Crucible of Freedom: Civil War, 1861-1865 Chapter 15

Crucible of Freedom: Civil War, 1861-1865

Chapter 15

Causes of the Civil War

The American Civil War (1861-1865)

1. Introduction2. Lincoln’s Dilemma 3. Opposing Sides and Strategies4. Early War (1861-2)

1. East and West 2. Emancipation

5. Civil War Soldiers1. Draft and Riots2. Life for Soldiers

6. The War Continues (1863-1865)1. The East and West2. The End

7. Conclusion

Themes

1. Compare and contrast the North and South

2. Highlight some of the important battles of the Civil War and life for soldiers

Secession• From Nov – March 1860-61,

7 states left the Union– SC led the way, Mississippi,

Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia and Texas

– Argued the Constitution was a contract and the North broke it by not enforcing the Fugitive Slave Laws***

• Cry for “States’ Rights” –complete independence of Southern states from federal government control

Lincoln’s Dilemma

The Civil War, 1861-65

Confederate States of America

• These 7 states drafted their own Constitution and called themselves the Confederate States of America (Confederacy)– Constitution resembled the US Constitution but it

“protected and recognized” slavery in new territories– Stressed that each state would be “sovereign and

independent”• Chose Jefferson Davis to be their President• Lincoln said he wouldn’t take active measures to

force the states back in the Union

President Lincoln• 7 states had seceded; many

thought he wasn’t up for the job

• Lincoln: morally opposed to slavery and did not support its spread but would not interfere where it was legal

• Affirmed authority over all US territory in states that had seceded from the Union

Fort Sumter (Background)

• Fort Sumter, in SC, was low on supplies

• Lincoln informed South Carolina’s Governor he was sending food and supplies in an unarmed ship

For Sumter(April 12, 1861)

• Confederates attacked• Lincoln requested 75,000 volunteers to

suppress the rebellion• 4 more states seceded:

– VA, NC, TN, and AK

Ft. Sumpter

Responses to Secession• Some in VA opposed secession

• People from western counties in VA chose a new governor and applied for statehood in the Union

• Debate was also strong in TN Sides are chosen…

Lee

Sides with Virginia, does not agree with slavery but cannot fight against his home state!

Confederate States of America(1861-1865)

States Constitution President Capital

SC

MS

FL

AL

GA

LA

TX

VA

NC

TN

AK

States’ rights and the protection of slavery

Jefferson Davis Richmond, VA

Border States• Border states =

slave states that remained loyal to the Union

• Included: DE, MD, KT, MI, and WV

Secession

• Border states = blue

Lincoln and Border States

• Following confrontation in Baltimore, the area was occupied

• Lincoln suspended writ of habeas corpus– Confederates could be

jailed without charges indefinitely

Opposing Sides and Strategies


Mobilizing For WarBoth sides unprepared…

North (UNION)• Army: 16,000 men, mainly in West

• 1/3 join Confederacy• No strong president since Polk• Lincoln viewed as weak• No direct tax structure• No draft• Many industries• Connected by railroads

South (CONFEDERACY)• No tax structure• No navy• Two gunpowder factories• Poorly equipped• Unconnected railroads

Northern Advantages

PopulationIndustrial

Production & Transportation

Farm Acreage

North

•23 states

•22 million people

•90% of industrial capacity

•71”% of railroad mileage

•75% of nation’s farms

South

•11 states

•9 million people (5.5 million whites)

•10% of industrial capacity

•29% of RR mileage

•25% of nation’s farms

20

Figure 15.2: Comparative Population and Economic Resources of the Union and the Confederacy, 1861

Anaconda Plan:Union strategy for victory in the Civil War1. Union navy would blockade

southern ports to prevent trade2. Union would take control of

the Mississippi River, cutting the CSA into 2 parts

3. Union armies would capture Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia

• SIG – most difficult objective due to the leadership of Robert E. Lee• Confederate commander of the Army

of Northern Virginia who opposed secession but felt loyalty to his home state of Virginia

Union Strategies• Initial Strategy:

– Blockade of southern ports

– Capture Mississippi River

Scott’s Great Snake

Southern Advantages • “Home Court Advantage”

– Most fighting took place in the south

• Concrete War Aims– South fought to preserve their way of

life– North fought to preserve the Union

• Officers– Many of the best officers fought with

the confederacy

• “King Cotton”

Southern Society(1860)

King Cotton

• Southern cotton was traded to European nations– 75% of all raw cotton in GB’s factories came from the

South

• Southerners gambled the British would intervene• Why did “King Cotton” fail?

– British factories had surpluses of raw cotton– Cotton was imported from Egypt and India– Emancipation Proclamation = war to free slaves

Financing the War1) Federal government

a. raised funds by land sales and tariffs, but need other sources

2) North and South raise taxesa. 5% raised in the Southb. 21% raised in the North

3) Issued war bondsa. loans from citizens, repaid by future generationsb. paid back in gold or silver

4) Print paper moneya. Not backed by gold or silverb. $150 million in greenbacks

i. public had to have confidence in the moneyi. Union –legal to pay most public & private debtii. Confederates –never make legal; print too much and caused

inflation

5) National Banka. banks can get bank charter to issue national bank notesb. private banks can issue war bonds

Early War, 1861- 62


Bull Run /Manassas(June 1861)

• Union forces (led by McDowell) against Confederates (led by Beauregard)

• Union forces were initially successful

• Confederate reinforcements arrived and routed Union troops

• Bull Run/Manassas (Gods and Generals)

Bull Run/Manassas(Impact)

• Union troops were determined never again to be humiliated

• Boosted confidence of Confederate forces

Early War(1861-62)

• Lincoln replaced McDowell with McClellan who created Army of the Potomac

• Transformed unorganized troops into disciplined army

• Remained cautious during fighting in the East

George McClellan

Shiloh(April 1862)

• Union forces were led by Grant

• Confederates staged a surprise attack

Shiloh(April 1862)

• Confederate forces were successful until Union reinforcements arrived

• Fighting was very bloody: about 23,000 total casualties

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh John Clem ran away from his Newark, Ohio home in 1860. He was 9 years old. When war broke

the following year he attempted to join the Union Army but was rejected. Undeterred, the determined 10-year-old tagged along with the 22nd Michigan Volunteer Infantry until he was finally adopted as its mascot and drummer. He was supplied with a scaled-down uniform and a shortened rifle.

Clem distinguished himself at the Battle of Shiloh where an artillery shell destroyed his drum. Newspapers got hold of his story and he soon became known as the "Drummer Boy of Shiloh."

Clem gained further renown at the Battle of Chickamauga in September of 1863. In the thickest of the fighting, three bullets passed through his cap without doing him any harm. Separated from his unit, he escaped capture when he shot and killed a Confederate soldier who ordered him to halt. Newspapers now labeled him "The Drummer Boy of Chickamauga."

Little Clem's luck ran out a month later when he was captured by Confederate cavalry while he was serving as a train guard. He was freed in a prisoner exchange a short time later, but not before the Confederates held him up as evidence that the North was so desperate that it would enlist children in its fight. Clem was rewarded with advancement to the rank of Sergeant and assigned to the headquarters of the Army of the Cumberland.

Clem left the Army in 1864 and rejoined it in 1871 as a 2nd Lieutenant. He rose in rank to brigadier general becoming Assistant Quartermaster General of the United States Army in 1903. He retired from the Army in 1915 and died at age 85 in 1937. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg(September 1862)

• Lee’s troops invaded MD– Supplies were needed– Hoped for European

recognition of the Confederacy

• George B. McClellan (U.S.) vs. Robert E. Lee (C.S.) in Maryland

Antietam/Sharpsburg(September 1862)

• Tactically a draw; strategically a Union victory as the invasion was halted

• Bloodiest single-day of fighting in the war (24,000 casualties)

Antietam/Sharpsburg(Impact)

• Antietam = diplomatic victory

• Lincoln reconsidered his views of the war and slavery

• Drafted a proclamation to free slaves, but waited for a Union victory

The Emancipation Proclamation (Effective January 1, 1863)

• Freed slaves residing in states in rebellion against the Union

• Did not free slaves in states loyal to the Union

Emancipation Proclamation(Effective January 1, 1863)

• Lincoln maintained support of border states, yet it pushed them closer to emancipation

• Transformed war aims:– Union soldiers now fought

to free slaves

Review Questions:

• Where were the first shots of the civil war fired?– Fort Sumter

• What was the Union’s war strategy called?– “Anaconda Plan”

• Where was the first major bloodshed of the war?– Bull Run/First Manassas

• What was the bloodiest single –day battle in American history?– Antietam

• What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?– Freed slaves in rebelling states

Civil War Soldiers


Enrollment Act(1863)

• Men 20-45 were eligible for draft

• Draftee could hire a Substitute to serve in his place

• Draftee could also pay $300 to avoid service– “Rich man’s war, poor man’s fight”

Draft Riots: NYC(July 1863)

• Working class white men rioted and targeted:– Well-dressed white

men, African Americans, and supporters of war

• Several were injured; at least 6 blacks were lynched

Confederate Draft(1862)

• Similar to North’s “Enrollment Act”• Twenty Negro Law:

– Provided exemption for owners of 20 or more slaves

– Created resentment amount Southerners

46

Figure 15.1: Opposing Armies

of the Civil War

Civil War Soldiers• African American soldiers

enlisted in army after 1862– Over 180,000 served– Faced discrimination while

serving– Represented 10% of entire

Union army by end of war– Discrimination was common

• paid less than white troops• segregated units with white

officers• 54th Regiment …GLORY! (show up until

2:14)

African American Slaves

• seized opportunity presented by the approach of Union armies to escape from slavery and achieve freedom

Women During the Civil War• Typically managed homes

and families with scarce resources

• Often faced poverty and hunger (especially in the South)

• Assumed new roles in agriculture, nursing and war industries

– Clara Barton = served as a nurse, later founded the American Red Cross

• Women in the War

The War Continues, 1863-65


Soldiers Suffer on Both Sides

• Mainly due to high casualties in battle, poor living conditions, and disease

• Camp life – lonely, boring, repetitive– Lack of sanitation, poor quality food, lack of

proper medical care

• Warfare – brutal battles fought with outdated tactics and advanced weapons led to high casualties– Many soldiers were killed, even more returned

home wounded or crippled

• Many soldiers often kept wartime diaries and sent letters home to record the harsh realities of civil war soldier life

Civil War Soldiers

Camp life was boring, but diseases could be deadly:

• Food for union troops:– beans, salted pork, pickled beef, hard-tack

• Food for Confederate troops:– Bacon and cornmeal

• Both:– Food and clothing often in short supply– Brutality of combat transformed Union and Confederate soldiers

Civil War Soldiers• Medical care often

involved amputations

• Possibly 30% of amputees died following surgery

• Sanitation Commission established

Civil War Soldiers• POW camps had poor

conditions• Andersonville, GA held

over 30,00– Designed for 10,000– About 14,000 Union POW’s

died

• Elmira, NY held 12,100– Only open 15 months– 25% of the Confed’s there

died of disease– Point Lookout in MD was

worse than this one

POW Camps Con’t

• Civil War Prisons in Confederate Capital of Richmond, VA– Libby, Castle Thunder,

Belle Isle (only had tents)…and many more!

Castle ThunderCourtesy of The Library of CongressApril 7, 1865. "Looking up Cary Street“Located today in what is known as Tobacco Row

War Continues(1863-65)

• Confederates defeated Union troops at Chancellorsville (start at 1:30) in May 1863– But, “Stonewall”

Jackson was killed

• Union forces were unable to capture Vicksburg

Gettysburg (July 1863)

• Lee invaded the North in summer of 1863

• Confederate forces engaged with Union troops (lead by Meade) at Gettysburg, PA

Gettysburg

• A.P. Hill led his troops and met up with Lee’s troops

• Both Lee and Hill continued towards the town of Gettysburg and ran into the Union Cavalry led by John Buford– Buford had established defensive positions on

the hills and ridges

Gettysburg- Day 1• Hill’s troops approached from the west and

fighting began with Buford’s troops on July 1, 1863

• Reinforcements arrived with 90,000 Yankee troops and 75,000 Confederates on July 2

• Union Armies under Gen. George Meade began to fall back because of the furious Rebel assault- Confeds took control of town

• However, Lee knew he wouldn’t be successful unless the Confederate Army forced the Yankees to yield their position on Cemetery Ridge, the high ground south of Gettysburg

Gettysburg Day 2 (July 2)• Lee ordered Gen. James Longstreet to attack

Cemetery Ridge– Longstreet advanced from Seminary Ridge through

a peach orchard and wheat field that stood between them and Union troops

– A Brigade from Alabama attacked the hill at Little Round Top but were defeated by Union troops led by Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain

• Union forces lost 1/3 of their brigade and were running out of ammo when Chamberlain ordered them to charge the Confeds

– Confederates surrendered

• Little Round Top– History Channel

Gettysburg- Day 3 (July 3)• Lee ordered an attack on the middle of the Union lines

– For 2 hours fire rang out and could be heard as far as Pittsburgh

• Longstreet thinks he has weakened the Union forces and orders men under Gen. Pickett to march across the battlefield and attack the center of the Union line (known as Pickett’s Charge)

– Union reloaded and decimated the Confeds who fled fearing counter-attack

• Lee sent Cavalry led by Gem. James E.B. (Jeb) Stuart to try and surprise Meade and meet up with Longstreet– Stuart stalled however because of battle with Robert Gregg

• Lee gave up hopes of invading the north and returned to VA– Depressed, he resigned but Davis would accept it

Gettysburg (overview)

• 3 day battle left 23,000 Union men and 28,000 Confeds. killed or wounded– Bodies everywhere!

• Lee continued to lead his men for the next 2 years of the war, but the Confederacy was never able to recover from the losses at Gettysburg

*****BECAME THE TURNING POINT OF THE WAR!!!*****

Gettysburg (July 1863)

• Gettysburg = bloodiest engagement of the war– Over 50,000 Union and

Confederate deaths

The Gettysburg Address• Lincoln attended the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery

• Gettysburg Address – Lincoln’s 2 minute speech– Said that the United States was one

nation, not a federation of independent states

• After Gettysburg Address = “United States is…”

– Lincoln identified the reasons for fighting the Civil War

• To preserve a nation that was dedicated to the proposition that “all men are created equal”

• To preserve a nation that was dedicated ruled by a government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”

• Gettysburg Address

Vicksburg(May-July 1863)

• Vicksburg fell to Union troops following a siege

• Soon after Union forces controlled the Miss. River

• The “tide turned” in favor of the Union

Map 15.6:The War in the West,

1863: Vicksburg


Robert E. Lee• Mexican war

veteran• Commanded

Army of NOVA• His military

achievements were respected by many


Ulysses S. Grant• Also a veteran of

Mexican War• Known as a heavy

drinker and smoked cigars

• Named Commander of all Union armies in 1864


• The final Virginia Campaign, 1864-65

Atlanta(September 1864)

• ATL fell to Union troops led by Sherman

• Helped Lincoln win reelection

• Prior to election Lincoln was criticized by democratic candidate McClellan and radicals in his own party

Sherman

Sherman’s March(1864-65)

• Sherman’s troops cut a path of destruction 60 miles wide

Map 15.7: Sherman’s

March Through the South, 1864–1865

Appomattox(April 1865)

• Lee retreated from Petersburg; low on men and supplies

• Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865

Appomattox(April 1865)

• Terms of surrender were generous; confederates could return home (w/ their horses)

• Within weeks confederate forces had surrendered

Death of a President (April, 1865)

• April 14, 1865, while attending a play, Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth

• Lincoln died the next day

Results of the Civil War(1861-65)

• Slavery ended—but how would the government address the status of newly freed slaves?

• ~ 620,000 Americans died

• Much of the South was destroyed—how would it be rebuilt?

77

Figure 15.3: Civil War Deaths Compared to U.S. Deaths in Other Wars

Review

• Advantages of N and S on eve of war• Outlined key battles of the war

Review Questions #2:• What was the turning point of the civil war?

Gettysburg• Who did Lincoln appoint as General of all the Union armies?

Ulysses S. Grant• Which Union general led a march of destruction through GA

and SC?Sherman

• In which speech did Lincoln try to reunite the country “with malice towards none, with charity for all…to bind up the nation’s wounds”

Gettysburg Address• Where did Lee surrender to Grant?

Appomattox Courthouse

Documents

Crucible of Freedom: Civil War, 1861-1865 Chapter 15