Events of the Civil War Slideshow Chapter 15

Slide 1

Battle Cries and Freedom Songs: The Civil War1861-1865

15

Battle Cries and Freedom Songs:
The Civil War 1861-1865

Mobilization, North and South

The Early War, 18611862

Turning Points, 18621863

The War Transforms the North

The Confederacy Disintegrates

The Union Prevails, 18641865

Conclusion

Awaiting combat, 1861: Union soldiers from New York relax at camp

Awaiting combat, 1861: Union soldiers from New York relax at camp awaiting orders to move to the front. The young men show great confidence and determination for their coming engagements, though one fellow to the left of the tent, perhaps a teenager far from home, seems to long for something as he stares beyond the camera. At this early stage of the war, a combination of romance and apprehension enveloped these hopeful recruits. Note the young African American with a broom sitting apart from the soldiers.

Learning Objectives

What were the Norths key advantages at the outset of the war?

How did the two sides objectives dictate their strategies in the early years of the war?

What convinced Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation?

What impact did the war have on the Norths economy?

Learning Objectives (cont'd)

How did the war affect civilian life in the South?

What was Grants strategy for ending the war?

Mobilization
North and South

War Fever

After the fall of Fort Sumter, President Lincoln mobilized state militias for 90 days, but Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee seceded from the Union.

The general belief was that the war would be brief and both northerners and southerners strongly supported their governments.

War Fever (cont'd)

War fever led many to volunteer for military service.

The initial enthusiasm for serving faded, leading to drafts by both the Union and Confederacy.

The Norths Advantage in Resources

The North had human and economic advantages over the South.

Approximately half the men of military age fought in the North and their numbers were supplemented by African Americans and Irish immigrants. In the South, 90 percent of the eligible population served.

The Norths Advantage in Resources (cont'd)

At the beginning of the war, the North controlled 90 percent of the nations industrial capacity.The northern railroad system was twice that of the South.

The North has more abundant financial resources than the South.

FIGURE 151 A Comparison of the Union and Confederate Control of Key Resources at the Outset of the Civil War

FIGURE 151 A Comparison of the Union and Confederate Control of Key Resources at the Outset of the Civil War

Leaders, Governments, and Strategies

Jefferson Davis had to build a government from scratch while Lincoln had an established structure and organization. Lincolns personality was better fit for leadership than the aloof, uncompromising Davis.

Abraham Lincoln and the North

Lincoln and other northern leaders secured support for the prolonged sacrifice of the Civil War by articulating the importance of preserving the Union.

On a human level, Lincolns folksy personal skills, simple eloquence, and humor enabled him to connect with people and handle disagreement better than Davis did.

Lincolns Fight for the Border States

Lincoln adopted a soft strategy to keep the border states in the Union. Maryland and Kentucky never seceded while a guerilla war broke out in Missouri.

Although Virginia went with the Confederacy, some counties in the western part of the state established themselves as the pro-Union state of West Virginia.

The Southern Landscape

The southern landscape played a significant strategic role in the Civil War, and its idiosyncracies led to several tragic errors of judgment involving the realities of the southern natural environment.

The Souths dense forests, uneven terrain, heat, and humidity hampered traditional battle tactics and exhausted the troops.

The Southern Landscape (cont'd)

However, eventually the Unions technological superiority would enable it to transcend environmental barriers.

The southern landscape played a major role in the Civil War.

The southern landscape played a major role in the Civil War. The undulating terrain and the obstacles presented by rivers, streams, woods, and cultivated fields are all on display here as Union troops under General Ambrose Burnside take the bridge (today named after the General) over Antietam Creek in September 1862. Rebel forces held the higher ground, however, and pushed the Federals back later in the day.

The Early War
18611862

First Bull Run

Union forces under McDowell confronted Confederate soldiers under Beauregard at Manassas, Virginia.

At the First Battle of Bull Run, the Union seemed headed toward victory but wound up losing.

Bull Run dispelled some illusions about the war but also boosted southern confidence in their superior military ability.

MAP 151 From First Bull Run to Antietam: The War in the East, 18611862

MAP 151 From First Bull Run to Antietam: The War in the East, 18611862The early stages of the war demonstrated the strategies of the Confederacy and the Union. Federal troops stormed into Virginia hoping to capture Richmond and bring a quick end to the war. Through a combination of poor generalship and Confederate tenacity, they failed. Confederate troops hoped to defend their territory, prolong the war, and eventually win their independence as northern patience evaporated. They proved successful initially, but, with the abandonment of the defensive strategy and the invasion of Maryland in the fall of 1862, the Confederates suffered a political and morale setback at Antietam.

The War in the West

Forces under General Ulysses S. Grant captured the strategic forts Henry and Donelson.

Grant moved south and won victories at Shiloh Church, Tennessee and Corinth, Mississippi.

Admiral David Farragut led a naval force that captured New Orleans.

The War in the West (cont'd)

The fall of Memphis meant the only major river town remaining in Confederate hands was Vicksburg.

MAP 152 The War in the West, 18611862

MAP 152 The War in the West, 18611862Because of the early Union emphasis on capturing Richmond, the war in the West seemed less important to northerners. But from a strategic standpoint, the victories at Forts Henry and Donelson, which drove a wedge into southern territory and closed the Confederacys quickest path to the West from Virginia and the Carolinas, and the capture of New Orleans and its Mississippi River port were crucial and set the stage for greater Federal success in the West in 1863.

A surgeon prepares to amputate the leg of a wounded Union soldier after the Battle of Gettysburg.

A surgeon prepares to amputate the leg of a wounded Union soldier after the Battle of Gettysburg. Such primitive field hospitals functioned without the rudiments of sanitation and contributed to the staggering casualties on each side. Amputations were the most common surgical procedures performed during the war. Cutting off a limb was usually the first option to prevent a fatal infection.

A Federal field hospital, Savage Station, VA, June 1862

A Federal field hospital, Savage Station, VA, June 1862, during the Seven Days Battles. Mortality rates were high in hospitals on both sides, and here is one reason why. Makeshift field hospitals, overcrowded and providing only straw on the bare ground for comfort, offered little sanitation or care for wounded soldiers.

The War in the East

General George McClellan assumed command of the Union army in the east while General Robert E. Lee was named head of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.

Lee attacked McClellans forces twice and was repulsed both times but casualties numbered in the tens of thousands.

Although technology has improved the survival rate, the care by trained nurses (usually women) remains indispensable for both the physical and mental recovery of the wounded.Nurse Ann Bell tends a fallen Union Soldier. The war helped open nursing as a respectable occupation for women.

The War in the East (contd)

When McClellan withdrew, Lincoln replaced him with John Pope who lost the Second Battle of Bull Run to Lee.

The care by trained nurses (usually women) remains indispensable for both the physical and mental recovery of the wounded.

Although technology has improved the survival rate, the care by trained nurses (usually women) remains indispensable for both the physical and mental recovery of the wounded.

Nurse Ann Bell tends a fallen Union Soldier.

Nurse Ann Bell tends a fallen Union Soldier. The war helped open nursing as a respectable occupation for women.

Turning Points
18621863

The Naval War

The Union naval strategy was to blockade the southern coast and capture its key seaports and river towns, destroying the Souths ability to carry on the war.

Neither the Union nor the Confederacy had much of a navy when war erupted. As the Union navy grew, the blockade became more effective.

The Naval War (cont'd)

Southerners believed recognition by foreign governments would legitimize their cause and that cotton would be an important diplomatic bargaining point.

Neither Great Britain nor France recognized the Confederacy and France invaded Mexico.

Antietam

Recognizing that the South could not sustain a prolonged conflict, Lee moved into Maryland in September 1862, hoping to cut railroad links in Pennsylvania. He was convinced McClellan would not attack. Copies of Lees orders fell into Union hands and McClellan pursued Lee.

Antietam (cont'd)

The Battle of Antietam caused thousands of casualties, was a tactical draw, and forced Lee back into Virginia.

Antietam (cont'd)

Antietam was a turning point because it kept Lee from threatening Northern industry and financial institutions. It also prompted Britain and France to abandon plans to recognize the Confederacy and allowed Lincoln to announce the abolition of slavery.

Emancipation

Pressure had mounted in the North during 1862 for some form of emancipation but it was not favored by a majority of northerners, including Irish immigrants. But freeing the slaves would appeal to the British.

The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in the states still in rebellion against the Union.

Emancipation (cont'd)

The proclamation raced through the slave grapevine and continued the process of running away to Union camps that had begun earlier.

Of the approximately 180,000 black soldiers and 20,000 black sailors who fought for the Union, over 80 percent were from the South. Many faced discrimination but fought valiantly.

Emancipation (cont'd)

Emancipation ProclamationDecree announced by President Abraham Lincoln in September 1862 and formally issued on January 1, 1863, freeing slaves in all Confederate states still in rebellion.

Confiscation Act of 1862Second confiscation law passed by Congress, ordering the seizure of land from disloyal Southerners and the emancipation of their slaves.

Theodore Kaufman (18141896), On to Liberty, 1867, Oil on canvas

Even before the Emancipation Proclamation, slaves throughout the South stole their freedom. After the Proclamation, the trickle of black slaves abandoning their masters became a flood as they sought freedom behind Union lines.Theodore Kaufman (18141896), On to Liberty, 1867, Oil on canvas, 36 x 56 in. (91.4 x 142.2 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of Irving and Joyce Wolf, 1982 (1982.443.3) Photograph The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Art Resource, NY

Black Union troopsformer slavesrepelling Confederates at New Bern, NC, February 1864

Black Union troopsformer slavesrepelling Confederates at New Bern, NC, February 1864; African Americans, both free and slave, fought valiantly and often fiercely for their freedom; the alternative was sometimes execution on the spot or reenslavement.

From Fredericksburg to Gettysburg

General Ambrose Burnside replaced McClellan and moved against Lees army, but was repelled at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

General Joseph Hooker replaced Burnside but was defeated by Lee at Chancellorsville, leading Lee to plan a bold move north.

From Fredericksburg to Gettysburg (cont'd)

General George Meade replaced Hooker. At the three-day Battle of Gettysburg, the Union army defeated Lees forces. It was the bloodiest battle of the war, boosting Union morale but draining Lee of men and material.

MAP 153 From Fredericksburg to Gettysburg: The War in the East, December 1862July 1863

MAP 153 From Fredericksburg to Gettysburg: The War in the East, December 1862July 1863By all logic, the increasingly outgunned and outfinanced Confederacy should have been showing signs of faltering by 1863. But bungling by Union generals at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville sustained southern fortunes and encouraged Robert E. Lee to attempt another invasion of the North.

MAP 154 The Battle of Gettysburg, July 13, 1863

MAP 154 The Battle of Gettysburg, July 13, 1863In a war that lasted four years, it is difficult to point to the decisive battle. But clearly, the outcome during those hot July days at Gettysburg set the tone for the rest of the war. The result was unclear until the final day of battle, and even then it might have gone either way. Winning by a whisker was enough to propel Union armies to a string of victories over the next year and to throw Confederate forces back on their defenses among an increasingly despairing population. Gettysburg marked the last major southern invasion of the North.

The goddess Columbia (a popular depiction of America in contemporary cartoons)

The goddess Columbia (a popular depiction of America in contemporary cartoons) rebukes President Lincoln for the slaughter of Federal troops at Fredericksburg in December 1862: Where are my 15,000 sonsmurdered at Fredericksburg? The president, as he often did to defuse tense situations, makes a weak attempt at humor: This reminds me of a little joke. An incensed Columbia cuts him off: Go tell your joke at Springfield [Illinois]. This was typical of the searing criticism Lincoln received in the press and the erosion of public support in the North after this military debacle.

Timothy H. OSullivans photograph of dead Union soldiers at the southern end of the Gettysburg battlefield, July 2, 1863.

Timothy H. O Sullivans photograph of dead Union soldiers at the southern end of the Gettysburg battlefield, July 2, 1863. OSullivan titled the work The Harvest of Death. Note the bodies bloodied and blackened by the July heat. Such photographs brought home the carnage of the war in vivid detail to northern civilians.

Vicksburg, Chattanooga, and the West

Grant captured Vicksburg after a siege.

Confederate forces confined a Union army at Chattanooga, but Union reinforcements divided the Confederate army and broke the siege forcing the Confederate army to retreat into Georgia.

In the Trans-Mississippi West, several Native American tribes battled Union forces for land and resources.

Vicksburg, Chattanooga, and the West (cont'd)

Confederate hopes for securing Texas fell short as the naval blockade tightened and Comanches raided western settlements.

MAP 155 Vicksburg and Chattanooga: The War in the West, 1863

MAP 155 Vicksburg and Chattanooga: The War in the West, 1863Devising a brilliant strategy, Union General Ulysses S. Grant took the last major Mississippi River stronghold from Confederate hands on July 4, 1863, dealing a significant economic and morale blow to the South. Coupled with the defeat at Gettysburg a day earlier, the fall of Vicksburg portended a bitter finale to hopes for southern independence. Grant completed his domination of the West by joining forces with several Union generals to capture Chattanooga and push Confederate forces into Georgia, setting the stage for the capture of that key southern state in 1864.

The War Transforms the North

Wartime Legislation and Politics

Lincoln used executive authority to silence opposition through several controversial actions, including suspending the writ of habeas corpus. Executive sanctions fell hard on dissenting Democrats called Copperheads.

Wartime Legislation and Politics (cont'd)

To boost the economy, Congress passed the Homestead Act of 1862 and the Land Grant College Act. A protective tariff helped manufacturers and the National Banking Act of 1863 established a uniform national currency.

The draft aroused conflicts including the New York Draft Riot that began with an Irish mob protesting conscription.

Wartime Legislation and Politics (cont'd)

CopperheadsA term Republicans applied to northern war dissenters and those suspected of aiding the Confederate cause during the Civil War.

Radical RepublicansA shifting group of Republican congressmen, usually a substantial minority, who favored the abolition of slavery from the beginning of the Civil War and later advocated harsh treatment of the defeated South.

War Transforms the North (cont'd)

Homestead ActLaw passed by Congress in 1862 providing 160 acres of land free to anyone who would live on the plot and farm it for five years.

Land Grant College ActLaw passed by Congress in July 1862 awarding proceeds from the sale of public lands to the states for the establishment of agricultural and mechanical (later engineering) colleges. Also known as the Morrill Act, after its sponsor, Congressman Justin Morrill of Vermont.

War Transforms the North (cont'd)

New York Draft RiotA mostly Irish-immigrant protest against conscription in New York City in July 1863 that escalated into class and racial warfare that had to be quelled by federal troops.

The lynching of a black New Yorker during the Draft Riot in July 1863.

The lynching of a black New Yorker during the Draft Riot in July 1863.The violence against black people during the riot reflected decades of racial tension, especially between Irish immigrants and black residents, over jobs and housing.

The Northern Economy

After an initial downturn before the war, the northern economy picked up quickly. New industries boomed and new inventions increased manufacturing efficiency.

The productivity of northern agriculture grew as well, fueled by the emergence of farm machinery.

Trade Unions and Strikebreakers

Though wages increased during the war, prices rose higher, reviving the trade union movement. By 1865, 200,000 northern workers belonged to unions.

The prospect of large profits bred greed and corruption. Profiteers traded with the enemy, swindled the government, and sold shoddy goods to the army.

Trade Unions and Strikebreakers (cont'd)

The northern economy, however, fed, clothed, and armed the Union soldiers as well keeping most civilians employed and well fed.

Northern Women and the War

More than 100,000 northern women worked in various industries during the war.

Women also worked in the expanding government bureaucracy and as nurses.

But the war also left thousands of women widowed and devastated.

Northern Women and the War (contd)

The new economic opportunities created by the war opened up womens options, including admission to higher education.

The Confederacy Disintegrates

Southern Politics

Southern politics was hindered by dissent that grew stronger as the Confederacys fortunes declined.

States rights was a major obstacle to the development of central authority.

Because their were no political parties, Davis could not appeal to party loyalty to control dissent.

Calls for peace arose as early as 1863.

Southern Politics (cont'd)

Attempts by Davis and other Confederate leaders to build a strong sense of Confederate nationalism failed.

Southern Faith

In a devout society convinced it was waging a holy war, white southerners interpreted their mounting losses from different spiritual perspectives.

Black southerners also found hope and biblical confirmation that the war was fulfillment of prophecy.

The Southern Economy

By 1863, the South experienced difficulty feeding its population. Bread riots broke out in Mobile, Atlanta, and Richmond.

As the war progressed, Southern soldiers had threadbare uniforms with many garments and arms taken from the Union. Their families suffered under similar conditions.

The Southern Economy (contd)

The Union and Confederate armies threatened civilians with robbery, rape, and murder.

Many slaves stopped working and abandoned the plantations.

the 1863 food riot

Wartime food shortages, skyrocketing inflation, and rumors of hoarding and price-gouging drove women in several southern cities to protest violently. Demonstrations like the 1863 food riot shown here reflected a larger rending of southern society as Confederate losses and casualties mounted on the battlefield. Some southern women placed survival and providing for their families ahead of boosting morale and silently supporting a war effort that had taken their men away. Their defection hurt the Confederate cause.

Southern Women and the War

Southern women managed plantations, working in fields alongside slaves.

Southern women also worked in factories making uniforms and munitions, government offices and they taught school.

Southern Women and the War (contd)

As the war continued, many women helped their deserting husbands and relatives elude Confederate authorities.

By 1864, many southern women had tired of the war.

The Union Prevails
18641865

Grants Plan to End the War

Grant was appointed commander of the Union forces. He coordinated the Union war effort and changed the tempo of the war.

Grants strategy was to hammer the enemy continuously. Sherman was advancing through Georgia and Grants major focus was on Lee.

Grants Plan to End the War (cont'd)

At the Battle of the Wilderness, Grant surprised Lee by not withdrawing after both sides endured heavy casualties. Grant pursued Lee fighting at Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor but heavy casualties led to criticism.

Sherman moved through Georgia and captured Atlanta.

MAP 156 Grant and Lee in Virginia, 18641865

MAP 156 Grant and Lee in Virginia, 18641865The engagements in Virginia from May 1864 to April 1865 between the two great generals proved decisive in ending the Civil War. Although Lee fared well enough in the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor campaigns, the sheer might and relentlessness of Grant and his army wore down the Confederate forces. When Petersburg fell after a prolonged siege on April 2, 1865, Richmond, Appomattox, and dreams of southern independence soon fell as well.

White family refugeeing.

White family refugeeing. In advance of Union armies, tens of thousands of southern families fled to safer locales, a bitter exodus that fulfilled the Federals vow to bring the war to the Souths civilian population.

General Ulysses S. Grant had the pews from a local church moved to a grove of trees where he and his officers planned the following days assault

General Ulysses S. Grant had the pews from a local church moved to a grove of trees where he and his officers planned the following days assault on Confederate troops at Cold Harbor, Virginia. Grant appears at the left of the photograph, leaning over a bench and studying a map.

The Election of 1864 and
Shermans March

George McClellan opposed Lincoln in the 1864 election.

The fall of Atlanta and later victories boosted support for Lincoln who won the election.

The Thirteenth Amendment outlawing slavery was passed in 1865.

Sherman marched from Atlanta to the sea leaving ruin and devastation in his wake.

The Election of 1864 and
Shermans March (cont'd)

Some Confederate leaders proposed arming slaves but the slaves responded with little enthusiasm.

Thirteenth AmendmentConstitutional amendment ratified in 1865 that freed all slaves throughout the United States.

MAP 157 The Atlanta Campaign and Shermans March, 18641865

MAP 157 The Atlanta Campaign and Shermans March, 18641865General William T. Sherman, a brilliant tactician who generally refused to be goaded into a frontal assault, danced with Confederate general Joseph E. Johnston until an impatient Jefferson Davis replaced Johnston with John Bell Hood, and soon Atlanta was in Federal hands. The fall of Atlanta opened the way to the rest of Georgia, a key supply state for the Confederacy. With orders not to harm the civilian population, Shermans men took their wrath out on property as they made their way through Georgia and South Carolina.

Miscegenation Ball 1864.

Miscegenation Ball 1864. During the presidential campaign of 1864, the Democrats portrayed the Republicans, and Lincoln in particular, as favoring the intermingling of the races and as so obsessed with racial equality that they would continue a bloody war to achieve that end. In this caricature white men and black women consort, dance, and flirt with each other in a suggestive manner.

The Road to Appomattox and
the Death of Lincoln

Lees army remained the obstacle to Union victory. He abandoned the defense of Richmond which fell to Union forces.

Grants army caught up with Lees forces at Appomattox Court House in Virginia where Lee surrendered, ending the war.

In Washington, celebration greeted the Confederate surrender but it was muted by the assassination of Lincoln.

Major Battles of the Civil War, 18611865

Major Battles of the Civil War, 18611865

General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox after his surrender to Union General U. S .Grant on April 9, 1865.

General Robert E. Lee at Appomattox after his surrender to Union General U. S .Grant on April 9, 1865. His men followed the defeated leader, poignantly brushing their hats against the withers of his horse, Traveler. Many wept openly. The war was over as the sun set on the dream of southern independence.

Conclusion

Conclusion

The Civil War caused over one million casualties, dead and wounded.

It left the South devastated. One in four men between 20 and 40 died. Forty percent of the livestock were lost and so was half the farm machinery.

The Union victory solved the constitutional problem of secession and ended slavery.

Conclusion (cont'd)

For black Southerners, emancipation was the conflicts most important result.

The Civil War also stimulated a host of diverse changes that unfolded over time.

Copyright 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.All rights reserved.

The American Journey: A History of the United States, Brief Sixth EditionGoldfield Abbott Argersinger DeJohn Anderson Barney Weir Argersinger

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THE AMERICAN JOURNEY

A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

Brief Sixth Edition

Chapter

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