US I
NOTES: Chapter #17- Civil War 1861-1865
Section #1: The Conflict Takes Shape
As the Civil War began, each side believed its cause was right. The South
believed it had the right to leave the Union and to preserve its traditions. One of its
traditions was slavery. The North believed that it was right to save the Union, but not all
northerners believed that slavery had to be abolished.
Both sides in the Civil War had strengths and weaknesses. The main strength of
the Confederacy was that the southerners were defending their homeland. They had a
strong reason to fight. Also, many southerners had skills, such as riding horses and using
guns, that made them good soldiers. Before the war, many of the best officers in the
United States Army were southerners. The main weakness of the Confederacy was its
lack of resources.
The most important strength of the Union came from its abundant resources. The
North had four times as many free citizens as the South. It had more people to fight and
more people to grow food. The North also had more factories, which produced supplies
for the Union army. The Union had many more ships than the Confederacy. However, the
North had a major weakness. To bring the South back into the Union, the North would
have to invade unfamiliar land and conquer a huge area.
The leaders of the two sides had strengths and weaknesses as well. President
Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy had served as a soldier and as Secretary of War. He
was widely respected for his honesty and courage. In making decisions, however, he did
not always pay attention to the advice of others.
At first, some northerners doubted President Abraham Lincoln’s ability to lead.
He had little experience in national politics or in military affairs. Lincoln turned out to be
a patient but strong leader and a fine war planner. His sense of humor helped him get
along with others.
RESOURCES OF NORTH AND SOUTH 1861
Resources
North
South
Farmland
105,835 acres
56,832 acres
Railroad Track
21,847 miles
8,937 miles
Factories
119,500
20,600
Workers in Industry
1,198,000
111,000
Population
22,340,000
9,103,000
(of which 3,954,000 were
slaves)
Section #2: No Easy Victory
The North and the South had different plans for the war. Southerners planned to
fight a defensive war. They would wait for northern armies to attack and then drive them
back north. The Confederates believed that they could fight off the Union until
northerners tired of fighting. When the war became unpopular, the North would be forced
to accept the Confederacy.
The North had a three-part plan. First, it would use ships to blockade southern
ports and prevent supplies from entering the South. Second, the Union hoped to quickly
capture Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital. Third, the Union planned to seize
control of the Mississippi River. This would cut the Confederacy into two parts and
prevent the movement of southern troops and supplies along the river.
The North soon was more successful in two parts of its war plan. The Union navy
was able to blockade southern ports. Trade to the South dropped by more than 90%. The
navy also moved to gain control of the Mississippi River. Union gunboats captured New
Orleans, and more ships seized Memphis, Tennessee. The Union now controlled both
ends of the Mississippi. At the same time, Union General Ulysses S. Grant led his army
to victory during the Battle of Shiloh on the Tennessee River. The North was slowly
gaining control of the western part of the Confederacy.
In the east, however, Union armies did not win any major battles in the first years
of the war. The Battle of Bull Run was the first of the war. Neither side could claim a
victory. The battle did show, however, that the war would be long and difficult. The
naval battle between the Confederate ship Virginia and the Union ship Monitor also
ended in a draw. The Union was not able to capture Richmond as it had hoped. The
Confederates won the Battle of Fredericksburg- one of the Union army’s worst defeats
in Virginia- and the Battle of Chancellorsville, but at great cost. The South’s best
general, Stonewall Jackson, was killed at Chancellorsville.
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WHAT WERE THE PLANS OF EACH SIDE?
North
South
Blockade southern ports
 Fight a defensive war until
northerners tire of fighting
Take Richmond, Virginia, the
Confederate capital
 Depend on European money and
supplies
Seize control of the Mississippi
River to cut the Confederacy in two
Section #3: A Promise of Freedom
KEY TERMS:
Emancipation- set free
On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
His goal was to emancipate all slaves in the Confederate states.
Lincoln believed that the Union could be saved by broadening the goals of the
war. The goals were not to restore the Union and free slaves. However, the Emancipation
Proclamation did not free all slaves. In the Union, and in Confederate lands controlled by
the Union, slaves were not freed. Lincoln wanted to introduce freedom for slaves
gradually. He was not sure that northerners would support freedom for all slaves.
Because the rebelling states were not under Union control, no slaves actually
gained freedom on January 1, 1863. However, the Emancipation Proclamation had
important effects. First, Union troops were now fighting to end slavery as well as to save
the Union. Also, the Emancipation Proclamation won the Union sympathy from
European countries. It became less likely that the countries would help the South. And it
made both free and enslaved African Americans enthusiastic supporters of the North.
African Americans contributed a great deal to the Union war effort. At first, black
troops faced discrimination. However, by the end of the war, large numbers of African
Americans- about 200,000- had fought for the Union. The most famous African
American unit, the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, fought bravely at Fort Wagner, near
Charleston, South Carolina. Behind Confederate lines, slaves did what they could to
weaken the southern war effort.
Emancipation
Proclamation
WHAT?
It states that all slaves
are free in Confederate
areas still fighting the
Union.
WHY?
EFFECTS?
Lincoln hopes to weaken
the South and introduce
freedom for slaves
gradually.
Union troops fight to end
slavery as well as save the
Union. Union wins
sympathy from countries
in Europe.
Section #4: Hardships of the War
KEY TERMS:
Draft- selection for required service in the military
Inflation- rise in prices
Income Tax- tax on earnings
Life for soldiers during the Civil War was difficult. They slept on the ground in
rain and snow. New weapons made fighting even more deadly. In most battles, ¼ or more
of the soldiers were killed or wounded. Because of poor medical care, many soldiers died
of infections and diseases. If captured, they faced terrible conditions in prison camps.
Both sides faced difficult problems home. In the North, many people, called
Copperheads, opposed the war. Fewer men volunteered to fight, so Congress passed a
draft law. This law led to violent riots in several cities.
The North and the South also faced economic problems. Both regions experienced
inflation. In order to pay for the war, both sides began an income tax. Profiteers charged
high prices for needed supplies.
However, the economic problems were much more difficult in the South than in
the North. The war stopped the cotton trade, the most important part of the southern
economy. The northern blockade also created severe shortages of food in the South.
In both the North and the South, women played a key role. Many women served
as nurses, improving medical care. Some women were soldiers and spies. At home,
women raised money and collected supplies, including food. As men left for the
battlefields, women even took jobs in industry and on farms.
Loreta Janeta Velasquez
Rose Greenhow
Dorothea Dix
Clara Barton
Sojourner Truth
Sally Tompkins
WOMEN IN THE CIVIL WAR
Fought for South at Bull Run and Shiloh
Spied for South in Washington, D.C.
Served as chief of nurses for Union
Served as nurse and founder of Red Cross
Worked in Union hospitals and camps for freed slaves
Opened a hospital in Richmond, Virginia
Section #5: The War Ends
KEY TERMS
Total War- war in which troops destroy food and equipment useful to an enemy
In July 1863, the North won two key battles. Union forces took the town of
Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. The Union soon controlled the entire rive. Another
major northern victory was the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. Pickett’s Charge
was the Confederates’ last attempt to invade the North. If the Confederates had defeated
the Union in Pennsylvania, they could have marched on Washington, D.C. However, the
Confederates would never invade the North again.
At a ceremony after the battle, President Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address.
In this speech, Lincoln reminded people that the United States was founded on the belief
that “all men are created equal.” The Union was fighting, he said, so that “government of
the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the Earth.” This short
but famous speech has been honored as an important statement of American ideals.
The North finally defeated the South through a strategy of total war. General
Ulysses S. Grant, the commander of Union forces in 1864, wanted to destroy the South’s
ability to fight. He sent General William Tecumseh Sherman to attack Atlanta and march
from here to the sea. Union troops burned farms, houses, and cities along the way. In
1865, General Lee surrendered the main southern army at Appomattox Courthouse.
After four long and terrible years, the Civil War was over.
Lincoln nearly lost reelection in 1864 because of the war. Sherman’s success,
however, helped him keep the Presidency. He knew that the next four years would be
difficult. He hoped to rebuild the Union. The war had taken a terrible toll on the nation,
yet it was an important turning point. The national government became more powerful
than state governments. Slavery ended, and millions of African Americans became free
citizens. In the end, the war unified the nation.
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CAUSES:
South fears loss of power in the national government.
Issue of slavery in the western territories divides North and South
THE CIVIL WAR
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EFFECTS:
Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation
Total war destroys the South
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are killed