The Civil War or

The War Between the States

1860-1865

Essential Questions

• Why was the purpose of the Civil War?• What advantages and disadvantages did each side

possess• What impact will the war have on our country

Areas of FocusA. Advantages and Disadvantages of each SideB. Strategy of each SideC. Instruments of War

Weapons Battle Tactics Medicine

D. Key PersonalitiesE. Key Battles

• First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas Junction)• Gettysburg• Vicksburg

F. Major Political Events• Emancipation Proclamation• Gettysburg Address

G. Surrender

• Strong support that the white population or “home front gave

to the war – highly motivated to fight because they had a

strong sense of being wronged- (Fighting for their Freedom)

• Engaged in defensive warfare – less costly in terms of men

and material

• Fighting in familiar territory - defending their land, homes,

and their way of life

• Military leadership was superior to the North’s from the

beginning, which provided an important tactical advantage

• Wealth – from the value of its exports (especially cotton)

Union Advantages:

• Controlled most of the nation’s money making it easier to finance the Northern war effort

• Larger population

• More industry- factories were available to produce wartime material

• More abundant resources - weapons, uniforms, food, etc.

• More farm acreage – access to more food

• Controlled both the merchant marine and U.S. Navy

• Controlled 70% of the nation’s railroads making it easier move troops and support items

Confederate Disadvantages:

• Agricultural economy, but produced half as much food as the North

• Smaller population of free men to draw upon in building an army

• Few factories to manufacture weapons and other supplies

• Had less than half the miles of railroad tracks and vastly fewer trains than the North - had great difficulty delivering food, weapons, and other supplies to its troops

• Had no organized government at first

• Its belief in states’ rights hampered its efforts because the 11 individual states refused to give the Confederate government sufficient power to wage the war effectively.

Union Disadvantages:

• Bringing the Southern states back into the Union was going to be difficult - it would require the North to invade and hold the South

• The Southern people’s support for the war was strong - they believed they could defeat the North

• Union had a much smaller pool of experienced military officers

• Most of the soldiers were from cities

• There was limited support for the war effort as the war continued and some groups actively resisted the draft.

The Union’s Strategy

for the War:

Their goal was to bring the Southern states back into the Union

(ending slavery was not a major Northern goal at the beginning)

Strategy: Anaconda Plan

(1) to blockade or close Southern ports

(2) gain control of the Mississippi River

(3) capture Richmond, Virginia the

Confederate capital

The Confederacy’s

Strategy for the War :

Primary goal was to win recognition as an

independent nation - to allow them to preserve their traditional way of life, including slavery

The South developed a defensive strategy:

(1) Defend its homeland and hold onto its territory

(2) Gain the support of Britain and France

(3) Wear down the North until they would give up

Weapons of the War• Improved weapons increased “Fire Power” the rate at

which you could fire with increased accuracy

Weapons of the American Revolution

Weapons of the Civil War

What difference can you see between the Revolutionary and Civil War Weapons?

TacticsWeapons might have improved but they still used outdated tactics. They still fought in open fields with mass attacks

Improved Weapons and Outdated tactics = huge casualties

CASUALTIES OF THE CIVIL WAR

Total Troops 1,566,678 1,082,119

Wounded 275,175 194,000

Died of Wounds 110,070 94,000

Died of Disease 249,458 164,000

Total Deaths 359,528 258,000

617,528

WWI – 116,516WWII - 405,399

Medical Care during the Civil War

The huge slaughter that resulted from these frontal attacks, combined with a relatively few number of poorly equipped surgeons led to fairly dismal prospects for any soldier unlucky enough to be shot or otherwise injured in battle. Those with serious injuries in the torso would simply die. For those who were shot in an extremity, the options were few, in fact, really one: amputation.

During major engagements the flood of wounded became simply overwhelming. The surgeon could afford to spend precious few minutes with each of the injured. This led to amputation being the treatment of choice for injuries to an appendage. Chloroform was used during the Civil War, when it was available.

Key players in the Civil War

Wm. T. Sherman- Union ” Thomas “Stonewall Jackson- South

Key Battles• First Battle of Bull Run• Gettysburg• Vicksburg

First Battle of Bull Run

Why is importantThe result of the battle shocked the nation because the war that was supposed to be over in a day ended up in an embarrassing defeat for the Union army. The North knew now that it was going to be a long war.

ODD FACT:Wives of some of the top generals come along, while wealthy men and women bring picnic baskets and blankets to sit on top of a hill and watch the fight

Gettysburg

Why is importantThe battle is the turning point in the war. The south could not recover from the loss. They never went on the offensive again. The North gained confidence and momentum. The war continues but becomes just a waiting game of when the south will surrender.

Why it is ImportantThe capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi, was vital to the north to allow them regain control over the Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in half.Ulysses S Grant’s campaign to take the city lasted eight months

Vicksburg

The siege was so brutal that for the next 81 years the citizens of Vicksburg would refuse to celebrate Independence Day on July 4th

Total War

Sherman’s March to the sea.

His forces destroyed military targets as well as industry, infrastructure, and civilian property and disrupted the South's economy and its transportation networks.

Major Political Events

• The Emancipation Proclamation

• The Gettysburg Address

• It freed the slaves only in states that have seceded from the Union.

• It did not free slaves in border states.

• It prevented Great Britain and France from siding with the south

The address delivered at the dedication of the

cemetery at Gettysburg, November 19, 1863

• April 3, 1865 - Grant took Richmond Va. - final blow to Lee's army

• Lee surrenders on April 9, 1865 at APPOMATTOX COURTHOUSE

• All Confederate troops forced to take an oath of loyalty to U.S.• otherwise, terms of surrender were lenient • Lincoln did not want a humiliated South and further conflict• Issue of states' rights now "solved"- federal government had

asserted its status