Transcript The Civil War

The Civil War

Lincoln envisioned that the war would only last
for 90 days.
 However, the First Battle of Bull run would
change this view.
 Lincoln decides to attack a Confederate force 30
miles southwest of Washington.
 Goals



Show superior force of the Union.
With a quick defeat, demoralize the South’s dreams of
succession
Perhaps, if possible, attack Richmond some 100
miles to the South
Overview
of
the North’s
Civil War
Strategy:
The “Anaconda” Plan

Paradox of Bull Run
Important psychological and political
consequences:

North
• Defeat better than victory for the North.
• Dispelled all dreams of a quick war and victory
• This convinced the Union of the need to focus on winning the
war and focus on putting all their resources towards winning
the war.

South
• Victory worse than defeat
• Inflated their already overconfident egos and many soldiers
became deserters and enlistment fell.
• War preparations slacked, especially for the long war ahead
of the.
Battle of Bull Run
(1st Manassas)
July, 1861
Stonewall Jackson earned his nickname in
Leading the Confederates to Victory. He was
Also aided by reinforcements. The Union army
Scattered and fled. Confederates were too
Exhausted to pursue them. As a result, the
Confederate soldiers ate the lunches that Union
Spectators brought with them. Hence, the term
“military picnic.”
Peninsular Campaign

George McClellan was put in charge of
the Army of the Potomac.

Positives:
• He was a superb organizer and drillmaster.
• Injected morale into his troops
• Hated to sacrifice his troops, he was idolized
by them

Negatives
• Overly cautious and wanted everything to be
perfect before attacking, which rarely happens
in war
• Lincoln said he had the “slows”

Due to his inaction, the Potomac
became known as “All Quiet on the
Potomac” and McClellan known as
‘Tardy George.”
George McClellan
Peninsular Campaign

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Spring of 1862, McClellan finally
decides to attack, using a waterborne
approach to finally attack Richmond.
He left with 100,000 soldiers.
One month to take Yorktown
Last minute, reinforcements diverted
and General Lee launched a
counterattack outside Richmond,
known as the Seven Days’ Battle.
Union forces drove back to the sea
and abandoned the Peninsular
Campaign as a costly failure.
McClellan replaced as General.
Lee’s Ironic Victory

Lee’s victory was brilliant and stunning in the
Seven Days' Battle. However, it was also ironic
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If Richmond was taken, war may have ended and
slavery most likely would not have been eliminated.
Lee’s victory almost ensured that the war would not
end until a total defeat of the South and also slavery
was abolished.
This is evidenced in the fact that Lincoln starts to
change his rhetoric after Lee’s victory to emancipation
and abolition.
Lincoln’s Generals
Winfield Scott
Irwin McDowell
George McClellan
Joseph Hooker
Ambrose Burnside
Ulysses S. Grant
George Meade
George McClellan,
Again!
McClellan: I Can Do It All!
The Confederate Generals
“Stonewall” Jackson
Nathan Bedford
Forrest
George Pickett
Jeb Stuart
James Longstreet
Robert E. Lee
Union’s total war

6 components

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Slowly suffocate the South by blockading its coasts
Liberate the slaves and undermine the economic
foundations of the South
Cut Confederacy in half by seizing control of the
Mississippi
Chop the Confederacy to pieces by sending troops
through Georgia and the Carolinas
Decapitate the South by capturing its capital,
Richmond
Try anywhere to engage the enemy’s main strength
and grind it into submission (Grant’s idea)
Union Blockade

Difficult to blockade 3500 miles of coast, so the
North concentrated on major ports and docks.
 Why did Britain not defy the blockade?


Many reasons, but one major is it did not want to tie
its hands in case of future war. Basically, they may
want to use it in the future, so don’t violate other
blockades.
Blockade running still occurred, especially as
prices rose and profits were to be made. Most
successful were swift gray painted steamers
built in Scotland. Risks were great, but profits
sometimes near 700%.
The Battle of the Ironclads,
March, 1862
The Monitor vs.
the Merrimac
Important naval battle because it made
Wooden ships less viable and more
Vulnerable to attack. The world’s
Navies would start to invest in iron ships
Damage on the Deck of the Monitor
Second Battle of Bull Run

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After defeating McClellan at Richmond, Lee decided to
head North with his army
At the Second Battle of Bull Run, he faced off against
General John Pope. Pope boasted that in the western
theater, he only saw the backs of the Confederate
soldiers.
However, at Bull Run, Lee and the Confederates
destroyed Pope.
Lee then decided to attack into Maryland, for two main
reasons:
 1. A bold victory in Union territory might convince
foreign intervention
 2. Maryland was a Border State and still wavering on
its decision to join the Union. Lee hoped to seduce
Maryland to the Confederate side.
War in the East: 1861-1862
Antietam
 Little
Mac returned as General of the Army
of the Potomac.
 His soldiers hailed his return and where
excited to have him back
 Some Union soldiers found a copy of
Lee’s battle plans for Antietam wrapped
around a pack of cigars (discarded by a
Confederate officer). This intelligence
allowed McClellan to halt Lee’s
advancement North.
Battle of Antietam
“Bloodiest Single Day of the War”
September 17, 1862
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23,000 casualties
Antietam's Importance
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Bloodiest day of the Civil War (23,000 casualties)
Confederate’s were never sop close to victory as on that
day, but victory was elusive. Consequently, neither the
British nor the French decided to aid the Confederate
States.
Antietam also allowed Lincoln to get his needed victory
for the Emancipation Proclamation (written in summer of
1862, he needed to wait for a victory before announcing
it.)
By issuing the Proclamation, Civil War became not only
a war to save the Union, but also a moral war to end
slavery. Now, the nature of the war will change. It will
become a war of subjugation, of complete destruction of
the South
The
Emancipation
Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation

January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the final
Emancipation Proclamation.
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Declared “forever free’ the slaves of the Confederate
States still in rebellion.
Border States not affected nor specific conquered
areas in the South
800,000 total not set free
So, essentially, where Lincoln could legally free
slaves, he did not. And where he could not
legally free slaves, he did. Thus, as noted, the
Emancipation Proclamation was much more
proclamation than emancipation.
Emancipation Proclamation

Many slaves voted with their feet by fleeing their
plantations and joining the Union armies as they
approached.
 In total, 1 of every 7 slaves escaped to the Union
during the war.
 Slavery not officially legally abolished until the
13th amendment in 1865.
 The Proclamation also changed the nature of
the war because both sides understood that
there was not chance at a negotiated settlement.
Emancipation in 1863
Public opinion was varied.
Horace Greely championed
the announcement. Other
abolitionists said it did not
go far enough.
Some even thought Lincoln
Had gone too far. Border
States and the Old
Northwest in particular.
There was a movement in
The North against
Supporting the “Abolition
War.”
Many Border State soldiers
deserted, stating they fought
To save the union, not for
Abolition.
The Southern View of Emancipation
South claimed that
Lincoln was trying to
conjure up the
“hellish passions”
of slave insurrection.
African-American Recruiting Poster
As emancipation
Happened, Lincoln also
Moved to enlist black
Soldiers.
By war’s end, 180,000
Blacks served in the
Union army. Most were
From the slave states,
But some came from
Free states too.
10% of all enlisted
Soldiers and 2 regiments
In Massachusetts were
All-black regiments.
Famous 54th regiment
Led by Colonel Robert
Gould Shaw.
The Famous 54th Massachusetts
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August Saint-Gaudens Memorial to Col. Robert Gould
Shaw
African-Americans
in Civil War Battles
Why did many blacks
Enlist?
1.) After the proclamation,
Many joined in the fight to
Eliminate slavery
2.) also a means to prove
one’s worth as a man and as
a way to strengthen claim for
citizenship.
In total, over 80,000 enlisted
Black soldiers died. Many,
When captured were put to
Death as slaves in revolt and
The south did not recognize
Them as prisoners of war
Until 1864.
The Confederacy and Slaves
South did not enlist black
Soldiers until the last month
Of the war. However, many
Slaves were forced to work
In labor battalions
However, slaves often
Sabotaged the Confederate
Effort:
- “home guards” had to protect
From slave rebellions
-slowdowns, strikes, open
defiance diminished
productivity.
Black Troops Freeing Slaves
As “intelligent contraband,”
Slaves served as spies, guides
And scouts for the Union.
A Bit of War History: Contraband, Recruit, Veteran, by Thomas
Waterman Wood, 1865–1866

This painting dramatically commemorates the contributions and sacrifices of the 180,000 African Americans who served in the
Union army during the Civil War.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Charles Stewart Smith, 1884 (84.12a/b/c) Photograph ©1991 The
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville
McClellan was replaced again by Lincoln, this
Time by General A.E. Burnside. He stated
He was unfit for the responsibility than proved it
At the Battle of Fredericksburg.
Burnside launched a frontal attack on Lee and
The Confederate Troops, only to have 10,000
Of his men slaughtered. This became known as
“Burnside’s Slaughter Pen.”
Next came General Hooker. On May 2-4, 1863,
Lee attacked at Chancellorsville with inferior
Forces and by having Stonewall Jackson attack
The Union flank. Strategy worked and Lee got
One of his most impressive and brilliant victories
Of the war. However, Stonewall Jackson was
Shot by friendly fire and died a few days later
The Road to Gettysburg: 1863
Meade and Gettysburg
Meade told, three days before the war, that he
Would lead the Union at Gettysburg.
Meade, by accident, took up a position atop
A low ridge. There his 92,000 Union troops
Looked out at Lee’s 76,000 Confederate troops.
Battle raged on for 3 days from July 1-July 3
1863.
Deciding push was Pickets charge. However, he
Was unsuccessful and this broke the back of the
Confederates at Gettysburg.
Davis already sent a delegation to negotiate peace
Terms to D.C. Lincoln refused to let peace mission
Pass.
Gettysburg Casualties
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Ulysses
S.
Grant
Graduated from West Point, a mediocre student,
Who was a great horsemen and decent at math.
Fought in the Mexican War, but was commissioned
To frontier posts after the war, and the boredom and
Loneliness drove him to drink.
He resigned from the Army instead of being
Court-martialed due to his drunkenness.
When the Civil War came, he was working in his
Father’s leather store for $50 month.
He became a colonel in the volunteer army and over
Time his experience coupled with his audacity
Led to his meteoric rise
By fighting in Tennessee, he made a name for
himself. At Fort Donelson and Fort Henry, he won
and his terms were “unconditional and immediate
surrender
Ulysses S.Victories
Grant
in Tennessee

important:
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Linked Kentucky closer to the
Union
Opened up Tennessee to the
Union and also access to
Georgia, the heart of Dixie
Grant, however, loses at
Shiloh, on April 6-7, 1862.
Lincoln refused to remove
Grant because he actually
fights. When told of his
drinking, Lincoln does not care
and says he will send a barrel
of whatever Grant drinks to all
of his generals.
Extensive Legislation Passed
Without the South in Congress
1861 – Morrill Tariff Act
1862 – Homestead Act
1862 – Legal Tender Act
1862 – Morrill Land Grant Act
1862 – Emancipation Proclamation
(1/1/1863)
1863 – Pacific Railway Act
1863 – National Bank Act
The War in
the West, 1862-1863:
New Orleans
Vicksburg
Port Hudson
Union Victories
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Victories at Gettysburg was July 3 and at
Vicksburg it was July 4th
 Victories important:
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Mississippi was controlled by Union and cut South in
half.
Also as important, the economic livelihood of many of
the border states depended on the Mississippi. With
the Union in control, it helps diminish some anger
from fighting an “Abolition War.”
Diplomatically, both France and Britain favor the
Union (stop sales of Laird rams and also six naval
vessels to Confederates)
Grant and Tennessee Again

Grant was next
transferred to the
Tennessee war front
where Confederates had
pushed back Union
forces.
 He wins at the Battle
Above the Clouds near
Chattanooga.
 Tennessee is cleared of
Confederates and this
leaves Georgia
vulnerable to attack
Sherman’s
“March
to the
Sea”
through
Georgia,
1864
http://www.history.com/videos/sherman-and-theburning-of-atlanta#sherman-and-the-burning-ofatlanta
Sherman’s
March
and
Total
War
 http://www.history.com/videos/sherman-and-the-burning
of-atlanta#shermans-legacy-hero-or-monster
Total War
 60,000 soldiers burned through Georgia, tore up
railroads, bayoneted family portraits, and sacked
cities.
 Goal was to destroy all supply chains and the ability
for the South to make war. Also, destroy the morale
of the South by not only waging war at the front, but
also on their homes.
 Even though Sherman used brutal tactics, he in many
ways most likely shortened the war and saved lives.
 After sacking Savannah, Sherman and his soldiers
moved to South Carolina, where the destruction was
worse. Columbia was set ablaze much like Atlanta
and South Carolina was destroyed as “hellhole of
secession.”
1864 Presidential Election
 Politics
continue, even during war. And
Lincoln faced many issues within his own
party during the 1864 election:

Congressional Committee on the Conduct of
the War:
• Led by Secretary of the treasury Salmon Chase
and formed in late 1861.
• Represented a radical group of republicans who
resented the expansion of the presidency and
pushed hard for abolition.
Northern Democrats
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Stephen Douglas died seven weeks into the war.
Thus, the N. Democrats were without their
strong leader. Consequently, factions grew
within the party.
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War Democrats- supported the Lincoln administration
Peace Democrats- did not support Lincoln.
Copperheads- openly defiant to Lincoln and his
administration. Attacked on the draft and especially
after 1863, they were against emancipation.
The Peace Movement: Copperheads
Clement Vallandigham
Notorious troublemaker. Spoke up againt
The war and was tried for treasonable
Utterances in a military tribunal. Escapes to
Canada, still runs for governor of Ohio.
Edward Hale was inspired by Vallandigham’s
Story and wrote The Man Without a Country
1864 Copperhead Campaign Poster
Cartoon Lampoons Democratic Copperheads in
1864
1864 Election
So, the Republicans joined
With the War Democrats to
Form the Union Party.
They chose Andrew
Johnson as his running mate.
The Democrats nominated
General McClellan.
Lincoln’s reelection was in
doubt. But a sequence
Union victories (Mobile,
Atlanta, and in Virginia) near
election day helped Lincoln
at the polls.
Pres. Lincoln (R)
George McClellan (D)
Presidential Election
Results:
1864
Many soldiers were sent home
To support Lincoln at the polls.
Some were even allowed to
Vote from the front lines.
The victories coupled with the
“bayonet vote” allowed Lincoln
To win.
The Final Virginia Campaign:
1864-1865
Lincoln replaced Meade with
Grant. Basically, Lincoln needed
a general who was a bulldog who
would pursue Lee and the
Confederates regardless of
casualties.
Grant decided to attack the
Confederate armies at the same
time so they could be destroyed
Piecemeal.
Grant and Lee

Grant attacked furiously and suffered many
casualties. Many were aghast at his tactics and
called him Grant the Butcher.

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But, Grant suffered a casualty rate of 1 for every 10
soldiers. Lee had a rate of 1 for every 5 soldiers.
Also, Lee turned the fight into a pure defensive war
because he knew he did not have the numbers to
fight aggressively.
Nonetheless, grant understood he outnumbered Lee
2:1 and that he would fight to the bitter end.
The Progress of War: 1861-1865
Surrender at Appomattox
April 9, 1865
The war is over; the rebels are
our countrymen again.
Ford’s Theater (April 14, 1865)
The Assassin
John Wilkes Booth
The Assassination
WANTED~~!!
Now He Belongs to the Ages!
The Execution
Casualties on Both Sides
Civil War Casualties
in Comparison to Other Wars
Costs of the War

Direct costs were $15 billion. However, that
does not account for continuing expenses
 Also, the state rightists also die during the war.
The national government emerged stronger than
ever and the dual nightmares of nullification and
secession are laid to rest
 In the end, the Civil war also preserves
democratic values and American democracy.