Secession & the Outbreak of the Civil War

Secession in the SouthLincoln’s election led to

secession by 7 states in the Deep South but that did not necessarily mean “civil war”

Two things had to happen first:

–One last failed attempt to reconcile the North & South

–The North had to use its military to protect the Union

The failed Crittenden Compromise in 1860

Fort Sumter, South Carolina

SC seceded on Dec 20,1860 The entire Deep South

seceded by Feb 1861

The Upper South did not view Lincoln’s election as a death sentence

& did not secede immediately

“Lame duck” Buchanan took no action to stop the South from seceding

Some Northerners thought the U.S. would be better off if the South

was allowed to peacefully secede

The Decision to Secede

What is the “United States”?The Southern decision to secede

was based on old arguments:

–The USA was a “compact between states,” not a national gov’t “above the states”

–Therefore, states could leave the Union freely & peacefully

–States’ rights must be protected as a guarantee of liberty

Southerners had threatened secession during a Congressional debate over slavery in 1790, the Missouri Crisis of 1820, the Nullification Crisis

of 1832, & the crisis over California in 1850

Individuals have the right to own property (slaves) & have the right to have their

property returned (Fugitive Slave Law)

Secession & the Formation of the Confederate States of AmericaOn Feb 4, 1861, the Confederate

States of America were formed

The CSA constitution resembled the U.S., but with 4 key changes: (1) it protected states’

rights, (2) guaranteed slavery, (3) referenced God, & (4) prohibited protective tariffs

Mississippi Senator Jefferson Davis was elected CSA president

The Deep South SecedesModerate Republicans proposed

the Crittenden CompromiseCrittenden Compromise to lure the South back into the Union:–offered to extend the Missouri

Compromise line to the Pacific–promised a Constitutional

amendment to protect slavery Both Lincoln & Davis rejected

the compromise leaving the North with 2 choices…

The South rejected it because they had

created a new nation

Lincoln rejected it because he was

committed to free soilAllow for peaceful separation…OR…fight to preserve the Union

Fort Sumter, South Carolina

In April 1861, a skirmish at Fort Sumter, SC led to the 1st shots fired of the Civil War

Effects of Fort Sumter

Many pro-slavery border states (Arkansas, TN, NC, & VA) viewed Fort Sumter as an act of aggression by the North & joined the CSA

The attack rallied & unified the North for war

Civil War was not technically between slave states & free states (the “border states” of MO, KY,

DE, MD did not secede)

Adjusting to Total War

Northern AdvantagesAt the outbreak of the Civil War,

the North had lots of advantages:–Larger population for troops–Greater industrial capacity–Huge edge in RR transportation

Problem for the North:–Had to invade the South to win–Difficult to maintain enthusiasm

& support for war over time

Resources of the Union and the Confederacy, 1861

Southern AdvantagesAlthough outnumbered & less

industrial, South had advantages:

–President Davis knew that they did not have to “win” the war; the South only had to drag out the fight & make the North quit

–Had the best military leaders

–England & France appeared more willing to support the South

Robert E “Stonewall” J.E.B. Lee Jackson Stuart

“King Cotton” diplomacy

Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan

Blockade the Southern coast

Take control of the Mississippi River

Divide the West from South

Take the CSA capital at Richmond

Ulysses Grant in the

West

George McClellan

was in charge of

Army of the Potomac

Southern strategy was an “offensive defense”: drag out the war & strategically attack the

North to destroy Northern morale

Political Leadership During the Civil WarDavis was less

effective:–concerned

mainly with military duties

–neglected the economy

–obstructed by state governors who resisted conscription

Lincoln expanded his powers:–declared

martial law–imprisoned

“subversives”–briefly closed

down a few newspapers

The Diplomatic StruggleFrom 1861 to 1862, the South

used “cotton diplomacy” to get England & France to aid them:–Napoleon III favored the South

but wanted England to do so 1st –England offered “belligerent”

status to the CSA; but otherwise chose a hands-off policy

By 1863, “King Cotton” diplomacy failed because Egyptian & Indian cotton filled the European demand

Fighting the Civil War

The Civil War

1st battle was Bull Run (Manassas, VA) on July 21, 1861; “On to Richmond” campaign

was repulsed by “Stonewall” Jackson

The U.S. & CSA forces fought to a draw at Antietam in Sept 1862—the single bloodiest day of the Civil War

From 1861-1863, the South consistently beat the North due to poor Union leadership

& the Southern defensive strategy

Fighting “Total War”The Civil War was the world’s 1st

“total war” in which the entire economy was devoted to winning:

–North & South drafted soldiers

–North & South employed female workers to meet supply demands

–New weapons, old tactics, & sheer numbers of troops in battle led to massive casualties

Women took gov’t jobs as bookkeepers, clerks & secretaries; A number of women

also served as spies (Rose Greenhow, CSA)

Women’s most prominent role were as nurses on the battlefield: distributing medical

supplies, organizing hospitals, & offering comfort to wounded or dying soldiers

Cone-shaped bullets & grooved barrel riflesRepeating rifles &

the Gatling gun

Shrapnel, booby traps, & land mines

Massive frontal assaults and massed formations with as many as 100,000 soldiers

Battle of the Ironclads (1862)Battle of the Ironclads (1862): CSS Virginia vs. USS Monitor

Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia was built using the remains of the USS Merrimack

USS Monitor was a revolutionary design: rotating turret & low profile

Casualties of the Civil War

Union Prison Camp at Andersonville, GA

Union Prison Camp at Andersonville, GA

Confederate Prison Camp in Andersonville, GA

Built to hold 10,000 prisoners; but held more than 32,000 Union POWs

Mobilizing the Home FrontsBoth the North & South faced

problems supporting the war:–Both sides began running out of

troops; in 1862, the North & South began conscription (draft)

–Funding the war was difficult; both sides printed paper money (greenbacks) to accommodate spending needs; led to runaway inflation (9,000% in the South)

The draft was unpopular among Southern governors & Northern, antiwar “Copperheads”

The Coming of EmancipationAt the beginning of the war, the

North was fighting to preserve the preserve the UnionUnion, not to abolish slavery

By mid-1862, many Northerners called for immediate emancipation–Congress refused a gradual plan–Many thought immediate

freedom for slaves would lure England & France into alliance

–Southern victories pressured the North to “strike back”

"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."

—Abraham Lincoln, 18621862

The Emancipation ProclamationUnion “success” at Antietam led

Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Emancipation ProclamationProclamation on January 1, 1863:–Lincoln freed all slaves in

Confederate territories–This did not free a single slave

but it gave the North a new reason fight the Civil War

–Inspired slaves to flee NorthPushed for the 13th Amendment

Passed after the Civil War ended on Jan 31, 1865

Read the text of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation

Emancipation in 1863The border states could keep their slaves (until 13th amendment passed in 1865)

The Tide Turns in 1863By early 1863, the North & South

both faced morale problems:

–SouthSouth—economic & diplomatic collapse, runaway slaves, & many yeomen refused to fight

–NorthNorth—consistent losses against Lee, draft riots in NYC, anti-war “Copperheads” played on war failures & racial anxieties

New York City Draft Riot

Fight to the FinishBut by 1863, the war began to

turn in favor of the North:–Northern supremacy in industry

& manpower began to take its toll on the exhausted South

–The North began enlisting blacks into the Union army; 200,000 fought as soldiers & many others served as labor in the Northern war effort

The Civil War

In July 1863, General Grant took Vicksburg & gained control of the Mississippi River

Lee led an attack into the North, but lost at Gettysburg; North’s

1st real victory in the east

Due to Grant’s success in the west, Lincoln made Grant supreme commander of Union army in 1864; Grant devised a strategy to invade the South on all fronts

Grant began a siege on Richmond and…

William Sherman began his “march to the sea” (Atlanta to Savannah) & destroyed everything of military value

Gettysburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our

forefathers brought forth on this continent,

a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all

men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing

whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.

We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have

come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is

altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. For the brave men, living and dead, who struggled here,

have consecrated it far above our poor power

to add or detract.

The world will little note or long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly

advanced.

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from

these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full

measure of devotion—

—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation,

under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of

the people, by the people, and for the

people, shall not perish from the earth.

Election of 1864Meanwhile, Lincoln faced a tough

re-election in 1864 against General George McClellan:–War failures were a key issue–Radical Republicans considered

dropping Lincoln from the ticket But, when Atlanta fell during

Sherman’s “March to the Sea,” Lincoln regained support and was overwhelmingly reelected

In his 2nd inaugural address, Lincoln promised a Reconstruction Plan for the Union with “malice towards none & charity for all”

In April 1865, Grant faced off with Lee outside Richmond;

Lee was cut off from the South

Union Gains in the Civil War by 1865

On April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse,

ending the fighting of Civil War

The Death of Lincoln Northern celebration was short lived;

On April 14, 1865, Lincoln was shot by pro-Southerner John Wilkes Booth

Effects of the War

Effects of the WarSocial changesSocial changes:

–618,000 troops were dead

–Women in both the North & South were forced to take on more non-domestic roles

–13th Amendment ended slavery

–Nativism decreased as many immigrants fought in Civil War

Effects of the WarPolitical changesPolitical changes:

–The Civil War established that the national gov’t is supreme over the states

–With no Southern opposition, Republicans passed new laws: Homestead Act (1862), Morrill Act (1862), a protective tariff, land grants to RR companies, & a national banking system

Ended the Southern argument over nullification & states’ rights

ConclusionsThe turning point of the war: 1863

–The Civil War began as a conflict “to preserve the Union,” but by 1863 it became a war for human liberty (Emancipation Proclamation was issued)

–The South dominated the early campaigns of the war due, but by 1863 (Gettysburg) the weight of Northern industry & population wore down the South