lost to the war. Textile plants were hurt, but he iron industry boomed as it supplied the Union army. Food prices went up, and labor called for higher wages.
Food prices rose in the South during the war because the blockade of the southern coast made food scarce and prices went up.
South: manufactured goods became scarce, price of food rose, shortages became serious, and sickness became a problem because of a lack of medical supplies.

Soldiers for the Armies

Steps taken to provide soldiers include recruitment, draft, and bounties.
At the beginning of the war several volunteered.
As the war dragged on volunteers slowed.
Bounties were offered to those who joined the armies.
On April 14, 1862, the Confederates established a draft. The Union followed the next year.
Both sides could hire substitutes if drafted.
The draft was unfair to the poor.
In July 1863, a draft riot took place in New York City.

Opponents of the War

Copperheads: these were northern Democrats who opposed Lincoln's war policies; and, in 1864, they formed the Sons of Liberty and supported state's rights and opposed federal measures they thought unconstitutional.
Lincoln put several anti-war leaders in prison, and the courts stated he had exceeded his authority. Lincoln insisted he did it for the safety and security of the nation.

Financing the War

The North and the South paid for the war by selling bonds, issued paper money, took out loans, and passed taxes.
North: the federal government borrowed money through the sale of bonds; taxed states; set up an income tax; issued paper money, called greenbacks, that was not backed up by gold or silver; and set up a national banking system.
South: received European loans backed by cotton and other cash crops; set up a direct tax on states; and printed paper money not backed by gold or silver.

Congress Without the South

Laws Congress passed during the war: Kansas entered the Union as a state. A protective tariff and the Homestead Act were passed.
Republicans passed laws that had been blocked by Southerners before the war.
In 1861, Kansas became a free state.
In 1861, Colorado, Nevada, and Dakota became free territories.
In 1864, Nevada became a state.
When the Homestead Act of 1862 was passed it provided free land to settlers.
Two companies were chartered to build a railroad from Nebraska to California.

High Point of the Confederacy

Major battles fought in late 1862 and 1863: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg.

Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville

Lincoln replaced McClellan with General Burnside after Antietam.
On December 13, 1862, Burnside led the Union army to take Richmond and met Lee's forces at Fredericksburg, VA. The Confederates won.
Lincoln changed commanders and called on General Hooker.
Hooker, in the spring of 1863, led Union forces in an invasion of Virginia.
After a four day battle at Chancellorsville the Union army retreated.
The Confederates lost General "Stonewall" Jackson.
Casualties for both sides were nearly 30,000.

Battle of Gettysburg

After Confederate victories at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, Lee decided to invade the North.
Lee hoped to force the North to surrender and that Great Britain and France would then recognize the Confederacy.
Lee's army marched into Pennsylvania hoping to take Harrisburg, then Philadelphia, and Washington or Baltimore.
Lincoln replaced General Hooker with General Meade.
The North had about 100,000 troops, the South 75,000.
On July 1, 1863, they met at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. For three days Confederate forces tried to break Union lines.
General Pickett led 15,000 Confederate troops, unsuccessfully, into the heart of the Union's defense.
There were 51,000 casualties on both sides, and Lee's Confederates suffered defeat.
The Battle of Gettysburg stopped the Confederate invasion.

Fall of Vicksburg

At Vicksburg, Mississippi, Grant led a Union attack.
Grant had been unsuccessful at capturing this last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River.
In April 1863, Grant's army sailed down the river, then moved to attack the fort from land.
By the middle of May, Vicksburg was surrounded.
After a 47 day siege, the Confederates surrendered on July 4, 1863.
The Union victory at Vicksburg was important to the Union as it split the South and gave control of the Mississippi River to the Union. Arkansas and Texas were then cut off from the rest of the South.

Road to Appomattox

Grant in Command

After Vicksburg and Gettysburg, Britain gave up the idea of recognizing the Confederacy.
In March 1864, General Grant was given full command of the Union army, and he devised a plan to have the armies in the East and West work together.
Sherman's March to the Sea: General Sherman left Tennessee in May 1864 and began his march to the sea. By September, he took Atlanta, GA which was an important manufacturing and transportation center. It was the junction for several railroads.
Sherman then marched his Union troops toward Savannah,GA destroying everything in their path; and, on December 22, he entered Savannah, then moved north to join General Grant in Virginia.
Sherman's march bolstered Lincoln's reelection chances in 1864. Lincoln carried every state in the Union except Delaware, Kentucky, and New Jersey.
As Sherman marched toward Georgia, Grant moved onto Richmond, Virginia.
Grant Against Lee: Lee defeated Grant at the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5 and 6, 1864.
Grant stopped Lee at Spotsylvania Courthouse, and on June 3, Lee defeated Grant at Cold Harbor.
At Petersburg, VA the two armies dug in against each other and fought for months.
Casualties were high on both sides and Lee's army was slowly reduced.

Surrender of the Confederacy

In the spring of 1865, Lee decided to break away from Grant.
On April 2, 1865, Lee evacuated Richmond and Petersburg. These cities were then undefended, and the Union army took them over.
Lee set up a Confederate camp at Appomattox, VA, and discovered he was surrounded by Union forces and that the cause was lost.
On April 9, 1865, Lee and Grant met, and the Confederate forces surrendered.
A month later the last Confederate army surrendered. The Civil War was over.

With Malice Toward None

After Lincoln was reelected, he spoke of his plans to rebuild the country in his inaugural address on March 4, 1865.
He called for a time of healing, forgiveness, and peace.

Assassination of President Lincoln

On April 14, 1865, five days after Lee surrendered, Lincoln was killed by John Wilkes Booth, at Ford's Theater. Booth believed he was helping the Confederate cause.
The death of Lincoln lessened the chance for an easy peace between the North and the South.

Hokanson's Social Studies

1999-2006 © Hokanson's Social Studies