Transcript The Civil War 1864-1865

“Total War”
Mr. Wagner
Total War
Total War - Strategic Overview
 By 1864: North attacking all
forms of South’s resistance
 North targets South’s
economy and population

Undermine morale and
psyche of South’s entire
population
 That means: North wages
TOTAL WAR on the South,
- plain and simple!!!
 “Father Time” is slowly
beginning to favor the
North
 Why?
South’s Only Chance/Hope
 Delay defeat until Nov. 1864 Election
 Why?

Friendlier Democratic administration to negotiate treaty terms that
may benefit the South or “let them off the hook.”
 Lincoln fears the Copperheads
 What is a Copperhead?

Members of the Union who opposed the Civil War. Mainly
Democrats who wanted a peaceful resolve with the South to end the
war
 Why does Lincoln fear them during the election?
 Because of the Democratic Party’s stated platform position on the
war and the way Lincoln has handled his first four years in office
Election of 1864
 Lincoln runs for re-election under the National Union
Party ticket
 Andrew Johnson is his VP candidate
 What are the two main political parties we have today in the
U.S.?

Republican and Democrat
 A very famous man runs for the Democratic Party ticket
with a famous Copperhead as his VP candidate
 Who is this man?
 George B. McClellan and VP Candidate George Pendleton
 War Democrats and Peace Democrats
 Balance the ticket
Democratic National Ticket
N.U.P. Propaganda
Election of 1864 (cont.)
 Lincoln feels he has very little chance of being re-
elected to lead the Union
 Why?
 The war has been dragging on for over four years up until this
point with the death toll rising rapidly. The idea of “peace”
with the South seems like it could catch fire with the public
that the Copperheads have created
 “Don’t change horses in the middle of a stream”
 Emphasized by Lincoln/Republicans and War
Democrats
 The fall of Atlanta to Sherman in early Sept. also
supplants Lincoln’s re-election over McClellan
Election of 1864 Results
 Lincoln re-elected
 Only 25 states of the Union participate in the election since
11 Southern states had seceeded
 Lincoln received 212 Electoral College Votes
 Only needed 117 to win
 McClellan only received 21
 However, the Popular Vote was closer than one might
think
 Lincoln received 55% of the populous vote
 McClellan received 45% of the populous vote
 Over 4,031,000 people voted
Populous Vote 1864 by County
1864 – Old Face, New Position
 Lincoln’s response to the Copperheads?
 Promotes Ulysses S. Grant to General in
Chief of the Union Armies on March 10,
1864

Grant is now a 3-Star General and is the
first Lt. Gen. to lead all Armies of the U.S.
since George Washington
 Grant pursues the Confederate Army on
what he deems his multi-front Grand
Strategic Plan

How is this different from Grant’s
predecessors?

Grant is aggressive like Lee and will openly
pursue Lee and not retreat after Lee
initially may grab the upper-hand in a
battle
Grant’s Grand Strategic Plan
 Proposes multi-front “grand” strategy (as planned out
West) – What exactly is this plan? Any guesses?
 Simultaneous Advance on all Southern fronts
 Strategy of Exhaustion (West) & Attrition (East)
Grant’s Grand Strategic Plan (Cont.)
 What is a War of Attrition?
 Both sides have similar/equal strength, and each side
attempts to force their opponent to surrender by wearing
the other down over an extended period of time
 Grant to Meade: “Lee’s army is your objective!”
 Strategic Deployments of the Plan:
 Eastern Theater – Meade’s AOTP pursues Lee’s ANV

Objective: Cut off Richmond’s rail supply from Petersburg
 Western Theater – Sherman’s Army advance on Gen. Joseph
Johnston’s army in the heartland of the South

Objective: Destroy South’s resources used to support Confederate
forces – attack logistics and supply lines
The Virginia Campaign
Strategic Overview 1864-1865
Grant and Meade with
119K troops cross Rapidan
on May 4th
Conduct series of
Flanking
maneuvers and
vicious fighting and
bloody battles
Battle of the Wilderness (May 5-7, 1864)
 Commanders, Troops, and Objectives
 Commanders – Grant and Lee
 Strengths and Weaknesses

Both highly competent and aggressive
 Troops – Union holds nearly a 2:1 advantage in men
 Grant – 119,000
 Lee – 64,000
 Objectives – Tactical, Operational, & Strategic
 Grant – Turn Lee’s flank & force him to retreat

Destroy Lee’s army & the South’s main instrument to wage war
 Lee - Use terrain (thick veg. of Wilderness) to dilute Union’s
2:1 advantage in man power
Battle of the Wilderness - Terrain
 Lee effectively uses dense vegetation of Wilderness to
dilute Grant’s 2:1 advantage in troops
 Union Army unable to set skirmish line with troop &
artillery batteries
Battle of the Wilderness - Results
 Tactical, Operational, & Strategic Results:
 Brief tactical setback for Grant- loss: 17K casualties
 Lee takes advantage of thick woods: 10K casualties
 No significant operational or strategic change
 Possible exception- what happens after:
 Grant orders Army of Potomac to continue drive



Instead to withdrawing to regroup & refit
Why?
Army ordered to keep pressure on & flank Lee
 Union morale & confidence improve