Civil War Lecture Notes Review

Military Leadership and Early Battles

• McClellan Takes Command:
  • Abraham Lincoln replaces McDowell with McClellan, hoping for a Union victory.
  • McClellan is a good organizer and planner but overly cautious and dislikes the realities of war.
  • He constantly asks for more reinforcements, frustrating Lincoln.
• Battle of Seven Pines:
  • McClellan is finally ordered to move.
  • Confederate General Joe Johnston attacks first.
  • The battle results in a Union victory, but reinforcements were crucial.
  • McClellan uses this to justify his need for more troops.
• Robert E. Lee's Appointment:
  • General Robert E. Lee becomes commander of the Army of Northern Virginia (Confederacy).
  • Lee's daring battlefield moves extend the Confederacy's life.
• Seven Days Battle:
  • The Confederacy wins, and McClellan retreats back towards Washington D.C.
• Second Battle of Bull Run:
  • Lee divides his forces and attacks General Pope of the Union Army, targeting his flank.
  • Lee's risky move leads to another Confederate victory.

Confederate Strategy and the Battle of Antietam

• Confederate Offensive into the North:
  • Despite winning battles, the Confederacy isn't closer to ending the war, as battles are in the South.
  • Lee aims to move the war to the North, hoping to win the war and gain foreign recognition.
• Lee's Invasion of Maryland:
  • Lee moves troops into Maryland and divides his army again.
  • The Union army learns of this through spies.
  • McClellan hesitates and delays attacking, allowing Lee to reassemble his army at Antietam Creek.
• Battle of Antietam:
  • The Confederates are outnumbered two to one but manage to force a standoff.
  • It becomes the single bloodiest day of the war.
  • McClellan allows Lee's army to retreat across the Potomac.
  • Although a Union victory, Lincoln is frustrated that McClellan didn't finish off Lee's army.
  • Lincoln replaces McClellan with General Ambrose Burnside.

Burnside's Command and the Battle of Fredericksburg

• General Ambrose Burnside:
  • Known for his distinctive sideburns.
• Battle of Fredericksburg:
  • Burnside plans to attack Confederates in Fredericksburg, needing to cross the Rappahannock River.
  • Delays in the arrival of pontoon bridges allow the Confederates to prepare a strong defensive position behind a stone wall on high ground.
  • The Union attack results in a devastating defeat with 12,000 casualties (twice as many as the Confederacy).
  • Union morale plummets due to the loss.

Western Theater: Grant's Campaigns

• Western Theater Overview:
  • Fighting also occurs in the West, led by Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston.
  • The Union aims to dominate Kentucky and Eastern Tennessee and control the Mississippi River to split the South.
• Grant's Victories:
  • Grant captures Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee.
  • He demands "unconditional surrender," earning the nickname "Unconditional Surrender" Grant.
• Battle of Shiloh:
  • Grant's troops are in a poorly defended position when attacked by the Confederacy at Shiloh (a church meaning "peace" in Hebrew).
  • The initial attack catches Union soldiers by surprise.
  • Albert Sidney Johnston is mortally wounded, and his second in command calls off the battle, preventing a complete Confederate victory on the first day.
  • Union reinforcements arrive overnight.
  • The second day of battle results in over 13,000 Union casualties and 10,000 Confederate casualties.
  • More men fell at Shiloh than in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War combined.
  • Insufficient battlefield care leads to many deaths from untreated wounds, exposure to rain, and infected wounds.

Diplomacy and Economic Issues

• European Involvement:
  • Both sides seek European support, understanding its potential impact on the war.
• Confederate Cotton Diplomacy:
  • The South relies on "cotton diplomacy" to get European recognition, hoping England will provide loans and assistance due to their need for southern cotton.
  • Europe is hesitant, viewing the Civil War as a domestic dispute and fearing the consequences of supporting the losing side.
• Union Efforts to Prevent Recognition:
  • Union Secretary of State William Seward threatens Britain with war if they aid the Confederacy.
  • Britain remains neutral, only allowing the construction of Confederate raider ships in their ports.
• Monetary Problems and Inflation:
  • Both sides print paper money to finance the war, leading to inflation.
  • The North experiences an 80% increase in food prices.
• Manpower Shortages and the Draft:
  • Both sides face manpower shortages, ending the initial enthusiasm for enlistment.
  • The Confederacy passes the first draft in America, followed by the Union.
  • Draft laws are unpopular.
  • In the South, planters owning over 20 slaves could get an exemption, causing class tensions.
  • The Union allows the hiring of substitutes for $300, benefiting the wealthy.

The Emancipation Proclamation

• Changing War Aims:
  • The initial focus of the Civil War was to save the Union, not to free the slaves.
  • Lincoln strategically shifts the war's purpose to include emancipation.
  • He faces the risk of losing border states if he makes the war about slavery.
• Issuance of the Proclamation:
  • After the Union victory at Antietam, Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862.
  • It declares that if rebellious states do not return to the Union by January 1, 1863, their slaves would be declared forever free.
• Limited Impact:
  • The Proclamation only affects slaves in unconquered parts of the Confederacy, as the Confederacy does not recognize Lincoln's authority.
  • It does not free slaves in the border states (Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware) that remained in the Union.
• Symbolic Importance:
  • The Emancipation Proclamation changes the reason for fighting.
  • Slaves now know that a Union victory means their freedom.