Chapter 11 – The Civil War 1861-1865

1. Chapter 11 – The Civil War1861-1865 Section 1 – From Bull Run to Antietam

2. The Firing on Fort Sumter • Review: What was Lincoln’s position on slavery? (link) • Review: Who seceded before the firing on Ft. Sumter? • When did Virginia secede? • From the memoir of Sallie Hunt, who was a child in Virginia during Ft. Sumter: One spring day in April, 1861, all Richmond was astir. Schools were broken up, and knots of excited men gathered at every street corner. Sumter had been fired upon, and Lincoln had ordered the men of Virginia to rush upon their brethren of the South and put the rebellion down. Now ‘the die was cast,’ our lot was with theirs, and come [well-being] or woe, we would fight for independence. . . . [O]ur hearts swelled with pride to think we could say to our tyrants: ‘Thus far shalt thou come, and no further.’ • Another southerner: Mary Boykin Chestnut (link) • After the Upper South seceded, the capital of the Confederate States of America (CSA) was moved from Montgomery, Alabama, to Richmond, Virginia.

3. The First Battle of Bull Run

4. Preparing for War • After Bull Run, some people on each side realized that the war might not be as short as they assumed (the North had been seeking volunteers for 90 day enlistments). Congress authorized the President to raise an army of 1 million for a 3 year enlistment.

5. Preparing for War, continued • Union military strategies – this first strategy developed by General Winfield Scott, hero of Mexican War and commander of Union troops in 1861 (after Rbt. E. Lee turned down Lincoln) • Blockade seceded states (What is it and why would they do that?) • Use troops and gunboats to get control of the Mississippi River, cutting the South in two. Northern newspapers made fun of this plan, calling it the Anaconda Plan after a snake that squeezes its prey to death. Public still wanted quick victory, so the army kept trying to capture Richmond. • Confederate war strategies – prepare and wait (and hope Lincoln lets them leave in peace). • War of attrition – when one side continually forces losses on the enemy to wear them down. Southerners counted on their forces defending against Union attacks until the northerners lost their will to fight. (?) • Stop exporting cotton. They believed that when Britain and France’s textile mills could no longer get southern cotton, they would help the South get its independence to get the cotton back. Instead, Europeans turned to India and Egypt for their cotton. (effect?)

6. Preparing for War, continued • Tactics and Technology • Battle tactics of the time – • Concentrate forces • Assault a position • Drive enemy away • Bullets vs. Musket balls • Improvements in artillery • Shells – explode in air or when they hit something • Canisters – type of shell filled with bullets – acted like giant shotguns. • Commanders on both sides did not realize that having their troops cross open fields against this artillery and rifles exposed their troops to slaughter.

7. War in the West • After the disaster of Bull Run, Lincoln put General George McClellan in charge of the army. While he was building a new army in the East, Union forces in the West invaded the Confederacy. The fighting in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee (all of which controlled parts of the Mississippi River) is referred to as the “war in the West”. • The most successful Union forces in the west were led by General Ulysses S. Grant. • Forts Henry and Donelson – Feb 1862 – Grant started south along the Tennessee River with 15,000 troops and gunboats. Using the gunboats, they captured both Ft. Henry and Ft. Donelson, located in Tennessee. North rejoiced at a victory and South was distressed. Soon, Nashville, TN, fell to another Union army. • Battle of Shiloh – About 40,000 Southern troops surprised Grant’s troops camped at Shiloh Church in Tennessee. By the end of the first day, Confederate troops had pushed the Union troops back almost to the Tennessee River. Some of Grant’s officers advised a retreat but Grant refused. During the night reinforcements for Grant’s army arrived. The next day, Grant’s army defeated the Southern soldiers. In those 2 days of battle, the Union had more than 13,000 casualties (?) and the Confederates had almost 11,000.

8. War in the West, continued • Action on the Mississippi – while Grant moved south, Union forces were also moving north from the Gulf of Mexico. • April 1862, Union forces capture New Orleans, Baton Rouge (both in LA) and Natchez, MS. • June 6 1862 – Union army took Memphis, TN. Only 2 posts on MS River were still in control of the south – Vicksburg, MS and Port Hudson, LA.

9. War in the East • The Merrimack – Southerners bolted iron plates to an old wooden steamship. When it sailed towards the blockade, Union warships fired at it but their cannonballs bounced off the iron plates. Within a few hours, the Merrimack destroyed or damaged 3 of the most powerful ships in the Union navy. • The North had heard about the building of the Merrimack. President Lincoln ordered the creation of a ship made entirely of iron. It was called the Monitor. • March 9, 1862 the Monitor and the Merrimack fought each other. Neither was able to do serious damage to the other. After several hours, the Merrimack withdrew. • What happened to the ships? Confederates blew up the Merrimack in May 1862 (?!?!?). December, 1862, the Monitor sunk in a storm. • Importance: Wooden navies of the world became outdated. • Peninsular Campaign – Union General McClellan landed 100,000 Union troops on a peninsula southeast of Richmond. (?) As the Union troops moved up the peninsula, they encountered 15,000 Confederate troops about 60 miles before Richmond. McClellan wanted more troops (!?!?). After about a month, McClellan advanced and the Confederate troops fled, but as they neared Richmond, they turned and attacked the Union army. Both sides had heavy casualties. After this battle, Robert E. Lee went from being the top military advisor to the Confederacy to actually leading the army.

10. The South Attacks • Robert E. Lee gambled – McClellan still had 80,000 troops while Lee only had about 55,000 defending Richmond. Knowing McClellan, Lee guessed that McClellan would not attack until he got reinforcements. Lee sent “Stonewall” Jackson and a few thousand soldiers to approach D.C. as if they were going to attack. Lincoln cancelled the order to reinforce McClellan and kept the troops in DC as defense. Jackson’s troops then secretly rejoined Lee’s troops and together they attacked McClellan’s army in a series of battles. Although the Confederates lost 20,000 soldiers and the Union only lost 16,000, McClellan retreated. • Second Battle of Bull Run – Lincoln ordered McClellan to bring his troops back to DC and put General John Pope in overall command. Lee knew he needed to attack before McClellan returned with his army. He again divided his forces and sent Stonewall Jackson to circle around BEHIND Pope’s forces and attack from the rear. Then, when Pope’s forces were fully engaged, Lee attacked with the rest of his army. This was almost at exactly the same spot as the First Battle of Bull Run, and again, the North lost and Pope had to retreat. Lincoln put McClellan back in command.

11. The South Attacks, continued • Battle of Antietam – • Lee decided that he needed to win a battle in the North so his army went around the army guarding DC and went into western Maryland. McClellan learned of Lee’s plans but waited 16 hours before ordering his troops after Lee. • Lee learned that McClellan was chasing him so he prepared for the attack. • They fought at Antietam Creek in MD in September, 1862. Lee had 40,000 troops. McClellan had over 75,000 with another 25,000 able to join him. • By the end of the day, Union suffered 12,000 casualties. Lee’s troops suffered 14,000 (more than 1/3 of his army). Lee retreated back into VA. • Lincoln ordered McClellan to chase Lee and end the war. McClellan did not. • This was the single bloodiest day of the war.