The Civil War

1. The Civil War Chapters 11.1 – 11.3

2. Confederates Fire on Fort Sumter • The Confederate States of America quickly began taking over federal institutions in their states • March 4, 1861 – Lincoln is inaugurated • March 5. 1861 – Fort Sumter faces trouble • Lincoln decided not to fire, but not to give in either • April 12, Jefferson Davis chooses war over peaceful secession

3. Virginia Secedes • News of Fort Sumter’s fall united the North • Lincoln’s call for troops had the opposite effect on the “upper” Southern states • In May, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina followed Virginia • The western counties of Virginia seceded from the state and re-joined the union • Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri were the only slave states to remain in the Union

4. War Lines

5. Americans Expect a Short War • Both sides expected a short and “glorious” war • The Union had enormous advantages over the South • More fighting power • More factories • Greater food production • More extensive railroad system • Lincoln’s leadership • The Confederacy also had some advantages over the North: • “King Cotton” • First-rate generals and a strong military tradition • Highly motivated soldiers • The South’s tradition of limited government hurt its chances

6. War Strategies • The Union devised a 3-part plan • Blockade southern ports • Union riverboats and armies would move down the Mississippi River • Union armies would capture the Confederate capital in Richmond, VA • Northern newspapers called the strategy the Anaconda plan • The Confederacy’s strategy was mostly defensive

7. The Battle of Bull Run • July 21 – first major bloodshed occurs at the battle of Bull Run • Two groups of inexperienced troops ran crossed paths • General Thomas J. Jackson earned the nickname, Stonewall Jackson from this battle • Confederate reinforcements arrived and forced the Union soldiers to retreat

8. Union Armies in the West • Lincoln now called for 500,000 volunteers and appointed George McClellan to lead the Union army • Feb 1862 - Ulysses S. Grant led a Union force into western Tennessee • Grant captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson • April 6, 1862 – Grant fights the Confederates in the battle of Shiloh • Grant re-organized his troops and counter-attacked • The Battle of Shiloh taught many important lessons • April 29, David G. Farragut captured New Orleans

9. A Revolution in Warfare • The use of ironclad ships changed the face of war • March 9,1862 the Monitor vs. the Merrimack • The inventions of the rifle and the minie’ ball were even deadlier than ironclads • Rifles were more accurate than muskets • The minie’ ball was a newer, more destructive bullet • These new technologies gradually changed military strategy

10. The War for the Capitals • McClellan’s cautious nature made the Union’s plan to capture Richmond falter • Spring 1862, McClellan finally began moving towards Richmond • Robert E. Lee took control of the Confederate forces • Lee moved against McClellan in the Seven Days’ Battles

11. Antietam • August 29 – Lee wins major victory in the Second Battle of Bull Run • A Union corporal discovered Lee’s battle plans in a field they had camped at • September 17, the battle of Antietam • Clash became the bloodiest single battle in American history • Although the battle ended in a draw, McClellan failed to finish them off • November 7, 1862 – Lincoln fired McClellan

12. The Politics of War • Despite the South’s requests, Great Britain decided to remain neutral • 1861, the Confederacy sent James Mason and John Slidell to try again to get British and French aid • Union forces (led by Captain Wilkes) stopped the ship and arrested the two men • Lincoln released the prisoners and claimed Wilkes acted without orders

13. Proclaiming Emancipation • Lincoln didn’t believe the federal government had the power to abolish slavery from where it already existed • Lincoln began to see emancipation as a weapon of war • Jan. 1, 1863 – Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation • The Proclamation had immense symbolic importance • Not all Northerners approved of the Proclamation • Confederates were outraged by the Proclamation

14. Both Sides Face Political Problems • Both sides dealt with difficulties unifying all of their people • Lincoln dealt with disloyalty forcefully: • Sent troops into MD after Baltimorians attacked a Union troop • Suspended Habeas Corpus in many states • More than 13,000 suspected Confederate sympathizers in the Union were arrested • Seized telegraph offices • Many of those arrested were Copperheads • Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney declared Lincoln had gone far beyond his constitutional powers • Lincoln’s actions set new precedent for presidents during wartime

15. Conscription • Both sides eventually moved away from volunteer armies, and towards conscription • The Confederates drafted all able-bodied white men between 18 and 35 • The Union drafted white men between 20 and 45 • 1863 – Many in NYC began to protest the draft • July 13-16: Anti-draft mobs rampaged through the city

16. African Americans Fight for Freedom • The Civil War began as a “white man’s war” • 1862, Congress passed a law allowing African Americans to serve in the military • By war’s end, nearly 10% of the Union forces were African American • African American soldiers still suffered from discrimination • 1864, Fort Pillow Massacre • Many slaves waited anxiously for the coming Union troops

17. The War Affects Regional Economies • The Confederacy soon faced a food shortage • Food prices skyrocketed • The Union blockade caused shortages of other products as well • On the other hand, most northern industries boomed • Wages did not keep up with prices • Northern women experienced many social changes • 1863, Congress passed the nation’s first income tax

18. Soldiers Suffer on Both Sides • Army camps bred many diseases • Both armies received very low food rations • The United States Sanitary Commission was set up • Clara Barton often cared for the sick on the front lines • Prisons, like Andersonville, had worse conditions than even army camps • Prisons in the North were only slightly better