Civil War

1861-1865

Grant v Lee: History Channel Documentary

ELECTION OF 1860

The Election of 1860:Quick Facts

• 4 candidates, but really was 2 sectionalist elections

• North was Lincoln vs. Douglas• South was Breckenridge vs. Bell• Lincoln did not even appear on a ballot in

several southern states• Douglas was seen in a poor light by

southerners – a traitor

SECESSION!• November 13, 1860 – one

week after Lincoln elected South Carolina convention to consider withdrawing from union– Four days later South

Carolina statement of reasons for secession

• Dec of I established right to abolish abusive gov’t and create new one

– Gov failed to protect slavery (property rights of slaveholders)

• Mississippi secedes January 9, 1861, Florida January 10, 1861, Alabama January 11, 1861, Georgia Louisiana & Texas on February 1, 1861

• Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas warn if force used against a state they would withdraw as well

The Secession Dominos Fall

Fighting Secession"The Hercules of 1861"

In this political cartoon, a Union officer (unidentified) swings a club labeled "Union" in defense against a many-headed serpent labeled "Secession." The serpent's heads are: Floyd, Pickens, Beauregard, Twiggs, Davis, Stephens, and Toombs, all leaders of the Southern secession movement and the resulting Confederacy.

Southerners and Secession• Support not universal• Only in SC was vote unanimous• Other states have stipulations to

secession• Some states 30-40% were opposed to secession

Northern Response

• Reaction to secession varied as in south• Some felt nation better w/out slave states• Some wanted south go in peace• Others worried long term effects of secession• “No state can lawfully, get out of the Union,

without the consent of the others” - Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln Waits

• In 1800s president term began March (not January as today)

• Lincoln refused to make any public statement

• Committed to preserving Union

Buchanan Lame Duck?

• President Buchanan did little to help – agree secession is illegal, but Constitution gave no power to federal gov to prevent it– Took stand when SC governor demanded

federal property in state be handed over to state authorities

– Included Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie in Charleston Harbor

• Fort’s commander moved all troops to Sumter = stronger of 2

The Confederate States of America

• Early February 1861 delegates of 7 seceded states met to form new nation

• Wanted gov in place before Lincoln took office• 5 days wrote constitution – modeled after US

Constitution. 2 key differences:– Specifically recognize and protected slavery– Recognized the sovereign and independent nature of

each state• Jefferson Davis = president elect• Alexander Stephens = vp• Temporary until elections held in fall

Davis Becomes President

• He did not want presidency • Arrived February 16 and took oath of office

February 18

• “We are without means, without machinery, and threatened by a powerful opposition” Davis worried in a letter to his wife

Confederate Government

• New nation no currency• Job of making currency was at first

contracted to company in NY• Held first cabinet meeting in hotel room• Some cabinet members opposed

secession

Compromise Fails

• Even after formation of Confederacy, US gov tried to keep Union together

• More than 30 compromise plans drafted and presented to Congress

The Crittenden CompromiseJanuary 1861

• Proposed amending US Constitution:– ban slavery north of old

Missouri Compromise line – guarantee slavery not be

interfered with below line– pay slaveholders for loss of

escaped slaves– prohibit Congress from

interfering with transport of slaves from one state to another

– guarantee none of these amendments could ever be repealed by future amendments

• Response– Leaders in both North and

South opposed– Lincoln especially opposed

The Peace Convention

• February 4, 1861 in Washington DC• Nicknamed Old Gentlemen’s Club – many

members leaders from time long past in America

• All could offer after month of debate was compromise similar to Crittenden

• 2 days before Lincoln take office rejected Peace Convention’s plan in Senate

Lincoln’s Inauguration• March 4, 1861 Abraham Lincoln became

president of the United States• “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to

interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so” – AL inauguration address

• APRIL 12, 1861 Confederate guns fire on Fort Sumter starting the 4 year long American Civil War

Names for the Civil War• The War between the States• The War for Southern Independence• The War for Southern Rights• The Second War for Independence• The War to Suppress Yankee Arrogance• The War Against Slavery• The War Against Northern Aggression• The Yankee Invasion• The War for Abolition

CHOOSING SIDESThe Confederate States of AmericaEvery man must be for the United States or against it, there can be no neutrals

in this war, only patriots – or traitors” –Stephen Douglas

• By Feb of 1861 a constitution had been created and Jefferson Davis had been chosen as President

• The New Confederacy was formedLower South

(Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, & Texas)Upper/Middle South

(South Carolina Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas)

Border Slave States (Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri, & parts of VA [West Virginia})

-Importance of the Border States for both sides

FORT SUMTER FALLS

• April 12, 1861 Confederates fire on FS in Charleston, SC harbor

• Month earlier Lincoln gets message from Anderson: provisions running low

• Lincoln did not want to reassure South of North unwillingness to fight or anger North by implying South a separate nation

Fort Sumter: Ken Burns

Lincoln gets sneaky• Decided not to surrender but to tell

Confed. that only sending nonmilitary supplies (ie) food

• Jefferson Davis did not want Northern symbol of federal authority in South

• 4/12/1861 Confed open fire on Fort and it surrenders next AM

• April 14 Confederate flag replaces American flag over fort

FUN FACT

• During the 100-gun salute to the U.S. flag—Anderson's one condition for withdrawal—a pile of cartridges blew up from a spark, killing one soldier instantly (Private Daniel Hough) and seriously injuring the rest of the gun crew, one mortally (Private Edward Galloway); these were the first fatalities of the war. The salute was stopped at fifty shots.

“Blood is thicker than water”• Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers to serve 90

days to put down rebellion

• Northerners rushed to enlist

• Forced 8 slave states still in Union to choose a side April 17 VA seceded followed by Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina– Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri (the border

states) no decision yet

MARYLAND

• Border states = slaveholding states still in Union

• Maryland most critical border state – Washington, DC would be completely surrounded by Confed if it seceded

• Lincoln put MD under martial law

MISSOURI

• MISSOURI - Confeds never gain enough control here to get her to secede

• KENTUCKY – 700 miles of Ohio River at stake– Initially chose not to take a side, but invaded

by Confed. in 9/1861 and chose to side with Union

SOUTHERN SECESSION!!

Border State Conflicts• Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, & Missouri: slave-holding

states that remained in the Union• These states were important geographically as well as

philosophically• Maryland

– was extremely critical – near D.C.– When Confederates made an advance on Maryland Lincoln,

fearing a move on Washington, put down Martial Law – a pro-Union leg. will be elected next election.

• Missouri– Loyalties were divided and critical for control of the Mississippi– Half the state were secessionist others were pro-Union– Lincoln moved in Union troops to keep control

War ObjectivesLincoln & The North

- Secession was an attack on popular government

- Rejected Gen. W. Scott’s plan for economic sanctions & a blockade – THE ANACONDA PLAN(see next slide)

- Lincoln insisted on an aggressive military strategy & a policy of unconditional surrender.

Jefferson Davis & the Confederate

South - “all we ask is to be left

alone”

- Believed they only needed a stalemate to achieve the goal of independence.

The Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) 1861

Union General: Irvin McDowell– Marched into Virginia; took 2 ½ days

Confederate General: P.T. Beauregard - discovered the Union march; called reinforcement

• Both had inexperienced armies• Battle became chaotic and a free for all going back & forth• Union began to advance until Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson appeared• Confederates began to force union retreat.. Stop Drop & RUN!!!!!!!!• Confederates could have driven the Union deep; but stopped because of

disorganization Impact

– Confederates suffered nearly 2,000 casualties; – Union 2,900– Ended Union hopes for a short war– Lincoln replaced McDowell with George McClellan

who formed a real army & The Army of the Potomac - New technologies developed

First Battle of Bull Run

War in the WestGoal: Control the Ohio, Mississippi, & Missouri Rivers so as to:

a) divide the Confederacy b) reduce the mobility of the southern army

General U.S. Grant – Accomplishments: 1) Ft. Henry (Tenn. River)

2) Ft. Donelson (Cumberland River), 3) Seized critical RR lines

SURPRISE - Battle of Shiloh: large # of casualties: (April 1862) - Southerners surprised a encamped Union soldiers at Shiloh Church- Confederates pushed the Union soldiers back against the Tennessee River.

- in the morning Grant counter-attacked and drove the Confederates in retreat - 2 day battle was the bloodiest producing 13,000 Union losses & 10,000 Confederate losses

The Mississippi River Campaign“New Orleans gone- and with it the Confederacy. Are we not cut in two? The

Mississippi ruins us if lost…Death, not life, seems to be our fate now

Goal:• Split the Confederacy• Gain complete control of the Mississippi

Who: David Farragut – Naval Commander

How: 1) Land at Pittsburg landing and move south along the Mississippi2) Control the Gulf of Mexico, 3) Capture New Orleans (south’s financial center)

4) continue to move northward cutting the south in half

The War in the East

Plan– Grant moves south through

Tennessee; McClellan's Army moves East – both meet up and conquer the Confederacy

– McClellan wanted to attack Richmond from the East (weakest side) but was never quite ready

Conducting the War in the EastA. The Peninsula Campaign

– March 1862 McClellan begins to move– Met 15,000 Confederates at Yorktown, but delayed an order of attack asking

for reinforcements (probably not even needed)– Lincoln refuses because of Stonewall Jackson causing trouble elsewhere and

fearing an attack on Washington D.C.– Lincoln gives order to McClellan to engage – ACTION– McClellan ignores the order and when he finally does attack it is to late, the

Confederates retreated to Richmond– Lee realized the caution of McClellan, and pretended to mount an attack

against D.C.; meanwhile Stonewall Jackson was gaining ground elsewhere– Lincoln became bothered by the leadership and caution of McClellan– McClellan will be engaged in a battle with Lee & Jackson, and although

victorious he retreated to regroup

B. The Second Battle of Bull Run– Lincoln ordered McClellan & Gen. Pope to trap Lee’s forces – McClellan was overcautious and refused leaving Pope in command– Pope loses and McClellan is back in command

Civil War at SeaA. Running the Blockade

– Union used blockades to stop southern trade with the rest of the world– By 1862 southern ports were under northern control– South responded with blockade runner ships that were built for speed– South was running low on supplies so these were necessary to deliver food,

medicine, & military supplies– Somewhat successful

B. The Monitor vs. the Merrimack– Confederates wanted to destroy the blockade– Took the heavily damage northern ironclad ship the Merrimack, covered it

with thick iron & renamed it the Virginia– Union officials responded with the Monitor– Met off the coast of Virginia on March 9, 1862– No winner, but changed naval warfare

Monitor vs. Merrimack (Virginia)

The Union is Invaded• Recent Confederate momentum had north nervous – “the nation is

rapidly sinking…”• General Lee & Davis were aware of this and saw opportunity.“The present seems to be the most favorable time for the Confederate

army to enter Maryland”• Motivating factors:

1) a Confederate victory may cause the Union to seek peace2) possible recognition by France and/or England3) move fighting out of Virginia and help southern farmers

• Sept 1862 Lee’s army crosses the Potomac into Maryland with McClellan in pursuit

• Careless Confederate drops Lee’s Plans; found by a Union soldier• McClellan now believes he has Lee right where he wants him,

“If I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home.”

The Union is Invaded: Battle of Antietam

• McClellan (70,000 troops) caught Lee’s army (40,000 troops)

• McClellan delayed attack for 16 hours, giving the Confederates time to organize their defenses

• Sept 17, 1862 the bloodiest single day battle took place at Antietam.

• Combined casualties 23,000 +• McClellan had about 25,000 troops in reserve to deliver

the final blow – he never gave the orders• Lincoln ordered him to “destroy the rebel army”• McClellan did not, allowing the Confederates to retreat

back to Virginia • Lincoln ordered McClellan in pursuit, he refused• Lincoln fired McClellan for the second & final time

The Union is Invaded:Battle of Fredericksburg

• Lincoln replaced McClellan with Gen. Ambrose Burnside

• Met up with Lee as he marched towards Richmond

• Decided to do a direct frontal attack• Burnside believed his superior numbers would

defeat Lee’s • Ordered his troops to charge forward 14 times, a

horrible slaughter• Union army lost about 13,000 men• Disaster at Fredericksburg launched the north

into gloom

On the Road to Emancipation• Frederick Douglass - wanted to redefine the war as a struggle against

slavery. • Lincoln – defined the conflict as a struggle to preserve the Union

and to destroy slaveryQuestions raised:

1) Was saving the Union still enough?2) Should the south be punished for their actions? If so how much

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------April 1862 – Slavery ends in Washington D.C.January 1863 – Emancipation Proclamation - legally abolished

slavery in all states that remained out of the union; left slavery intact in the slave border states

The key- The only way the proclamation would work depended upon two things:

1)success of the Rep. Party 2) Union military victories

The Emancipation Proclamation• Issued on January 1, 1863• Lincoln was not initially sure the Constitution gave him

this power, but aids convinced him that “This rebellion has its source and life in slavery.

Reaction: North SouthOpposed – fearing the increase in Jefferson Davis Reading

job competition (Riots)

In Favor – thought it might help shorten the war

Battle of Chancellorsville• Gen. Joseph Hooker was in charge of the Union army

now• Hooker took more than 70,000 hoping to surprise the

Confederates• Lee expected this and marched west, leaving 10,000

behind in Fredericksburg to decoy the Union army• Lee divided his army with Stonewall Jackson (Map)• Stonewall marched 1 day west to surround with 30,000

troops to surprise attack Hooker• Surprise attack could have destroyed the Union had it

not been for darkness• Battle lasted 2 more days with Hooker retreating and

suffering 17,000 casualties (Lee -13,000 including Stonewall)

Decisive Battles:Result & Impact of Chancellorsville• Lee’s greatest and most brilliant military

victory

• Northern morale sank even lower

• Anti-war advocates used this as an example that the war could not be won

VICKSBURG - July 1863• A major offensive in the west led by General Grant.• Goal/Objective:

Split the Confederacy in two• Accomplishments:

1) Established complete control of the Mississippi2) 31,000 prisoners3) Cut off Arkansas, Texas, & Louisiana4) Encouraged slaves to rebel & leave plantations

• Result:1) Lee retreats from Gettysburg & begins a last effort invasion of the North. 2) Union forces control Mississippi

Battle of Vicksburg• Union Casualties: 10,142

Confed. Casualties: 9,091

• Ulysses S. Grant fights his way to Vicksburg: After crossing the Mississippi and leaving behind his supply lines, he struck at the rebels five times, captured Jackson, the state capital, and came up on the Confederate stronghold from behind

Invading the North: GettysburgJuly 1-3 1863

Goal: 1) Draw Union armies to the east to relieve the

pressure on Vicksburg and give the Confed. a major victory to ensure continued support for the war;

2) maybe get the Union to call for peace??• Lee Moved North; Army of the Potomac moved south

and met on July 1, 1863 at Gettysburg.• Battle of Gettysburg – Lee’s forces stood for three days,

but the damage was to devastating and retreated back to Virginia, never to regain the offensive

Breaking Down Gettysburg• DAY ONE – Confederate troops engaged by

small number of Union troops. When Union reinforcements arrive, full scale battle begins

• DAY TWO – Union takes high ground. Both sides heavy losses. Little Round Top – Gettysburg movie clip

• DAY THREE – Pickett’s Charge. Lost over 7500 men on the effort. Lee blamed himself personally for the defeat at Gettysburg & began retreat July 4th

Civil War Trust Video: Gettysburg in 4 minutes

Gettysburg Address

• Jeff Daniels reading Address:• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=V4bM9geY0do

• Why is this important? What is Lincoln saying?

THE CIVIL WAR1864-1865

The Union Heads Toward Victory

Changing Northern Leadership• March 1864 – Lincoln appoints Grant leader of Union forces following

Grant’s Union victory at Chattanooga » Lincoln became convinced that Grant was his man! » In return Grant appointed William Tecumseh Sherman to replace

him at the western front

• Why Grant?1) both (Lincoln & Grant) agreed to advance simultaneously against all major

Confed. armies.

2) Grant knew how to fight a modern war using technology and total war strategy.Had a reputation of being rutheless

3) Grant was willing to accept heavy casualties – nicknamed “the butcher”

• Grant & Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman began the two-offensive campaign

Election of 1864• Lincoln’s hopes for re-election depended upon recent Union

victories.

• Confederates were rooting for a Lincoln loss in 1864 hoping the new POTUS would be willing to end the war and accept southern independence

• Grant & Sherman campaigns were already underway!!

• Republicans still supported Lincoln anda) Demanded unconditional surrenderb) Called for a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery

Election of 1864

National Union Party Lincoln

Andrew Johnson

Democrats General George

McClellan Peace Dem or War Dem??

P.D = cease hostilities W.D. = war to the end

McClellan was a War Dem with a Peace Dem Platform

The Virginia CampaignPart I of the Two-Headed Monster

• Grant begins advancement towards Richmond• A series of conflict between Grant & Lee will now occur (#1 vs. #1)

– (See next slide: Comparing Generals) • Lee remained defensive; suffering great casualties.• North suffered more casualties than the South

• Pushing Towards Richmond: Lee vs. Grant• Battle of the Wilderness:

– heavy losses, but Grant accepted the casualties and continued to push south– Union Army had the momentum; troop spirits were high

• Battle of Spotsylvania:– Battled for 20 hours with heavy casualties (Union 32,000 – Conf. 18,000)

• Battle of Cold Harbor:– “It was not war, It was murder (Union casualties -7,000 in 30 minutes)– Morlae was lower feeling as though they (Union) were going to die– Actually began to pin their names & addresses to their uniform before the battle

• Petersburg– Cut off the South from reinforcing Richmond & wait for Sherman

Comparing Generals

Ulysses S. Grant• West Point Graduate (1843) • Ranked #21 in class of 39• Age in 1864: 42

• Major Battles Resume:– Missionary Ridge– Shiloh– Vicksburg

Robert E. Lee• West Point Graduate (1829)• Ranked #2 in class of 46• Age in 1864: 57

• Major Battles Resume:– 2nd Bull Run– Fredericksburg– Chancerllorsville

The Virginia Campaign • Beginning on May 5, 1864,

and continuing without a break for the six bloodiest weeks of the war, Grant tried again and again to get around the right flank of Lee's army, destroy it, then move on Richmond and end the war. And again and again, Lee saw what he was trying to do and managed to thwart him. The struggle continued along a hundred-mile crescent before two exhausted armies settled in for a siege at Petersburg, southeast of the Confederate capital

Sherman’s March Through the Confederacy: Part II of the Two-Headed Monster

Sherman’s March Through the Confederacy

Sept. 2, 1864 – Atlanta falls to Sherman Political Impact:

- earns Lincoln a 2nd term - border states & occupied states begin emancipation

(Maryland, Missouri, Tenn, Arkansas, & Louisiana) - Jan 31, 1865: 13th Amendment approved by Congress

prohibiting slavery throughout the US Military Impact:

- Confederates begin to see the end in sight-”We are gaining strength…” – Lincoln

Political Impact- assures Lincoln’s re-election- Passage of the 13th Amendment

Reading: Sherman on War

Sherman’s March Through the Confederacy

• After Atlanta, ( ) moved on hard-war tactics moving towards the sea.

• Goal/Objectives:- destroy the Confederate economy

- destroy their will to resist

“We are not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people, and must make old, young, rich,

and poor, feel the hard hand of war”

Finishing off the Confederates

• Dec.1864 – Took Savannah w/o much opposition

• Feb.1865 – Invaded S.C. and headed to Columbia to link up w/Grant and punish the secession state.

• March 1865: Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural Address

Desperate Confederate measures: Lee grants freedom to enlisted black soldiersApril 1865 – Lee abandons Richmond; Grant cuts off

escapeUnited Streaming Video:

Appomattox Court HouseApril 9, 1865