Lincoln Faces a CrisisLincoln Faces a Crisis Section 1 – 478-482

• By the time Lincoln took office in 1861, seven states had already left the Union.– Lincoln claimed:

• He would not try to end slavery.• The federal government would not attack

the South.– There would only be conflict if the South

attacked the North.• He wished to preserve the Union.

Lincoln Faces a CrisisLincoln Faces a Crisis• By early 1861, the South (Confederacy) decided that

unity with the North (Union) would not be in their best interest.– The Confederates were taking over many federal

installations including:• Mints, Armories, Forts

Fort Sumter - Charleston, South Carolina

Lincoln Faces a CrisisLincoln Faces a Crisis• Fort Sumter, located in South Carolina’s Charleston

Harbor was a key Union outpost b/c it controlled shipping traffic into Charleston.– The first battle of the Civil War:

• On April 12, 1861 Confederate officers demanded that the Union garrison leave the fort.

• The Union garrison’s commander refused the demand, and Confederate cannons opened fire.

• Fort Sumter held out for 34 hours, but eventually the garrison surrendered.

Choosing SidesChoosing Sides• Union: Free states in the North.

– Capital = Washington D.C.• President: Abraham Lincoln

• Confederacy: Slave states in the South.– Capital = Richmond, VA

• President: Jefferson Davis• Union/Confederacy: Border states that were both free

and slave– Kentucky and Missouri

• Troops served on each side during the war.

The Volunteer SpiritThe Volunteer Spirit• Neither the Union nor the Confederacy was prepared

for war.– At the beginning, each side depended on

volunteers to begin filling its ranks.– In the border states often times members of the

same family fought on opposite sides• President Lincoln’s wife was from Kentucky and

she had four brothers who fought for the Confederacy.

The Volunteer SpiritThe Volunteer Spirit• Civilians on both sides volunteered their time and

resources to the war effort.– They were responsible for:

• Raising Money • Providing aid for soldiers and their families• Running hospitals

– Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell (The first woman to earn a medical license), established the U.S. Sanitary Commission.

» The Sanitary had tens of thousands of volunteers who sent bandages, medicine, and food to Union army camps and hospitals.

» Many volunteers also worked in the camps and the hospitals.

The North vs. The SouthThe North vs. The South

• At the beginning of the war, each side held advantages.– North:

• Larger population = more soldiers• More factories and shipyards• Better railroad network = more efficient

transportation• The ability to raise more money

– South:• Had a military tradition that provided a skilled

officer corps• Had to defend itself until the North tired of the

war– The North had to capture and then occupy

large areas of enemy territory.

The North vs. The SouthThe North vs. The South• The Union and the Confederacy based their early

military strategies on their individual strengths. – Union: Two parts under General Winfield Scott

• 1. Destroy the South’s economy through a naval blockade of southern seaports.

• 2. Gain control of the Miss. River to divide the Confederacy and cut its communications

– Confederacy: Two parts under Pres. Jefferson Davis• 1. Defend its territory and wear down the

Union’s will to fight.• 2. Capture and occupy Washington D.C.

The North vs. The SouthThe North vs. The South• The South also tried a different strategy for winning

the war.– Confederate leaders believed they could win

foreign allies with Cotton Diplomacy.• This idea was based on the belief that the

British government would support the South because cotton was important to the British textile industry.

– Unfortunately for the South: » Britain had a large surplus supply of

cotton when the war began.» Britain was able to get cotton from India

and Egypt to make up for the dwindling supply from the Confederacy.

The War in the East The War in the East Section 2 – 483-487

• After the fall of Fort Sumter, northerners demanded action.– Pres. Lincoln responded by ordering a Union

force of 35k troops to march from Washington D.C. to Richmond VA. • Their orders were: Capture Richmond and

prevent the Confederate Congress from meeting.

• In July 1861, 35k Union and 35k Confederate troops fought the first major battle of the war about 30 miles outside of Washington D.C.

– Neither side was prepared for the horror that lay ahead.

The War in the EastThe War in the East• The First Battle of Bull Run:

– At first, the Union gained the upper hand, but quickly lost it when Confederate troops rallied around General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

• Fresh Confederate troops arrived overnight and the next day, the Union began a general retreat towards Washington D.C.

– If the Confederates had pressed the attack, they might have captured Washington D.C., but they were too exhausted to continue.

– The Confederate victory at this battle ended the Union’s hopes for a quick and easy victory.

More Battles in VirginiaMore Battles in Virginia• Lincoln continued to pursue the strategy of capturing

Richmond.– Lincoln appointed General George B. McClellan as

the overall Union commander.• McClellan felt that his force was outnumbered

and chose to wait to attack Richmond.– This inaction gave the Confederates time to

strengthen the defenses around Richmond. • Jefferson Davis appointed Robert E. Lee as

commander of the Confederate forces in VA.

More Battles in VirginiaMore Battles in Virginia• During the summer of 1862, the war raged in

Virginia.– Seven Days’ Battle and the Second Battle of Bull

Run.• The Union army was not successful in capturing

Richmond during either of these battles. • By the fall of 1862, the Union army had been driven

out of Virginia, and General Lee decided to take the war into northern territory.

The Battle of AntietamThe Battle of Antietam• In September 1862, 40K Confederate troops entered

Maryland. – Their goal was to take the fight to the Union. The South

believed that their attack on Union soil would:• Break the Union spirit to fight.• Convince European powers to give aid to the South.

– The two armies met and fought the Battle of Antietam.• Prior to the battle, Union soldiers found a copy of

Lee’s battle plan and McClellan used it to plan a counterattack.

• The Union won the battle but suffered 12k casualties.• The Confederacy suffered 13k casualties.• This was the bloodiest single-day battle of the war.

The War at SeaThe War at Sea• The Union had the most ships and had the industry to

build more. – They used their ships to create a blockade along the

Southeast coast and the Gulf of Mexico.• Blockade = Virginia to Texas• The Confederacy had small, fast ships called

Blockade Runners that could outrun the Union’s larger warships, but there weren’t enough of them to make up for the South’s overall trade loss.

The War at SeaThe War at Sea• As a result of the Union blockade, the Confederacy

started to build a new type of warship with the intent of breaking through the blockade.– Ironclad = heavily armored ship

• Both sides eventually built ironclads, and since the Union also had them, the blockade remained intact.

• The CSS Virginia attacking a Union wooden sailing vessel

Western Strategy Western Strategy Section 3 – 488-491

• The Union’s strategy in the West focused on controlling the Mississippi River. The reasons for doing this were:– The eastern states of the Confederacy would be cut off

from their western food-producing allies.– Union army bases on the Miss. R. could send troops to

attack the Confederacy’s communication and transportation lines.

• Ulysses S. Grant was the overall Union commander during the western war.– By February, 1862 the Union controlled Kentucky and

most of Tennessee.– In April, 1862 Grant was pushing toward Mississippi.

Western StrategyWestern Strategy• Following orders, Grant halted his troops at Shiloh,

TN– As he was awaiting more troops, the Confederate

troops attacked.• Initially, the Battle of Shiloh was a victory until,

Union reinforcements arrived and the Union counterattacked.

– By the end of the second day, the Confederate troops retreated and the Union had won greater control of the Mississippi River Valley.

Fighting for the Mississippi RiverFighting for the Mississippi River• After the victory at Shiloh, the Union pressed its attack.

– The Union next set its sights on New Orleans.• From New Orleans, the Union forces could march

north as Grant’s forces marched south.• In late April 1862, the Union Navy and Army had

captured New Orleans. – From there the two Union armies advanced,

one north and the other south.» They met at Vicksburg, MS in May of 1863.

Fighting for the Mississippi RiverFighting for the Mississippi River• In the Spring of 1863, Grant surrounded Vicksburg

and cut off all resupply and reinforcements from helping the dug-in Confederate defenders and the city’s residents. – The Siege of Vicksburg lasted for six weeks.

• The Confederate forces and residents within the city’s defenses eventually ran out of food and had to eat horses, dogs, and rats just to survive.

• In July, 1863 the Confederate commanding officer at Vicksburg surrendered his army and the city to the Union.

Freeing the Slaves Freeing the Slaves Section 4 – 492-497

• Lincoln supported freeing slaves if it would help the North win the war.– Emancipation = the freeing of slaves.

• Lincoln had three concerns regarding emancipation:– Northern prejudice against African Americans

might weaken northern support for the war.– Some northerners might consider that slaves

were still property that southerners had the right to keep.

– The Constitution did not give Lincoln the president the power to end slavery.

• Lincoln decided to issue an order freeing all slaves in Confederate controlled areas.

– This order didn’t outlaw slavery, just that all current slaves were to be released.

Freeing the SlavesFreeing the Slaves• Lincoln waited for a northern victory in the east

before announcing his plans.– Immediately following the Union’s September

1862 victory at Antietam Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation (EP).• The EP was scheduled to go into effect on

January, 1 1863• When news of the EP reached southern states,

slaves began to escape in large numbers, especially when they heard that Union forces were nearby.

African Americans and the WarAfrican Americans and the War

• As slaves escaped to the North, many wished to serve in the Union’s armed services. – The Union navy had already been accepting

African American volunteers.– Northern abolitionists wanted the Army to accept

African American volunteers as well. • Since the Union needed soldiers, Congress

allowed African Americans to sign up as laborers in July, 1862.

• The War Department allowed contrabands (escaped slaves) the right to join the Union army in SC, LA, and KS.

African Americans and the African Americans and the WarWar

• By the spring of 1863, African American units were fighting with the Union army.– The 54th Massachusetts Infantry played a key

role in the July, 1863 attack on SC’s Fort Wagner.

African Americans and the African Americans and the WarWar

• About 180K African Americans bravely served in the Union Army. For most of the war they:– Faced discrimination and were paid less than white

soldiers.– Were led by white officers.– If captured they were often killed or sold into slavery.

Problems in the NorthProblems in the North• Northerners were growing upset by the length of the

war and the increasing number of casualties.– A group of northern Democrats began to speak out

against the war and were labeled by war sympathizers as copperheads.• Some northern copperheads sympathized with

the South’s struggle, were opposed to abolition, and wanted the war to end.

Problems in the NorthProblems in the North• Because of the copperheads’ actions and the potential

threat they posed to the war effort, Lincoln suspended the right of habeas corpus (HC).– HC = the constitutional protection against unlawful

imprisonment.• Union officials began to put their enemies in jail

w/o evidence or trial.• In 1863 Congress passed a law allowing men to be

drafted into military service. – Wealthy people legally bought their way out of the

draft.– Often poor immigrants were drafted immediately

upon arrival in the U.S.

Southern StrugglesSouthern Struggles• The North’s naval blockade took a heavy toll on the

South’s ability to trade.– Shortages of food, ammunition, tools, cloth, medicine,

etc.– By the spring of 1863, food riots took place in several

southern cities.• Conf. Pres. Jefferson Davis ordered that local

newspapers not print the riots so that the North wouldn’t find out about them.

• In 1862 the South passed a draft for men to enter military service.– Men who held slaves didn’t have to serve in the military

• This also caused riots b/c only poor southerners had to serve in the military.

Life on the Home FrontLife on the Home Front• In the North and the South, most people were involved in

the war effort in some way.– They worked in: factories, farms, plantations, medicine,

etc.– Women were very important in providing medical care

for soldiers.• Dorothea Dix = headed 3k+ women who worked as

paid nurses in the Union army• Clara Barton = organized volunteer efforts to collect

and deliver medicine and supplies to Union troops on the battlefield.

– Her worked formed the basis of the American Red Cross.

• Sally Louisa Tompkins = established a hospital in Richmond, VA for wounded Confederate soldiers.

Life on the Home FrontLife on the Home Front• Military prisoners on both sides suffered greatly.

– There was usually a shortage of food, medicine.– Often they were treated harshly and abused by their

captors.

The Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg Section 5 – 498-503

• Because of recent Confederate victories, Lee decided to move offensively into Union territory. His goals were:– To break the Union’s will to fight.– To capture supplies from the Union army.

• Lee marched his forces into southern PA near Gettysburg.– The Confederates sent a raiding party into

town to get supplies, and were fired on by Union troops.• Eventually, 75k Confederate troops faced

90k Union Troops.

The Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg• The Battle of Gettysburg (BoG) = July 1 – 3,

1863. – Union and Confederate troops squared off at

sites like Little Round Top, the Peach Orchard, Culp’s Hill and Devils Den.• Both sides one individual fights while the

casualty lists increased.• By the evening of July 2nd, General Lee knew

that a decisive attack on the Union’s center would make the difference in the outcome of the battle.

The Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg• Late on the afternoon of July 3rd, General Lee ordered a

frontal assault on the Union’s line that was positioned on Cemetery Ridge. – The attack started by 150 Confederate artillery pieces

firing on the Union line.• The Union responded with counter battery fire and

eventually 300 guns were in the battle.– The artillery duel lasted about 2 hours.

– After the artillery fire had lifted, approximately 12,500 Confederate infantry under the command of General George Pickett set off on a 1 mile long front.

The Battle of GettysburgThe Battle of Gettysburg• Pickett’s infantry came under intense cannon fire as

they marched across ¾ of a mile of open ground. – By the time the infantry was within 400 yards of the

Union line, they came under intense rifle fire and artillery canister rounds.

– The union line was behind a low stone wall. • Several hundred Confederate soldiers did breach

the stone wall, but after a brief period of fierce hand-to-hand combat all were either killed or captured.

– The Confederates began a retreat in which only 6,500 of the original 12,500 returned.

A Turning PointA Turning Point• Gettysburg marked a turning point in the war.

– Lee’s troops would never again launch an attack into Northern territory.

• In November, 1863 Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address (GA) at the battle site where 51k men became casualties.– GA = Lincoln spoke of the importance of liberty,

equality, and democratic ideals and that the war was being fought to protect those principles.

Grant’s Drive to RichmondGrant’s Drive to Richmond• Because of Grant’s earlier successes, Lincoln gave him

overall command of the Union army.– Lincoln ordered Grant to capture the Confederate

capital at Richmond, VA.• From early 1864 through June of 1864, the two

armies fought a series of battles in Virginia = the Wilderness Campaign.

– These battles stretched the Confederate army’s soldiers and supplies to their limits.

– The Union army suffered twice as many casualties as the Confederates.

» The Union could rebuild its losses, the Confederacy couldn’t.

Sherman Strikes SouthSherman Strikes South• Lincoln was up for re-election in 1864 and needed a key

victory on the battlefield to secure his second term.– Under orders from Grant, General William Tecumseh

Sherman marched south from TN in the spring of 1864 with 100k troops.

• Sherman’s mission: destroy southern railroads and industries and capture Atlanta, GA.

– By July 1864, Sherman’s army was within cannon shot of Atlanta.

» The Confederate forces trapped in Atlanta held out until early September when the city was surrendered.

Sherman Strikes SouthSherman Strikes South• Atlanta was destroyed and its remaining residents were

ordered to leave.– The Confederacy had lost its most important rail hub

and center of industry.– Sherman’s victory showed northerners that progress

was being made and they re-elected Lincoln in a landslide.

Sherman Strikes SouthSherman Strikes South• In mid November, 1864 Sherman took 60k troops and

began his next attack.– Sherman’s mission: capture the port city of

Savannah, GA.• This mission has come to be known as Sherman’s

March to the Sea.• Sherman’s army waged total war = destruction of

both military and civilian resources.– Sherman felt that total war would ruin the

South’s ability to fight.

Sherman Strikes SouthSherman Strikes South• The Union army destroyed railways, bridges, crops,

livestock and anything else that could benefit the South’s war effort.– Plantations were burned and slaves were freed.

• Sherman’s army reached and captured Savannah, GA in December, 1864– Sherman’s March left a path of destruction 50 miles wide

and 250 miles long.

The South SurrendersThe South Surrenders• In early April 1865, Sherman defeated the last of the

Confederate forces in North Carolina and Grant was able to force Lee to retreat from Richmond. – The Union army had captured the Confederate capital

at Richmond.• In mid-April 1865, Grant’s army surrounded Lee’s

remaining force just west of Richmond in the small town of Appomattox Courthouse, VA.– On April 9, 1865 (Palm Sunday), General Lee signed the

surrender documents.

• 620k Americans died fighting in the Civil War.

• All information from Holt “Call to Freedom” 2004