The American Civil War (1861-1865)

Flashcards for APUSH during the American Civil War.

Northern Advantages

• Larger population, more industry, extensive railroad network.

Northern Disadvantages

• Initial lack of military leadership.

Southern Advantages

• Strong military leadership, defensive war on home territory.

Southern Disadvantages

• Smaller population, limited industrial capacity.

Northern Strategy

• Anaconda Plan (blockade ports, control Mississippi River, capture Richmond).

Southern Strategy

• War of Attrition (wear down Union forces).

• First Battle of Bull Run (July 1861)

• Confederate victory, showed the war would be prolonged.

• The Trent Affair (Fall 1861)

• Averted a diplomatic crisis with Britain.

The Battle of the Ironclads (March 1862)

The Monitor vs. the Merrimac, the first battle between ironclad warships, ended in a tactical draw and accelerated ironclad construction.

Battle of Antietam (September 1862):

Bloodiest single day of the war (approximately 23,000 casualties). Confederate failure dashed foreign intervention hopes and allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Lincoln's Goal:

Initially to preserve the Union, evolving to include emancipation.

Confiscation Acts (1861 & 1862)

Freed slaves used for insurrectionary purposes or belonging to Confederates.

Battle of Vicksburg (July 1863)

Grant's siege led to Union control of the Mississippi River, cutting the Confederacy in two.

Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863)

Turning point in the battle stopping General E.Lee

Gettysburg Address

Lincoln's speech dedicating the Soldiers' National Cemetery, emphasizing equality, sacrifice, and the preservation of the Union: "…that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

Sherman's March to the Sea (1864)

General William T. Sherman's destructive march through Georgia aimed to cripple Confederate resources and will to fight.

Surrender at Appomattox (April 9, 1865)

General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the war.