The Civil War

Warm Up• How might a civil war be worse than other

wars?• How would your life be affected if

Philadelphia went into a civil war?• What are some of the most critical

resources needed to win a war?• Who had the advantage at the onset of

this war: The North or the South and why?

First Shots Fired• “ I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but

friends. We must not be enemies. Though passions may have strained, it must not break, our bonds of affection…”– Abraham Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address

• Lincoln assured the South that they were in no danger from his administration

• BUT… Secession was illegal.• “A husband and wife may be divorced, but the

different parts of the country cannot.”

First Shots Fired cont.• The Southern states took over many of the forts within

their boarders. • People questioned whether he would oppose secession

by force.• Some Union forts were located in Southern states.• Lincoln had a decision: What does he do about the forts

still under Union/Federal control? Send reinforcements and start war or allow the forts to fall into Southern hands?– Fort Sumter--Charleston Harbor– Fort Pickens--Pensacola, Florida

• Fort Sumter was running out of supplies

First Shots Fired cont..• Lincoln decided not to send reinforcements

– Thought it would mean bloodshed and no chance at reconciliation

• Sent a naval expedition to supply the fort with food• Confederate leaders prevented the ships from bringing

supplies through a military strategy– President Jefferson Davis of the CSA

• April 12, 1861 the Confederates opened fire on Fort Sumter

• The fort withstood 34 hours of bombing until it surrendered

• The civil war had begun!!!

Bombarding of Ft. Sumter

First Shots Fired cont..• Lincoln responded by calling 75,000 volunteers

to bare arms• South responded by having 4 more states

secede– VA, NC, AK, TN

• After years of crises and compromise, the nation chose to settle their quarrel by force

• Southerners called Lincoln’s actions-- unnecessary aggression

• Lincoln said that Southern secession “rejected democracy!!”

Border States• These states held the key to victory in this

war– DE, MD, KY, MO

• They were all slave states, which bordered states where slavery was illegal

• Why would they be so important?• LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION• Maryland was the most important border state

– Why?????

Border States cont..• If Maryland seceded, then Washington

D.C. would be cut off from the Union• Lincoln wanted to arrest Maryland

lawmakers who backed the South, but did not

• Pro-Union leaders eventually gained control of the Maryland legislature

• Maryland stayed in the Union

Washington D. C. 1861

Border States cont..• Kentucky was also important to both sides because of its

rivers– Why?? Who cares about rivers?

• Union could use these rivers for invasion• Confederacy could use the rivers as a barrier• Kentucky was deeply divided about secession.• A Confederate invasion in 1861 prompted the state to

stay in the Union• MO and DE stayed Union• Virginia split and West Virginia formed in 1863• 24 states= Union• 11 states= Confederacy

Strengths• Union

– Manpower: 22 million people– Resources– Factories– Railroads– Naval power and shipyards– President Abraham Lincoln

• Convinced Northerners that democracy depended on preserving the Union

• Convinced Northerners that the war was not about slavery-- it was about the South’s illegal actions

Strengths cont..

• Confederacy– Better, more able Generals

• Robert E. Lee– Fought a defensive war

• Northern supply lines stretched far• Knowledge of the land

– Soldiers had more to fight for• Defending their homes

Strategies• Confederacy

– Defensive strategy (at first): did not want to conquer the North; only to be independent

• “All we ask is to be left alone…”– CSA Pres. Jefferson Davis

– Confederate leaders hoped the North would tire of the war, and accept Southern independence

– KING COTTON-- as a way to win foreign support• Grew most of the cotton for Europe• Withheld cotton from Britain and France

– Tried to make them aid their cause

– As the war moved on, the South went on the offensive• Big victories meant low, Northern morale

Strategies• Union

– Wanted to bring the South back to the Union– Anaconda Plan: Developed by Winfield Scott

• Naval blockade of the South’s coastline• Designed to smother their economy• Prevents the transportation of goods or people• Also, gain control of the Mississippi R.• Split the Confederacy in two

– Attack the Confederate capital if Richmond• Lincoln ordered an invasion summer of 1861

Anaconda Plan