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The Civil War Begins. Chapter 11 Section 1 Page 338. Confederates Fire on Fort Sumter. Feb. 1861 – 7 of the southern most states had seceded When Lincoln took office, only 2 southern forts remained in Union hands. The most important fort was in Charleston, South Carolina.
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The Civil War Begins Chapter 11 Section 1 Page 338
Confederates Fire on Fort Sumter • Feb. 1861 – 7 of the southern most states had seceded • When Lincoln took office, only 2 southern forts remained in Union hands. • The most important fort was in Charleston, South Carolina. • The Confederacy was demanding that the Union surrender the fort or face attack. • Supplies & ammunition would last only 6 weeks.
Lincoln’s Dilemma • Charleston presented a dilemma for Lincoln. • If he ordered an attack, he would be responsible for starting the war. • If he gave up the fort, he would be recognizing the Confederate government.
First Shots • Lincoln decided to take neither option he would only “send food to hungry men”. • President Jefferson Davis ordered an attack. • War began on April 12, 1861. • South Carolinians bombarded the fort until the Union surrendered.
Virginia Secedes • News of Fort Sumter’s fall united the North. • Men rushed to enlist • Lincoln’s call for troops, provoked a different reaction in the upper southern states. • Virginia unwilling to fight against other southern states, so Virginia seceded. • Terrible loss for the Union b/c Virginia was heavily populated. • May – Arkansas, Tennessee, & North Carolina seceded • Citizens in western Virginia seceded from Virginia creating West Virginia • Four slave states remained…Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, & Missouri • Many of the citizens still fought for the Confederacy
Union and Confederate Strategies an uneven match Union Confederate • More fighting power • More factories • Greater food production • More railroads • Decisive leaders • 3 part plan (Anaconda Plan) • Blockade southern ports • Move down the Mississippi river to split the South • Capture the capital • “King Cotton” • First rate generals • Strong military tradition • Highly motivated troops • Limited government • Strategy • Attack but primarily defend the South at all costs
Bull Run • First major battle • 30,000 inexperienced Union troops marched toward Richmond, VA (Capital of South) • Surprised to come across a Confederate battalion near the small creek…Bull Run • Lincoln commanded his general, Irvin McDowell, to attack • Battle was a seesaw affair • Southern General Thomas Jackson, (Stonewall Jackson) led the South to its first victory of the war. • Union troops retreated to their capital • Confederate morale soared
Forts Henry and Donelson • Lincoln appointed George McClellan • Feb 1862, Union army invaded TN • Ulysses Grant led the Union army • Brave, tough, decisive military commander • Grant’s forces captured 2 Confederate forts that held strategic locations on two rivers, in just 11 days • Fort Henry on the Tennessee River • Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River • “no terms except unconditional and immediate surrender can be accepted” - Grant
Shiloh • 1 month later, Grant gathered troops near a TN church, Shiloh, which was close to the Mississippi • Confederate troops then surprised Union troops • Grant reorganized his troops and ordered reinforcements & led a counter attack the following day • Strategic Lessons • Generals now realized that they would be forced to send out scouts to dig trenches & build forts. • Shiloh demonstrated how bloody the war would become • Proved that the North’s strategy to take the Mississippi to split the south might succeed.
Farragut on the Lower Mississippi • David Farragut’s assignment was to take New Orleans from the South. • It was the largest and busiest port in the South. • Farragut took his fleet past two southern forts in spite of heavy fire to take New Orleans. • Farragut also took Baton Rouge and Natchez • If the Union captured all the major cities along the Mississippi, then Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Tennessee would be cut off from the South.
Ironclads • Advances in technology changed strategy and contributed to the high death tools. • Ironclad ships could splinter wooden ships, withstand cannon fire, and resist burning. • Both the North and South used these ships during the war.
New Weapons • Even more deadly than the ironclad ships were the advancements on guns and ammunition. • Rifles were more accurate & soldiers could reload them quicker. • The minie ball was a soft lead bullet that was more destructive than earlier bullets. • Troops also used primitive grenades and land mines.
The War for the Capitals • The 3rd part of the North’s 3-part strategy to capture the capital faltered. • One of the problems was General McClellan who was extremely cautious. • He complained that there were only 2 bridges across the Potomac. • Northern newspapers began to mock his daily bulletins of “All quiet on the Potomac”. • Even the patient Lincoln commented that he would like to borrow McClellan’s army if the general himself was not going to use it.
“On to Richmond” • After dawdling all winter, McClellan finally got under way in the spring of 1862. • On the way he encountered a Confederate army commanded by General Joseph Johnston. • After a series of battles, Johnston was injured and the army passed to Robert E. Lee. • Lee was very different – was willing to go beyond the military textbooks to move his forces. • He had opposed secession.
Antietam • Lee then moved against the enemies capital. • South won an easy victory at the Second Battle of Bull Run • McClellan found Lee’s plans and realized that Confederate troops were separated for the moment. • McClellan ordered his men to attack Lee. • Battle of Antietam • Bloodiest one day battle in American history • 26,000+ men died • Rather than finishing off the Confederates, McClellan did nothing. • Confederate troops retreated • Lincoln fired McClellan “having the slows”
Answer these questions • How did the Confederacy challenge Lincoln? • What was especially damaging to the Union about Virginia’s secession? • What was the Union’s military strategy? • What was the Confederacy’s military strategy? • Why was the Battle of Bull Run a surprise to both sides? • How did Grant prove his skill as a leader in the West? • What was important about the Battle of Shiloh? • How did Grant and Farragut help advance the strategy of splitting the Confederacy? • What new weapons made war on the battlefield more deadly? • What revolution in shipbuilding changed naval warfare? • How did McClellan hurt the Union cause? • What action did Lee take that threatened the Union? • What were the results of the Battle of Antietam?
