The Civil War Begins 465

11

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

War EruptsWar Erupts TERMS & NAMESFort Sumter

Robert E. Lee

border state

King Cotton

Anaconda Plan

blockade

First Battle of Bull Run

First Shots at Fort SumterAs they seceded from the Union (the states loyal to the United States ofAmerica during the Civil War), the Southern states took over most of thefederal forts inside their borders. President Abraham Lincoln had to decidewhat to do about the forts that remained under federal control. MajorRobert Anderson and his garrison held on to Fort Sumter in the harbor ofCharleston, South Carolina, but they were running out of supplies.

If Lincoln supplied the garrison, he risked war. If he ordered thetroops to leave the fort, he would be giving in to the rebels. Lincolninformed South Carolina that he was sending supply ships to FortSumter. Leaders of the Confederacy (the nation formed by Southernstates in 1861) decided to prevent the federal government from holdingonto the fort by attacking before the supply ships arrived.

The secession of the Southern statesquickly led to armed conflictbetween the North and the South.

The nation’s identity was in partforged by the Civil War.

ONE AMERICAN’S STORYTwo months before the Civil War broke out, 22-year-old Emma Holmes

of Charleston began keeping a detailed diary. Like other South

Carolinians, Holmes got caught up in the passions that led her state to

secede. From a rooftop, she witnessed the event that started the war.

She wrote about South Carolina’s attack on Fort Sumter, a federal fort

in Charleston’s harbor, in her diary.

A VOICE FROM THE PAST

[A]t half past four this morning, the heavy booming of cannons woke thecity from its slumbers. . . . Every body seems relieved that what has beenso long dreaded has come at last and so confident of victory that theyseem not to think of the danger of their friends. . . . I had a splendid viewof the harbor with the naked eye. We could distinctly see flames amidstthe smoke. All the barracks were on fire. . . . With the telescope I saw theshots as they struck the fort and [saw] the masonry crumbling.

Emma Holmes, The Diary of Emma Holmes 1861–1866

Many Southerners expected a short war that they would easily win.

Northerners expected the same. In this section, you will learn how the

war started, how the states divided, and how each side planned to win.

This photograph of Emma Holmes was taken in 1900.

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At 4:30 A.M. on April 12, 1861, shore guns opened fire on the islandfort. For 34 hours, the Confederates fired shells into the fort untilAnderson was forced to surrender. No one was killed, but the South’sattack on Fort Sumter was the beginning of the Civil War.

Lincoln Calls Out the MilitiaTwo days after the surrender of Fort Sumter, President Lincoln askedthe Union states to provide 75,000 militiamen for 90 days to put downthe uprising in the South. Citizens of the North responded with enthu-siasm to the call to arms. A New York woman wrote, “It seems as if wenever were alive till now; never had a country till now.”

In the upper South, however, state leaders responded with anger. Thegovernor of Kentucky said that the state would “furnish no troops for thewicked purpose of subduing her sister Southern States.” In the weeksthat followed, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas voted

to join the Confederacy.As each state seceded, volunteers rushed to enlist,

just as citizens did in the North. A young Arkansasenlistee wrote, “So impatient did I become for startingthat I felt like ten thousand pins were pricking me inevery part of the body, and started off a week in advanceof my brothers.” Some feared the war would be overbefore they got the chance to fight.

With Virginia on its side, the Confederacy had amuch better chance for victory. Virginia was wealthy andpopulous, and the Confederacy in May of 1861 movedits capital to Richmond. Virginia also was the home ofRobert E. Lee, a talented military leader. WhenVirginia seceded, Lee resigned from the United StatesArmy and joined the Confederacy. Although Leeopposed slavery and secession, he explained, “I cannotraise my hand against my birthplace, my home, my chil-dren.” He eventually became the commanding generalof the Army of Northern Virginia.

Choosing SidesAfter Virginia seceded, both sides knew that the borderstates would play a key role in the war’s outcome. Theborder states—Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, andMissouri—were slave states that bordered states in whichslavery was illegal. Because of their location and resources,the border states could tip the scales toward one side.

Keeping Maryland in the Union was important forthe North. If Maryland seceded, then Washington,D.C., would be cut off from the Union. To hold on tothe state, Lincoln considered arresting Maryland law-makers who backed the South, but he decided against it.

466 CHAPTER 16

A. ComparingWhy might citi-zens in both theNorth and theSouth have beeneager to fight inthe Civil War?A. AnswerTensions had beenbrewing a longtime, and on bothsides peoplemight have beenanxious to see theconflict resolved.

BackgroundThe state militiaswere armies ofordinary citizensrather than pro-fessional soldiers.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

1809–1865

Today, Abraham Lincoln is consid-ered one of the great men of all time. Yet early in his presi-dency, he was widely criticizedand ridiculed. Critics labeled him ignorant, incompetent, andsocially crude. As Lincoln grewinto his job, however, he gainedthe respect and affection of many Northerners.

Even as a youth, Lincoln haddisplayed a gift for public speak-ing. During the Civil War, throughhis speeches and writings, Lincolninspired fellow Americans to“dare to do our duty as weunderstand it.”

Why would the ability toinspire people be importantin a wartime leader?

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0

0

500 Miles

1,000 Kilometers

Union stateBorder state not secedingConfederate state

120°

W

110°

W 100°W

90°W

80°W

70°W

20°N

30°N

40°N

50°N

A T L A N T I CO C E A N

P A C I F I CO C E A N

M

ississippi R.

G u l f o f M e x i c o

CALIFORNIA

TEXAS

Claimed by Confederacy

LA.

ARK.

MISSOURIKANSAS

IOWA

MINN.

WIS.

ILLINOIS IND.

MICH.

OREGON

TERRITORIESOHIO

KENTUCKY

TENNESSEE

MISS. ALA.GEORGIA

FLA.

S.C.

N.C.

VA.

N.H.VT.

PA. CONN.

DEL.

MASS.N.Y.

R.I.

N.J.MD.

MAINE

W.VA.

M E X I C O

The States Choose Sides, 1861

B. SummarizingWhy were theborder states crit-ical to the war’soutcome?B. Answer Theywere criticalbecause of theirlocation andresources.

Pro-Union leaders eventually gained control of the Maryland legislature,and the state stayed in the Union.

Kentucky was also important to both sides because of its rivers. For theUnion, the rivers could provide an invasion route into the South. For theSouth, the rivers could provide a barrier. Kentuckians were deeply dividedover secession. However, a Confederate invasion in 1861 prompted thestate to stay in the Union.

Both Missouri and Delaware also stayed in the Union. In Virginia,federal troops helped a group of western counties break away. Thesecounties formed the state of West Virginia and returned to the Union.In the end, 24 states made up the Union and 11 joined the Confederacy.

Strengths and WeaknessesThe Union had huge advantages in manpower and resources. The Northhad about 22 million people. The Confederacy had roughly 9 million, ofwhom about 3.5 million were slaves. About 85 percent of the nation’s fac-tories were located in the North. The North had more than double therailroad mileage of the South. Almost all the naval power and shipyardsbelonged to the North.

The Union’s greatest asset, however, was President Abraham Lincoln.He developed into a remarkable leader. Lincoln convinced Northernersthat democracy depended on preserving the Union.

The Civil War Begins 467

SkillbuilderAnswers1. Union2. It provided ameans of trans-portation, commu-nication, trade, andtroop movements.

GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER Interpreting Maps1. Location Which side had states bordering the Atlantic

and Pacific oceans and the Great Lakes?2. Region Why was the Mississippi River important to

both sides in the war?

West Virginia separated from Virginia in 1861. It wasadmitted to the Union in 1863.

Washington, D.C., wasthe capital of the Union.

Richmond, Virginia, thecapital of the Confederacy,was only about 90 milessouth of Washington, D.C.

Fort Sumter is located onan island in the harbor ofCharleston, South Carolina.It was the site of the firstbattle of the Civil War.

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The Confederacy had some advantages, too. Itbegan the war with able generals, such as Robert E.Lee. It also had the advantage of fighting a defensivewar. This meant Northern supply lines would have tobe stretched very far. In addition, soldiers defendingtheir homes have more will to fight than invaders do.

The Confederate StrategyAt first, the Confederacy took a defensive position. Itdid not want to conquer the North—it only wantedto be independent. “All we ask is to be let alone,” saidConfederate President Jefferson Davis. Confederateleaders hoped the North would soon tire of the warand accept Southern independence.

The South also depended on King Cotton as a wayto win foreign support. Cotton was king becauseSouthern cotton was important in the world market.The South grew most of the cotton for Europe’s tex-tile mills. When the war broke out, Southern planterswithheld cotton from the market. They hoped to forceFrance and Britain to aid the Confederate cause. Butin 1861, European nations had surplus cotton becauseof a big crop the year before. They did not want to getinvolved in the American war.

As the war heated up, the South soon moved awayfrom its cautious plans. It began to take the offensiveand try for big victories to wreck Northern morale.

The Union StrategyThe North wanted to bring the Southern states backinto the Union. To do this, the North developed anoffensive strategy based on General Winfield Scott’sAnaconda Plan. This plan was designed to smotherthe South’s economy like a giant anaconda snakesqueezing its prey.

The plan called for a naval blockade of the South’scoastline. In a blockade, armed forces prevent thetransportation of goods or people into or out of anarea. The plan also called for the Union to gain con-trol of the Mississippi River. This would split theConfederacy in two.

One of the drawbacks of Scott’s plan was that itwould take time to work. But many people, eager foraction, were calling for an immediate attack onRichmond, the Confederate capital. Lincoln ordered aninvasion of Virginia in the summer of 1861.

468 CHAPTER 16

C. SupportingOpinions At thebeginning of theCivil War, whichside would youhave predicted towin? Why?C. Answer Moststudents will probably pick theNorth because ithad huge advan-tages in peopleand resources.Some studentsmight say theSouth becauseSoutherners weredefending theirhomes.

SkillbuilderAnswers1. the Union2. The factoriesproduced moresupplies thatcould be deliveredby the railways.

The pie charts show the relativestrength of the Union and the Confederacy in population and industry.

Total U.S. Manufacturing Plants

Total U.S. Industrial Workers

Source: Encyclopedia Americana

SKILLBUILDER Interpreting Charts1. Which side had more resources?2. How might the North’s railwaysand factories have helped its armies?

Resources, 1860

29%71%

29% 71%

15%

85%

8%

92%

Total U.S. Population

Total U.S. Railroad Mileage

Union Confederacy

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Battle of Bull RunTo take Richmond, the Union armywould first have to defeat theConfederate troops stationed at thetown of Manassas, Virginia. Thiswas a railway center southwest ofWashington, D.C.

On July 21, 1861, Union forcescommanded by General IrvinMcDowell clashed with Confederateforces headed by General PierreBeauregard near a little creek calledBull Run north of Manassas. In theNorth, this battle came to be knownas the First Battle of Bull Run.

At one point in the battle, a Confederate officer rallied his troops bypointing his sword toward Southern General Thomas J. Jackson. Theofficer cried, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall! Rally behindthe Virginians!” From this incident, Jackson won the nickname“Stonewall” Jackson. His men held fast against the Union assault.

As fresh troops arrived, the Confederates equaled the Union forces innumber and launched a countercharge. Attacking the Union line, theylet out a blood-curdling scream. This scream, later called the “rebel yell,”caused the Union troops to panic. They broke ranks and scattered.

The Confederate victory in the First Battle of Bull Run thrilled theSouth and shocked the North. Many in the South thought the war waswon. The North realized it had underestimated its opponent. Lincoln sentthe 90-day militias home and called for a real army of 500,000 volunteersfor three years. In the next section, you will learn what army life was like.

The Civil War Begins 469

2. Taking NotesUse a Venn diagram to com-pare and contrast thestrengths of the North andthe South.

3. Main Ideasa. How did citizens in theNorth and the South respondto the outbreak of the Civil War?

b. Why were the borderstates important to bothsides in the Civil War?

c. What kind of military strategy did each sidedevelop?

4. Critical ThinkingComparing How was the South’s situation in the Civil War similar to thesituation of the Patriots inthe Revolutionary War?

THINK ABOUT• their reasons for fighting• their opponents’ strengths

1. Terms & NamesExplain the

significance of:• Fort Sumter• Robert E. Lee• border state• King Cotton• Anaconda Plan• blockade• First Battle of

Bull Run

Section Assessment

ACTIVITY OPTIONS

LANGUAGE ARTSTECHNOLOGY

Read an account of the First Battle of Bull Run. Use the information to write anews article or plan the battle’s home page for the Internet.

1

The ConfederateArmy passes inreview beforeGeneral PierreBeauregard.

Strengthsin

common

North South

BackgroundIn the South, thebattle was calledthe First Battle of Manassas. Inmost cases, theSouth named abattle after anearby town.The North used alandmark nearthe fighting, usually a stream.

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