The Fighting BeginsChapter 4Lesson 1

Why is it sometimes difficult to choose sides in a disagreement?

Vocabulary•border state- During the Civil War, a state

between the North and the South that allowed slavery but did not secede from the Union.

•home front- The places where civilians are active when their country is at war.

•civilian- A person who is not in the military.

•Emancipation Proclamation- The Presidential order of 1863 that freed enslaved people in the Confederate states.

•When Confederate soldiers fired on Fort Sumter, hopes for peace between the North and the South ended. Now Americans had to make some hard decisions about going to war.

Taking Sides•Most people thought

the war would be short and easy

•Picking sides was easy for most people▫Most Northerners

supported the Union▫Most white

Southerners supported the Confederacy

•Some people had trouble picking a side.▫People in Missouri,

Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware were torn between the two sides. (border states)

▫Some fought for the North and others for the South.

Others•Some people that

lived in the mountains of TN and northern AL sided with the North.▫There wasn’t much

slavery in these areas.

•People in western Virginia split from Virginia and formed West Virginia to side with the Union.

Indians• Most Indians didn’t like

either side because of being driven away from their homeland.

• Eventually the Choctaws and the Chickasaws fought for the South.

• The Creeks, Seminoles, and Cherokees were divided between both.

The Ultimate Split• The greatest split of all

was between families and friends.

• Examples of this include Henry Clay’s grandson’s, three fought for the Union and one for the South, and Abraham Lincoln’s four brother-in-laws fought for the South.

Robert E. Lee•U.S. Army Colonel•Graduate of U.S.

Military Academy at West Point, NY

•Fought in the war with Mexico

•Served in the military for 32 years

•Loved his country and his state of VA

•April 19, 1861•Lincoln asked Lee to command the Union

army•A few hours later he found out that his

home state of Virginia had seceded.•He chose to quit the army and lead VA’s

troops.

Battle of Bull Run•1st major battle•Took place at a stream close to the town

of Manassas, VA•The South won and shocked the Union.

North vs. South•North

▫Had nearly twice as many people▫More factories to make weapons and

supplies▫More railroads to move supplies

•South▫More powerful than expected▫Strong will to win and to defend their own

land

Lincoln’s Battle Plans•1st step cut off the

South’s trade with other countries by setting up blockades

•Called The Anaconda Plan▫Designed to squeeze

its prey to death•2nd step invade the

South

The South’s Battle Plans•1st Step- protect the land

▫They wanted to defend and slowly wear down the enemy.

•2nd Step- invade the North•3rd Step- get Britain and France to help

them with supplies

Clara Barton• “While our soldiers stand and

fight, I can stand and feed and nurse them.” Clara Barton followed the fighting from battle to battle, caring for sick and wounded Union soldiers. Barton had always tried to help people in need. She taught school for a time and then worked as a government clerk. When the Civil War broke out, she wanted to help. Her work is still carried on by the American Red Cross. Barton founded the American branch of this world organization in 1881.

Life on the Home Front•Difficult for people on both sides.•Civilians did what they could to support their

side.•Fear of friends and family dying was tough.•Most civilians during the war were women.

▫Some took over businesses or plantations.▫Other sent food, made clothing and bandages, a

collected supplies▫Some women served as spies (even to the point

of dressing as men and fighting in battles)

Sally Tompkins•Served as a nurse

▫Most nurses before the war were men

•Eventually ran her own private hospital in Richmond.

Freeing the Slaves•As the war drug on, Lincoln needed to do

something to push the North on to victory.•The blockade had been working but many

deaths were happening. (They wanted to speed up the win.)

•Emancipation Proclamation▫An order to free the slaves▫Lincoln was hesitant at first because he was

afraid that declaring it would cause border states and some Northern states to turn against the Union.