chapter 14

Students will be able to compare and contrast the strategies and advantages of the North and South during the American Civil War.

South Carolina seceded following Lincoln's election.
- The North had downplayed southern threats.
- Other Lower South states followed South Carolina’s lead.
President Buchanan did little to address secession.
President-elect Lincoln disapproved of compromises such as the Crittenden Plan and stressed the importance of preserving the Union.
Confederate States of America formed in February 1861.
- Jefferson Davis was elected as president.

Fort Sumter (South Carolina) was running out of provisions.
- Lincoln refused to abandon the fort and ordered ships to deliver supplies.
Confederates fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861.
- The Union troops ultimately surrendered.
Following the initial conflict, four Upper South states seceded from the Union.
Lincoln called for 75,000 troops, leading to drafts being quickly organized on both sides.

The Union (North) possessed several significant advantages:
- Population: Larger population provided a substantial manpower reserve.
- Industrial/Agricultural Capacity: Greater capacity to produce war materials and food supplies.
- Transportation: Extensive railway networks facilitated the movement of troops and supplies.
- Communication: Established government and infrastructure for better coordination.
The Confederacy (South) enjoyed certain advantages:
- Superior Military Leadership: Notably, General Robert E. Lee.
- Defensive Position: Home-field advantage allowed for effective territorial defense.

Union Strategies:
- Maintain loyalty of Border States.
- Implement a naval blockade (known as the Anaconda Plan) to suffocate the South's economy.
- Gain control of the Mississippi River to split the Confederacy.
- Pursue a short war with minimal casualties.
Confederate Strategies:
- Prepare and wait (defensive war).
- Foster a war of attrition to wear down Union morale through continuous victories.
- Leverage cotton diplomacy to influence other nations.

Battle of Bull Run marked the first major battle of the war with a Confederate victory.
George McClellan appointed as commander of the Union Army.
- Known for his cautious approach and slow movement.
- The Peninsula Campaign concluded after the Second Battle of Bull Run.
Ulysses S. Grant led the western campaign for the Union and achieved several key victories, gaining near-total control of the Mississippi River (notably the Battle of Shiloh in 1862).

With the South low on supplies, General Lee initiated an offensive into the North.
Union forces met Lee's army at Antietam Creek (Maryland).
- Resulted in a tactical draw, with the Confederate army retreating, which provided Lincoln leverage for his emancipation policy.
- Increased international pressure on the South.

Students will be able to describe how American society was transformed during the Civil War.

Initial patriotic fervor gave way to disillusionment due to high casualties, conscription, and the suspension of habeas corpus.
Conscription policies were controversial on both sides:
- Wealthy individuals could often exempt themselves.
- Led to events like the New York Draft Riots (1863) where mostly Irish mobs violently targeted free Blacks.

Women played vital roles in the war effort on both sides:
- Served as nurses and worked with the Sanitary Commission.
- Notable figures included Dorothea Dix and Clara Barton.
- Women took over jobs vacated by men who were away fighting.
Despite wartime efforts, the push for women’s suffrage remained unsuccessful during this period.

Republican policies transformed the American economy through:
- The Homestead Act (encouraged western migration).
- The Pacific Railway Act (promoted railroads).
- The Morrill Land Grant Act (provided land for agricultural colleges).
War funds were raised through:
- Tariffs, corporate and income taxes, bonds, and the introduction of paper currency (referred to as greenbacks).

The Southern strategy of leveraging cotton diplomacy largely failed as the war progressed.
As conditions worsened, southerners began to turn on one another:
- The secession movement led to the founding of West Virginia.
The Southern economy was severely impacted, marked by:
- Hyper-inflation and shortages of essential items, exemplified by the Richmond Bread Riots.

Announced in September 1862, this document:
- Prohibited slavery only in rebelling states, not in border states loyal to the Union.
- Initially met with approval in the North and outrage in the South.
- Redefined the conflict as a struggle for freedom, giving the North a moral advantage and preventing international support for the Confederacy.

Union losses had diminished public support for the war following significant defeats at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.
General Lee aimed to pressure the North by invading, resulting in the Battle of Gettysburg.
- The Union claimed victory in one of the war's bloodiest battles.
- Lee's army suffered severe casualties, but General Meade opted not to pursue the remnants of Lee’s army.
- This victory coincided with the capture of Vicksburg, resulting in full control of the Mississippi River.

Lincoln advocated for enrolling formerly enslaved men in the army.
- Frederick Douglass played a key role in promoting this initiative.
- Approximately 200,000 Black soldiers fought for the Union, many serving as contraband (escaped slaves) and initially paid less than their white counterparts.
- The 54th Massachusetts Regiment was notable for its valiant attack on Fort Wagner.

In March 1864, Ulysses S. Grant was named commander of all Union armies.
- He was willing to leverage the North's resource advantages.
The costly battles of 1864, such as those in the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor, gradually brought Union forces closer to Richmond.

The Democrats nominated General George McClellan, who promised peace and concessions with the South.
General Sherman captured Atlanta in September 1864, influencing the election outcome.
Lincoln won re-election; Republicans maintained control of Congress, enabling efforts to end slavery via a Constitutional amendment.

Sherman’s March to the Sea aimed to demoralize the South using a scorched earth policy and implementing Special Field Order No. 15.
Union troops occupied Richmond on April 3.
General Lee surrendered on April 9 at Appomattox, VA.
- Some Confederates, including Jefferson Davis, pushed for continued fighting, but most southerners were ready for the war to end.

Lincoln delivered his final public speech on April 11, 1865, hinting at ideas surrounding full citizenship and voting rights for freed slaves.
He was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth on April 14 at Ford's Theater, succumbing the following morning.