The Civil War: 1861 -- 1865(Unit III, Segment 2 of 3)

Essential Question:–What factors led to the

outbreak of the Civil War?

Warm-Up Question:– If the Union had more troops,

industry, & transportation when the Civil War began, what should their war strategy be?

Secession of the Southern States

Lincoln's election in 1860 brought the Southern states to the point of secession and Lincoln to a fateful question:

Should he allow peaceful secession or should he coerce the rebels to stay in the Union?

First Inaugural Address“In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and

not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have an oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to ‘preserve, protect, and defend it.”

“I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

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

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 Start of the Civil War, 1861When Lincoln was elected in 1860, 7 Southern states seceded from the Union &

formed the Confederate States of AmericaThe Civil War began when Fort Sumter was fired upon by Confederate soldiers

4 more Southern states seceded in 1861 when Lincoln called for military volunteers to “preserve the Union”

Fort Sumter Flag

The Civil War Soldier

Portrait of Pvt. Ira Fish, 150th New York Infantry, U.S.A.

Wounded at Gettysburg

Portrait of Pvt. Sampson Altman, Jr., Company C, 29th Regiment Georgia

Volunteers, C.S.A.

Pvt. Altman fought in the battle of Shiloh, died April 23, 1863 from disease.

Northern Advantages At 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 Advantages Although 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

Union Strategy The Union strategy during the war

was called the Anaconda Plan:–Blockade the coast, seize the

Mississippi River to divide the South, & take Richmond

–Exploit South’s dependency on foreign trade & its inability to manufacture weapons

–Relied on Northern advantages in population, industry, & military production

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

Confederate Strategy The Confederate strategy during the

war was an Offensive / Defense:–Protect Southern territory from

“Northern aggression” but attack into Union territory when the opportunity presents itself

–Get Britain & France to join their cause because of European dependency on “King Cotton”

–Drag out the war as long as possible to make the North quit

Political Leadership During the Civil War

During the Civil War, President Lincoln used “emergency powers” to

protect “national security”:•Suspended habeas corpus (Laws requiring evidence before citizens can be jailed)

•Closed down newspapers• that did not support the war

During the Civil War, President Jefferson Davis

had a difficult time:•The CSA Constitution protected states’ rights so state governors could refuse to send him money or troops

•CSA currency inflated by 7,000%

The national government in the USA & CSA relied on volunteer armies in the beginning, but soon needed conscription (draft) to supply their

armies with troops

New York City Draft Riots

Fighting the Civil War 1861-1865

Fighting the Civil War: 1861-1865

From 1861 to mid-1863, the Confederate army was winning the Civil War:– Defensive strategy carried out by

superior Southern generals like Robert E. Lee & “Stonewall” Jackson

– Disagreements among military & political leaders in the North

Bull Run (Manassas), 1861: The 1st battle of the Civil War; Stonewall Jackson kept

the Union army from taking the CSA capital at Richmond

Shiloh, 1862 (USA)

Seven Pines, 1862 (CSA)

Seven Days, 1862 (CSA)

2nd Bull Run, 1862 (CSA)

New Orleans, 1862 (USA)

From 1861-1862, the CSA had success in the East, but the USA had success

in the West

Antietam, 1862: General Lee’s 1st attempt to attack

outside the CSA was halted by McClellan

Antietam, 1862 Even though the Battle of Antietam

ended without a clear winner, it had important effects on the North:–The battle convinced Britain &

France not to support the Confederacy in the war

–The battle convinced Lincoln that the time was right to make the emancipation of slaves the new focus of the war for the North

Battle of Antietam “Bloodiest Single Day of the War”

23,000 casualties

Emancipation Proclamation After Antietam, Lincoln issued the

Emancipation Proclamation:–This executive order freed all

slaves in Confederate territories–It did not free slaves in the border

states, however it gave the North a new reason fight

–Inspired Southern slaves to escape which forced Southern whites to worry about their farms

“…all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom...”

States Impacted by the Emancipation Proclamation

Escaped slaves in NC coming into Union linesLincoln, “The Great Emancipator”

African-American Recruiting Poster

The Famous 54th Massachusetts

African Americans in Civil War battles

Fredericksburg, 1862 (CSA)

Chancellorsville, 1863 The Confederates won, but

Stonewall Jackson was killed; Lee said of Jackson: “He has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right

arm”After Antietam, the

Confederates continued to win in the East

Conclusions: 1861-1863

Despite being outnumbered & under-equipped, the CSA dominated the fighting in the East from 1861-1863 due to better generals & a defensive strategy

But, the Union Army was having success in the West under the

leadership of Ulysses S. Grant

By mid-1863, the weight of the Northern population

& industrial capacity will begin to turn the tide of the

war in favor of the Union

Fighting the Civil War: 1863-1865

When the Civil War began, most expected the fighting to end quickly, but the war lasted until 1865 due to:–The commitment of the Union &

Confederacy to “total war” –Excellent Southern generals like

Robert E. Lee– Improved, industrial weaponry

New Weapons but Old Tactics• New weapons:

– Long-range artillery & the Gatling gun (1st machine gun)

– Cone-shaped bullets & grooved barrel rifles for more accuracy

– Ironclad naval ships like the USS Monitor & CSS Virginia

• Old tactics such as massed formations & frontal assaults– Led to huge casualty rates

Dead on the Battlefield

Dead on the Battlefield

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

“total war” in which the entire economy was devoted to winning:–North & South employed

female workers to meet supply demands

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

was as nurses on the battlefield:

distributing medical supplies,

organizing hospitals, &

offering comfort to wounded or dying

soldiersEx. Clara Barton

future founder of the American Red

Cross

The Tide of the War Turns in 1863

By 1863, the Confederacy was having difficulty sustaining the fight:–Attempts to lure Britain & France

into the war had failed –The Union blockade, limited

Southern manufacturing, & lack of grain fields left CSA soldiers ill-supplied

–To pay for the war, the CSA printed money leading to massive inflation

Gettysburg, 1863:In July, Robert E Lee decided to take advantage of his victory at

Chancellorsville & attack Northern soil to end the war

quickly by crushing Union morale

Gettysburg proved to be the turning point of the war; Lee

was halted, the CSA never again attacked Union soil, & the Union army began winning the

war

Vicksburg, 1863: Grant cut off Southern access to Mississippi River & divided the

South into two halves (considered the other “turning point” in the war); Grant was

then promoted to lead the entire Union army

Gettysburg Address

The principles that our government were founded upon

This Civil War is a test to see if these principles will last, because

other republics have failed

We need to make sure that the Union wins the Civil War in order to

preserve our form of gov’t

Fighting the Civil War: 1863-1865

Under Grant’s leadership, the Union army was more aggressive & committed to destroy the South’s will to fight:–Grant appointed William T. Sherman

to lead the Southern campaign –Sherman destroyed everything of

value to the South & emancipated slaves during his “march to the sea”

Sherman considered “total war”necessary to defeat the South

The Battle of Atlanta was a huge victory for the Union because it took out a major Southern railroad terminus

Lincoln’s 2nd Inaugural “With malice towards none; with

charity for all… let us strive to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow; and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.”–After his speech Lincoln said, “I am a

tired man. Sometimes I think I am the tiredest man on earth.”

Appomattox, 1865: Grant defeated Lee at

Appomattox ending the Civil War

On April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, ending the fighting of

Civil War

Ford’s Theater (April 14, 1865)

The Assassin

John Wilkes Booth

The Assassination

WANTED~~!!

“Now He Belongs to the Ages!”-- Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War

Funeral March

The Execution

Effects of the WarEffects of the Civil War:

–620,000 troops were dead; More than any other U.S. war

–The 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865 ending slavery

–The war forever ended the states’ rights argument

–The South was destroyed; A plan was needed to admit Southern states back into the Union

Conclusions The 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 & Vicksburg) the weight of Northern industry & population wore down the South