history: the civil war
Chapter 13: The Civil War, 1861-1865
April, 1861: CSA President Jefferson Davis argued the Confederacy was fighting for “self government & slavery”
July, 1861: USA President Abraham Lincoln argued that secession was an attack on representative government and secession was illegal
The Confederacy
Defense: needed to preserve their borders/boundaries to win independence
Population of 9 million (including 3 million slaves); slaves were labor force, freeing more men to join the Confederate Army
Continued sale of “King Cotton” (leading American export to France & England) to fuel economy; possible alliance with Europe
The Union
Much larger population: 22 million people
Total support of the U.S. Navy (260 ships; 100 more under construction)
Offense: needed to conquer/subdue Confederate cities/states to win
Most factories located in the North could produce goods for the war effort
More available farmland to grow food for the war effort
Lincoln wanted a quick end to the war by capturing Confederate capital of Richmond, VA
July, 1861: Union General Irvin McDowell’s 30,000 men attacked Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard’s 20,00 men at Bull Run (Manassas), VA; Confederates counterattacked & drove Union from the field
McDowell fired by Lincoln and replaced by Gen. George McLellan
April-July 1862: McLellan’s 100,000 man Union army advanced towards Richmond but was repulsed by Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee & Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson; McLellan retreated to Washington, D.C. and was fired
Lincoln wants to retain the border states (slaves states loyal to the Union)
October, 1861: 50 counties in western Virginia voted to secede from Virginia and form a new state, loyal to the Union; formation of West Virginia
Pro-Union politicians controlled Delaware legislature
October, 1861: When Maryland threatened to secede, Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus (law which forces gov’t authorities to justify their arrest and detention of an individual) and ordered Union troops to arrest Confederate sympathizers; 15,000 arrested/imprisoned by end of war
Lincoln waited to send Union troops until after the Confederacy invaded Kentucky; Union drove out Confederate supporters and cemented Union loyalty
Control of the Mississippi River
Union hopes to control the river to split Confederacy in two
February, 1862: Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured Fort Henry & Fort Donelson in Tennessee then moved south to capture railroad lines
April, 1862: Battle of Shiloh; 20,000 casualties in one day
April, 1862: Union Admiral David Farragut captured New Orleans
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee goes on the offensive, hoping to end the war
August, 1862: Lee & Jackson routed Union Gen. John Pope at 2nd Bull Run
September, 1862: Battle of Antietam; Lee invaded Maryland; McLellan (back in command) fought Lee to a standstill; Confederates retreated into Virginia
Single bloodiest day of the war; 4800 dead, 18,500 wounded
Lincoln issued Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation
Northern abolitionists had demanded slavery be abolished from the beginning
May, 1861: Union Gen. Ben Butler refused to return slaves, calling them contraband; many escaped slaves began working for the Union Army
August, 1861: Congress passed the Confiscation Act which authorized the seizure of all Confederate property, including slaves
Radical Republicans began to slowly outlaw slavery through legislation
Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase, Senator Charles Sumner of MA, & Rep. Thaddeus Stevens of PA
1862: Congress outlawed slavery in Washington, D.C.; Congress outlawed slavery in the territories; Second Confiscation Act said any slave who reached Union Army would be “forever free”
Emancipation Proclamation would go into effect on Jan. 1, 1863; slavery would be abolished in all states “in rebellion” unless they denounced slavery
England & France would not ally with Confederacy; England & France looked to Egypt & India for cotton, thus damaging southern economy
Encouraged African Americans to join the Union Army; 180,000 served
54th Massachusetts Infantry: 1st all black regiment
December, 1862: Battle of Fredericksburg, VA; Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside ordered 13 separate charges against a fortified Confederate position and was driven back; Union: 12,500 casualties; Confederate: 6,000
Union Politics
Republican Congress imposed high tariffs (40%) on foreign goods, encouraging domestic industries
Homestead Act of 1862: any farmer who had not “taken up arms against the Union” could claim 160 acres of surveyed gov’t land for free
Railroad Act of 1862: building of a transcontinental railroad
Enrollment Act of 1863: all men between the ages of 20 & 45
Paying for the war
Tariffs raised on “vices” like alcohol & tobacco
Taxes raised on corporations, large inheritances and the rich
Gov’t issued bonds bought by banks and citizens
Limited printing of paper money (greenbacks)
Confederate Politics
Relied on states to handle most issues, but national gov’t took on more power as war dragged on: built textile mills, shipyards, armories; set prices; controlled trade; had to raise money for the war
10% came from taxes; Confederate Congress refused to levy more; 30% came from borrowing from wealthy slave owners; 60% came from printing paper money (massive inflation)
1862 Conscription Act: all men between the ages of 18 & 35 (later 45)
Wealthier draftees could hire a substitute ($300)
“20 Negro Rule”: Exemptions for men who own 20 or more slaves
1863: One-Tenth Tax required all farmers to turn over 1/10 of their crops and livestock to the government
The War At Home
1861: U.S. Sanitary Commission established to provide food, clothing and medical care to Union troops; 200,000 women worked as volunteers
250,000 Union soldiers died from disease despite their efforts
1864 U.S. Ambulance Corps developed triage protocols and efficient evacuation procedures which reduced the number of deaths
Confederacy had a disorganized health system; Confederate women created local relief societies to help treat/tend to the wounded/sick
1863 Woman’s Loyal National League: organization of Unionist women who supported the war effort and hoped to gain voting rights after the war
Founded by Susan B. Anthony
Women worked as gov’t clerks (U.S. Treasury Dept.), postal employees (Confederacy), farmers, factory workers, teachers, nurses, spies & scouts
The Turning Points: Vicksburg & Gettysburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi: Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant planned to seize control of Mississippi River to split Confederacy in half; Vicksburg was last major Confederate stronghold on the river
May, 1863 - July, 1863: Grant defeated two Confederate armies and laid siege to Vicksburg for six weeks; Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Robert E. Lee planned to invade the North, hoping to end the war
June, 1863: Lee invaded Maryland and Pennsylvania; pursued by Union
July 1-July 3, 1863: Lee attacked both Union flanks and then launched a failed attempt to break the Union center (Pickett’s Charge)
Casualties: 28,000 Confederate; 23,000 Union
Lee forced to retreat in Virginia on July 4, 1863
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address declared a national cemetery at battlefield
Grant appointed supreme commander of Union Armies; Grant would command the Eastern theater; Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman would command Western
Grant planned to destroy Lee’s army with continued attack and siege
Sherman would invade Georgia & capture Atlanta; believed in hard war: making civilians suffer for supporting the war (not killing them); scorched earth
1864: Grant and Lee fought five times and eroded Lee’s troops; Lee lost 31,000; Grant lost 55,000; nine month siege of Confederate position at Petersburg, VA (outside of Richmond, VA)
Election of 1864
Lincoln nominated for president; Democrats nominated George McLellan who advocated for immediate cease-fire with Confederacy
September, 1864: Sherman captured Atlanta
November, 1864: Lincoln reelected; Republicans also controlled House & Senate
Sherman’s “March to the Sea” as his troops marched 300 miles to the coast of Georgia, destroying everything in their path; later they headed north into SC & NC and planned to link up with Grant’s army and destroy Lee
January, 1865: Congress passed 13th Amendment to abolish slavery; ratified by states by December, 1865
March 25, 1865: Grant captured Petersburg, forcing Lee to abandon Richmond
April 9, 1865: Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse, VA
April 14, 1865: Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth
April 26, 1865: Last Confederate army surrendered in North Carolina
Chapter 13: The Civil War, 1861-1865
April, 1861: CSA President Jefferson Davis argued the Confederacy was fighting for “self government & slavery”
July, 1861: USA President Abraham Lincoln argued that secession was an attack on representative government and secession was illegal
The Confederacy
Defense: needed to preserve their borders/boundaries to win independence
Population of 9 million (including 3 million slaves); slaves were labor force, freeing more men to join the Confederate Army
Continued sale of “King Cotton” (leading American export to France & England) to fuel economy; possible alliance with Europe
The Union
Much larger population: 22 million people
Total support of the U.S. Navy (260 ships; 100 more under construction)
Offense: needed to conquer/subdue Confederate cities/states to win
Most factories located in the North could produce goods for the war effort
More available farmland to grow food for the war effort
Lincoln wanted a quick end to the war by capturing Confederate capital of Richmond, VA
July, 1861: Union General Irvin McDowell’s 30,000 men attacked Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard’s 20,00 men at Bull Run (Manassas), VA; Confederates counterattacked & drove Union from the field
McDowell fired by Lincoln and replaced by Gen. George McLellan
April-July 1862: McLellan’s 100,000 man Union army advanced towards Richmond but was repulsed by Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee & Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson; McLellan retreated to Washington, D.C. and was fired
Lincoln wants to retain the border states (slaves states loyal to the Union)
October, 1861: 50 counties in western Virginia voted to secede from Virginia and form a new state, loyal to the Union; formation of West Virginia
Pro-Union politicians controlled Delaware legislature
October, 1861: When Maryland threatened to secede, Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus (law which forces gov’t authorities to justify their arrest and detention of an individual) and ordered Union troops to arrest Confederate sympathizers; 15,000 arrested/imprisoned by end of war
Lincoln waited to send Union troops until after the Confederacy invaded Kentucky; Union drove out Confederate supporters and cemented Union loyalty
Control of the Mississippi River
Union hopes to control the river to split Confederacy in two
February, 1862: Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant captured Fort Henry & Fort Donelson in Tennessee then moved south to capture railroad lines
April, 1862: Battle of Shiloh; 20,000 casualties in one day
April, 1862: Union Admiral David Farragut captured New Orleans
Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee goes on the offensive, hoping to end the war
August, 1862: Lee & Jackson routed Union Gen. John Pope at 2nd Bull Run
September, 1862: Battle of Antietam; Lee invaded Maryland; McLellan (back in command) fought Lee to a standstill; Confederates retreated into Virginia
Single bloodiest day of the war; 4800 dead, 18,500 wounded
Lincoln issued Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation
Northern abolitionists had demanded slavery be abolished from the beginning
May, 1861: Union Gen. Ben Butler refused to return slaves, calling them contraband; many escaped slaves began working for the Union Army
August, 1861: Congress passed the Confiscation Act which authorized the seizure of all Confederate property, including slaves
Radical Republicans began to slowly outlaw slavery through legislation
Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase, Senator Charles Sumner of MA, & Rep. Thaddeus Stevens of PA
1862: Congress outlawed slavery in Washington, D.C.; Congress outlawed slavery in the territories; Second Confiscation Act said any slave who reached Union Army would be “forever free”
Emancipation Proclamation would go into effect on Jan. 1, 1863; slavery would be abolished in all states “in rebellion” unless they denounced slavery
England & France would not ally with Confederacy; England & France looked to Egypt & India for cotton, thus damaging southern economy
Encouraged African Americans to join the Union Army; 180,000 served
54th Massachusetts Infantry: 1st all black regiment
December, 1862: Battle of Fredericksburg, VA; Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside ordered 13 separate charges against a fortified Confederate position and was driven back; Union: 12,500 casualties; Confederate: 6,000
Union Politics
Republican Congress imposed high tariffs (40%) on foreign goods, encouraging domestic industries
Homestead Act of 1862: any farmer who had not “taken up arms against the Union” could claim 160 acres of surveyed gov’t land for free
Railroad Act of 1862: building of a transcontinental railroad
Enrollment Act of 1863: all men between the ages of 20 & 45
Paying for the war
Tariffs raised on “vices” like alcohol & tobacco
Taxes raised on corporations, large inheritances and the rich
Gov’t issued bonds bought by banks and citizens
Limited printing of paper money (greenbacks)
Confederate Politics
Relied on states to handle most issues, but national gov’t took on more power as war dragged on: built textile mills, shipyards, armories; set prices; controlled trade; had to raise money for the war
10% came from taxes; Confederate Congress refused to levy more; 30% came from borrowing from wealthy slave owners; 60% came from printing paper money (massive inflation)
1862 Conscription Act: all men between the ages of 18 & 35 (later 45)
Wealthier draftees could hire a substitute ($300)
“20 Negro Rule”: Exemptions for men who own 20 or more slaves
1863: One-Tenth Tax required all farmers to turn over 1/10 of their crops and livestock to the government
The War At Home
1861: U.S. Sanitary Commission established to provide food, clothing and medical care to Union troops; 200,000 women worked as volunteers
250,000 Union soldiers died from disease despite their efforts
1864 U.S. Ambulance Corps developed triage protocols and efficient evacuation procedures which reduced the number of deaths
Confederacy had a disorganized health system; Confederate women created local relief societies to help treat/tend to the wounded/sick
1863 Woman’s Loyal National League: organization of Unionist women who supported the war effort and hoped to gain voting rights after the war
Founded by Susan B. Anthony
Women worked as gov’t clerks (U.S. Treasury Dept.), postal employees (Confederacy), farmers, factory workers, teachers, nurses, spies & scouts
The Turning Points: Vicksburg & Gettysburg
Vicksburg, Mississippi: Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant planned to seize control of Mississippi River to split Confederacy in half; Vicksburg was last major Confederate stronghold on the river
May, 1863 - July, 1863: Grant defeated two Confederate armies and laid siege to Vicksburg for six weeks; Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Robert E. Lee planned to invade the North, hoping to end the war
June, 1863: Lee invaded Maryland and Pennsylvania; pursued by Union
July 1-July 3, 1863: Lee attacked both Union flanks and then launched a failed attempt to break the Union center (Pickett’s Charge)
Casualties: 28,000 Confederate; 23,000 Union
Lee forced to retreat in Virginia on July 4, 1863
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address declared a national cemetery at battlefield
Grant appointed supreme commander of Union Armies; Grant would command the Eastern theater; Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman would command Western
Grant planned to destroy Lee’s army with continued attack and siege
Sherman would invade Georgia & capture Atlanta; believed in hard war: making civilians suffer for supporting the war (not killing them); scorched earth
1864: Grant and Lee fought five times and eroded Lee’s troops; Lee lost 31,000; Grant lost 55,000; nine month siege of Confederate position at Petersburg, VA (outside of Richmond, VA)
Election of 1864
Lincoln nominated for president; Democrats nominated George McLellan who advocated for immediate cease-fire with Confederacy
September, 1864: Sherman captured Atlanta
November, 1864: Lincoln reelected; Republicans also controlled House & Senate
Sherman’s “March to the Sea” as his troops marched 300 miles to the coast of Georgia, destroying everything in their path; later they headed north into SC & NC and planned to link up with Grant’s army and destroy Lee
January, 1865: Congress passed 13th Amendment to abolish slavery; ratified by states by December, 1865
March 25, 1865: Grant captured Petersburg, forcing Lee to abandon Richmond
April 9, 1865: Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse, VA
April 14, 1865: Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth
April 26, 1865: Last Confederate army surrendered in North Carolina