The Civil War
January 12, 2015
Standard: SS8H6
The student will analyze the impact of the Civil
War and Reconstruction on Georgia.
a. Explain the importance of key issues and
events that led to the Civil War; include
slavery, states’ rights, nullification Missouri
Compromise, Compromise of 1850, the
Georgia Platform, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred
Scott case, election of 1860, debate over
secession in Georgia, and the role of Alexander
Stephens
Beginnings
► The
United States had been slowly moving toward
war for most of the early 1800s
► Things began spiraling out of control after
Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860
► South Carolina seceded from the Union on
December 20, 1860
► They were quickly followed by Mississippi,
Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas
within the next two months.
The Confederacy
► What
had been the southern United States formed
the Confederate States of America on February 9,
1861
► At first, the North was trying to peacefully
negotiate a reunion of the U.S.
► However, on April 12, 1861, Fort Sumter, a
Northern-held fort in South Carolina was fired on
by the South, and the war begins
► Virginia then secedes, followed by Arkansas,
Tennessee, and North Carolina
► There are now 11 states in the Confederacy
Union vs. Confederate
Union Blockade
►
When the war started, the Union strategy was to blockade
(obstruct) all Confederate seaports
 This would prevent the South from importing or exporting anything
through its ports
Lincoln issued the blockade on April 19, 1861
► However, Union ships were no match for blockade runners
►
 These were private ships that would zip in and out of the blockade
bringing much needed supplies
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The blockade took its toll, though
 Soon it was difficult to get farm supplies, household items, medical
supplies, or manufacturing replacement parts
Union Blockade
The Battle of Bull Run
► Many
in the North believed that the South would
cave early and the war would be over quickly
► However, the Battle of Bull Run proved that the
South was not going to back down
► The North suffered heavy losses at Bull Run,
Virginia, and were forced to retreat to
Washington, D.C.
► After this, President Lincoln realized that the war
would be longer than anyone previously thought
The Battle of Antietam
► By
1862, Confederate troops, under the command
of General Robert E. Lee, were moving into Union
territory
► On Sept. 17, 1862 they met Union forces at
Antietam Creek, in Sharpsburg, Maryland
► This was the first invasion of the North by General
Lee, and it was not successful
► It was the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil
War, (23,000 killed, wounded, or missing) and
Confederate troops were forced to retreat to
Virginia
The Emancipation Proclamation
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The major Confederate loss at Antietam allowed President
Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which
would free all slaves as of January 1, 1863
Lincoln wanted the Confederate states to end the war, and
he believed that the Proclamation, along with their major
losses, would push them to surrender
President Lincoln gave the Confederacy a choice: end the
war right away and keep their slaves, or keep fighting and
lose their slaves
The South chose to fight
Most slaves, however, were not freed until the end of the
war
The Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg (arguably the most famous of
the war), marked a turning point in the war for both
sides
► It was fought July 1-3, 1863 in Pennsylvania, and
resulted in a Union victory that ended General Lee’s
second invasion of the North
► Lee was again forced to retreat to Virginia and things
were never again the same for the Confederacy
► Union forces began to win more and more battles,
while Confederate forces lost moral and the will to
fight
►
The Battle of Vicksburg
► One
day after Gettysburg, the town of
Vicksburg, Mississippi, surrendered to the
Union troops
► The town, which lies on the Mississippi
River, had been a major Confederate
stronghold
► This Union victory gave them control of the
Mississippi River, and split the Confederacy
in two, separating them at the river
The Battle of Chickamauga
► By
late 1863, Union troops were moving farther
and farther south, almost into Georgia
► On September 19-20, 1863, Union troops
encountered Confederate troops at Chickamauga
Creek, just south of the Tennessee border in
Georgia
► It was a Confederate victory, forcing the Union
back into Chattanooga, Tennessee
► However, by November, the Union had brought
more troops and began advancing into Georgia
Georgia’s Role in the War
► By
the start of the war, Atlanta was a major
economic and transportation center in the
South
► Several different railroads crossed through
the city, making Atlanta important in getting
troops and supplies to the battle front
► Union leaders knew that if Atlanta was
captured, then that would effectively end
the Confederate war effort
The Atlanta Campaign
► In
early 1864, 112,000 Union troops, under
the leadership of General William T.
Sherman, were camped in Chattanooga, TN,
just across the Georgia/Tennessee border
► During the late spring and early summer,
General Sherman moved his troops
southward, clashing time and again with
Confederate troops, but always slowly
moving towards Atlanta
The Atlanta Campaign
The Battle of Atlanta
► On
July 22, 1864, General Sherman finally
reached the city of Atlanta
► He encountered Confederate troops under
the leadership of General John B. Hood
► The battle continued off and on for two
months, and losses were heavy on both
sides, but Sherman eventually captured
Atlanta on September 2, 1864
The Burning of Atlanta
► After
Sherman captured the city, he and his
soldiers stayed for 2 months
► On November 15, 1864, they destroyed the
railroads and factories by setting fire to
them
► They then marched out on Sherman’s
infamous “March to the Sea”
Sherman’s March to the Sea
► The
army moved quickly to Savannah, burning
everything in a path 60 miles wide
► They destroyed all military targets and farms,
homes, railroads, and bridges that supported the
Confederate army
► They took a little over 1 month to get to
Savannah, arriving on December 22, 1864
► Sherman took over the city the next day, cutting
off the Confederate army in Virginia from its
southern suppliers
Sherman’s March to the Sea
End of the War
After the loss of Atlanta and Savannah, the Confederate
war effort struggled to keep going
► Abraham Lincoln had been re-elected to a second term as
president in 1864
► The only Confederate troops left were Lee’s troops in
Virginia, and a small group in North Carolina
► They tried one more time to fight in March 1865, but failed
► On April 9, 1865, the Confederacy surrendered at
Appomattox Courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia
► 5 days later, Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre
► He died the next day
►
Questions
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1) After secession, what was the name of the new country formed by
the South?
2) When did the Civil War start? Where?
3) What was the Union blockade?
4) Who was the commander of Confederate troops at Antietam?
5) What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
6) When was the Battle of Gettysburg? Who won?
7) Why were Georgia and Atlanta important to the Confederate war
effort?
8) Who commanded Union troops during the Atlanta Campaign?
9) When did Sherman finally capture Atlanta?
10) Why do you think Sherman burned Atlanta before he left?
11) Where did the March to the Sea end?
12) When did the Confederacy surrender?
13) How did Abraham Lincoln die?