#3132

Generals and Military Leaders:

• General Joseph Hooker

  • Nicknamed "Fighting Joe" for his aggressive tactics.

  • Reorganized the Army of the Potomac but was overconfident at Chancellorsville.

  • His failure to respond effectively to Lee's flanking maneuver led to his removal.

• General George Meade

  • Took command just days before Gettysburg.

  • Successfully defended against Lee but failed to pursue the retreating Confederate army, frustrating Lincoln.

• Stonewall Jackson

  • Earned his nickname at the First Battle of Bull Run for standing firm in battle.

  • His famous flanking maneuver at Chancellorsville crushed the Union army.

  • His accidental shooting by Confederate troops led to the South losing one of its best generals.

• Ulysses S. Grant

  • Used total war tactics, meaning he targeted Confederate armies, resources, and civilian infrastructure.

  • His victory at Vicksburg coincided with Gettysburg, marking a major turning point.

  • Nickname: “Unconditional Surrender” Grant due to his demand for total capitulation.

Battles:

• Battle of Chancellorsville (May 1863)

  • Lee's most brilliant victory, using risky tactics to split his army.

  • Union outnumbered Confederates nearly 2 to 1 but still lost.

  • Jackson's wounding forced Lee to fight Gettysburg without him.

• Battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863)

  • Lee's second and last invasion of the North.

  • Day 1: Confederates push Union forces back to Cemetery Hill.

  • Day 2: Major Union defense at Little Round Top prevents Confederate flanking.

  • Day 3: Pickett’s Charge—Lee’s biggest mistake—ends in massive Confederate losses.

  • The bloodiest battle of the war, with 51,000 casualties.

• Pickett’s Charge (July 3, 1863)

  • 15,000 Confederates charged across open fields under artillery fire.

  • Over 50% casualty rate among Pickett’s men.

  • Lee took full responsibility for the failure.

• Siege of Vicksburg (May–July 4, 1863)

  • Grant’s army surrounded the city and cut off supplies for six weeks.

  • Civilians in Vicksburg were forced to live in caves and eat rats.

  • The fall of Vicksburg gave the Union full control of the Mississippi River.

• Battle of the Wilderness (May 1864)

  • Took place in dense Virginia forests, making combat chaotic and smoky.

  • Fires broke out, and many wounded soldiers burned alive.

  • Unlike previous Union generals, Grant refused to retreat, continuing his push toward Richmond.

• Battle of Cold Harbor (June 1864)

  • Grant’s worst mistake—ordered frontal assaults that led to thousands of Union deaths in minutes.

  • Many Union soldiers pinned their names to their uniforms, knowing they wouldn’t survive.

  • Despite the loss, Grant still kept advancing, keeping pressure on Lee.

Weapons and Warfare:

• War of Attrition

  • Grant’s strategy—wear down Lee’s army by constant fighting.

  • He had the manpower advantage (Union had 2 million soldiers, South had 1 million).

  • This tactic led to high casualties but ensured Union victory.

• Muskets

  • Smoothbore muskets had short range (~100 yards) and poor accuracy.

  • Soldiers relied on bayonets due to slow reload times.

• Rifles

  • More accurate and deadly (range ~400 yards).

  • Used Minié balls, which expanded on impact and caused massive wounds.

• Grapeshot

  • Cannon ammunition filled with small iron balls.

  • Devastating against advancing infantry, like a giant shotgun blast.

Medical and Humanitarian Efforts:

• United States Sanitary Commission

  • Created in 1861 to improve hygiene and medical care in Union camps.

  • Reduced disease spread and helped supply bandages, food, and clothing.

  • Raised millions of dollars to support soldiers.

• Elizabeth Blackwell

  • First woman in the U.S. to earn a medical degree.

  • Helped found the first training program for female nurses.

• Dorothea Dix

  • Superintendent of Army Nurses.

  • Recruited thousands of middle-class women for medical service.

  • Strict hiring rules—only allowed women over 30, plain-looking, and dressed modestly.

• Clara Barton

  • “Angel of the Battlefield”—risked her life bringing supplies and aid to soldiers.

  • Worked independently, not under Dix’s strict system.

  • Founded the American Red Cross in 1881.

• American Red Cross

  • Founded by Clara Barton after the war.

  • Provided emergency aid, disaster relief, and medical services worldwide.

  • Inspired by her experiences treating Civil War soldiers.

Copperhead Democrats

• Northern Democrats who opposed the Civil War and wanted an immediate peace settlement with the Confederacy.

• They were also known as "Peace Democrats."

• Many were against Lincoln’s policies, especially emancipation.

• They believed the war was too costly and that the Union should negotiate with the Confederacy.

• Example: They gained strength in the 1864 election, and Confederate leaders hoped they would win and make peace.

General George B. McClellan

• Former Union general who was removed by Lincoln for being too cautious.

• Nominated by the Democrats to run against Lincoln in the Election of 1864.

• Despite being a war general, he campaigned on a platform that included negotiating peace with the South.

• Lost the election to Lincoln, who won because of key Union military victories.

General William T. Sherman

• Union general famous for his “March to the Sea”, using total war tactics.

• Served under General Grant and took command of the western Union forces.

• Captured Atlanta (1864), which boosted Northern morale and helped Lincoln win re-election.

• Believed in "hard war," meaning destroying Confederate resources to weaken their ability to fight.

General John Bell Hood

• Confederate general who replaced Joseph E. Johnston in 1864.

• Aggressive but reckless in battle, leading to high Confederate casualties.

• Tried to stop Sherman from taking Atlanta but failed.

• After losing Atlanta, he led a disastrous campaign into Tennessee and was defeated at Nashville.

Sherman’s March to the Sea

• November–December 1864, led by General William T. Sherman.

• A military campaign from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia.

• Purpose: Destroy Southern resources and weaken Confederate morale.

• Union troops burned farms, destroyed railroads, and freed enslaved people along the way.

• Impact: Devastated the South’s economy and infrastructure; made it harder for the Confederacy to continue fighting.

Battle of Atlanta

• July 22, 1864: A major battle in Sherman’s campaign through the South.

• Union victory; Confederates were forced to evacuate the city on September 1.

• Impact: Boosted Northern morale and helped Lincoln win reelection in 1864.

• Confederate Leader: General John Bell Hood tried to defend the city but failed.

• After the battle, Sherman burned much of Atlanta before marching to Savannah.

Admiral David Farragut

• Union naval officer who captured New Orleans (1862) and Mobile Bay (1864).

• Famous Quote: “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!” (During the Battle of Mobile Bay).

• His victory at Mobile Bay helped cut off Confederate trade and block supplies.

Election of 1864

• Candidates: Abraham Lincoln (Republican) vs. George McClellan (Democrat).

• Lincoln originally thought he would lose because of war fatigue in the North.

• Key Event That Helped Lincoln: Sherman captured Atlanta, boosting Northern morale.

• Lincoln won in a landslide: 212 electoral votes to 21 for McClellan.

• Ensured that the Civil War would continue until Union victory and the end of slavery.

Andersonville (Confederate Prison Camp)

• A Confederate prison camp in Georgia that held Union prisoners of war.

• Known for horrible conditions: overcrowding, lack of food, disease, and extreme cruelty.

• Nearly 13,000 Union soldiers died there from malnutrition and disease.

• After the war, the camp's commander, Henry Wirz, was executed for war crimes.

Savannah

• Captured by Sherman on December 21, 1864, ending his March to the Sea.

• Sherman spared the city from destruction and gave it to Lincoln as a "Christmas gift."

• Important Confederate port city that was now in Union hands.

Richmond

• Capital of the Confederacy, located in Virginia.

• April 1865: After Lee’s army abandoned Petersburg, Richmond fell to Union forces.

• Confederates burned parts of the city before evacuating to prevent Union forces from capturing supplies.

• Lincoln personally visited Richmond after its capture, marking the near-end of the war.

Appomattox (Surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia)

• April 9, 1865: Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.

• Terms of Surrender:

  • Confederate soldiers were allowed to keep their horses (to help rebuild their farms).

  • No Confederate officers were executed or imprisoned.

  • Marked the official end of the Civil War (though some Confederate forces surrendered later).

Thirteenth Amendment

• Abolished slavery in the United States.

• Passed by Congress in January 1865, ratified on December 18, 1865.

• Text: “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude… shall exist within the United States.”

• Impact: Ensured permanent freedom for enslaved people and ended forced labor in the South.

“Reconstruction”

• The period after the Civil War (1865–1877) when the U.S. government worked to rebuild the South.

• Goals:

  1. Reintegrate Southern states into the Union.

  2. Protect the rights of formerly enslaved people.

  3. Rebuild Southern economy and infrastructure.

• Lincoln’s Plan: Wanted a lenient, quick reunification.

• Radical Republicans’ Plan: Wanted harsher punishments for the South and full rights for freed slaves.

John Wilkes Booth

• Assassinated Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.

• A famous actor and Confederate sympathizer who believed Lincoln was destroying the South.

• Aftermath:

  • Booth fled and was killed in a barn in Virginia 12 days later.

  • His assassination of Lincoln disrupted Reconstruction plans and led to a harsher treatment of the South.