The American Civil War
When Lincoln was elected in 1860,
7 Southern states seceded from the Union and
formed the Confederate States of America
4 more Southern states
The Civil War began
when Fort Sumter seceded in 1861 when Lincoln
called for military volunteers
was fired upon by
to “preserve the Union”
Confederate soldiers
The constitution of the Confederacy was similar
to the U.S. Constitution except that it:
Created a weak
Protected slavery Outlawed
national government
and states’ rights
tariffs
Elected Jefferson Davis as Confederate president
The Confederate States of America
At the outbreak of the
Civil War, the North had
lots of advantages
Larger population
for troops
Greater
industrial capacity
Huge edge in
railroad transportation
But, the North had
challenges to overcome
The North had to
invade the South to win
It would be difficult
to maintain enthusiasm
and support for the
war over a long
period of time
Lincoln viewed Southern secession as
illegal and promised to “preserve the Union”
Although outnumbered and less industrial,
the Confederacy had advantages
President Davis
knew that the
Confederacy did
not have to
“win” the war…
the South only
had to drag out
the fight and
make the North
quit
The Confederacy had the best military leaders
Robert E. Lee
“My paramount object in this
struggle is to save the Union, and is
not either to save or to destroy
slavery.
If I could save the Union without
freeing any slave I would do it,
and if I could save it by freeing all
the slaves I would do it; and if I could
save it by freeing some and leaving
others alone I would also do that.”
—Abraham Lincoln, 1862
The Union strategy
during the war
was called the
Anaconda Plan
Blockade the coast, seize
the Mississippi River to divide
the South, and take Richmond
Exploit South’s
dependence on foreign
trade and its inability to
manufacture weapons
Relied on
Northern advantages
in population,
industry, and military
Lincoln’s Generals
Winfield Scott
Joseph Hooker
Ulysses S.
Irwin
George
George Meade Grant
McDowell
McClellan
Ambrose
George
Burnside
McClellan,
The Confederate strategy during the
war was an Offensive Defense
Protect Southern
territory from
“Northern
aggression” but
attack into Union
territory when
the opportunity
presents itself
Drag out the war
as long as
possible to make
the North quit
Get Britain and France to join their cause because
of European dependency on “King Cotton”
The Confederate Generals
“Stonewall”
Jackson
George
Pickett
James
Longstreet
Nathan
Bedford
Forrest
Jeb Stuart
Robert E. Lee
Robert E Lee was in charge of the
Confederate army (Army of Northern Virginia)
Political Leadership During the Civil War
During the Civil War,
President Jefferson Davis
had a difficult time:
•The CSA Constitution
protected states’ rights
so state governors could
refuse to send him
money or troops
•CSA currency inflated
by 7,000%
During the Civil War,
President Lincoln
used “emergency
powers” to protect
“national security”
•Suspended habeas
corpus (Laws requiring
evidence before
citizens can be jailed)
•Closed down
newspapers that did
not support the war
The national government in the USA and CSA relied
on volunteer armies in the beginning,
but soon needed conscription (draft) to
New York City Draft Riots
Fighting the Civil War: 1861-1865
■
From 1861 to mid-1863, the Confederate
army was winning the Civil War:
–Defensive strategy carried out by superior
Southern generals like Robert E. Lee &
Stonewall Jackson
–Disagreements among military & political
leaders in the North
Bull Run (Manassas), 1861:
The 1st battle of the Civil War;
Stonewall Jackson kept the
Union army from taking the
CSA capital at Richmond
Shiloh,
1862 (USA)
Seven Pines,
1862 (CSA)
Seven Days,
1862 (CSA)
2nd Bull Run,
1862 (CSA)
From 1861-1862, the CSA
had success in the East,
but the USA had success
in the West
New Orleans,
1862 (USA)
Antietam, 1862:
General Lee’s 1st attempt
to invade outside the CSA
was halted by McClellan
Even though the
Battle of Antietam
ended without a
clear winner, it had
important effects
on the North
The battle
convinced Britain
and France
not to support
the Confederacy
in the war
The battle convinced Lincoln that the time
was right to make the emancipation of slaves
the new focus of the war for the North
“…all persons
heldAntietam,
as slaves within
anyissued
State or designated
After
Lincoln
part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion
Emancipation
Proclamation
against thethe
United
States, shall be
then, thenceforward, and
forever free; and the Executive Government of the United
States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will
recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and
will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them,
in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom...”
It did not free slaves in the
This executive order
border states but it gave the
freed all slaves in
Confederate territories North a new reason fto ight
Inspired Southern slaves to escape which forced
Southern whites to worry about their farms
Lincoln,
“The
Great
Emancipator”
Escaped slaves in NC coming into Union lines
Fredericksburg,
1862 (CSA)
Chancellorsville, 1863
The Confederates won, but
Stonewall Jackson was killed;
Lee said of Jackson:
“He has lost his left arm,
but I have lost my right arm”
After Antietam, the
Confederates continued
to win in the East
Despite being outnumbered
and under-equipped, the
CSA dominated the fighting
in the East from 1861-1863
due to better generals and a
defensive strategy
By mid-1863,
the weight of the
Northern population
and industrial capacity
began
to turn the tide of
the warConclusions:
in favor of
the 1861-1863
Union
But, the Union Army
was having success
in the West under
the leadership of
Ulysses S Grant
New
Long-range artillery
weapons and the Gatling gun
(1st machine gun)
Ironclad naval ships like the
USS Monitor and CSS Virginia
Cone-shaped bullets
and grooved barrel
rifles for more accuracy
Old tactics such as massed
formations and frontal assaults
Led to huge
casualty rates
The Tide of the War Turns in 1863
■
By 1863, the Confederacy was having
difficulty sustaining the fight:
–Attempts to lure Britain and France into
the war had failed
–The Union blockade, limited Southern
manufacturing, and lack of grain fields
left CSA soldiers ill-supplied
–To pay for the war, the CSA printed money
leading to massive inflation
Lincoln’s War Machine
& the Impact of Railroads (3.00)
Gettysburg, 1863:
In July, Robert E Lee decided to take
advantage of his victory at
Chancellorsville & attack Northern
soil to end the war quickly by
crushing Union morale
Gettysburg proved to be the
turning point of the war; Lee was
halted, the CSA never again
attacked Union soil, and the Union
army began winning the war
Vicksburg, 1863:
Grant cut off Southern access to the
Mississippi River & divided the South into
two halves; Grant was then promoted to
lead the entire Union army
Gettysburg
Address
—that
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this.
from the earth.
The principles that our
government were founded upon
We need to make sure that the
Union wins the Civil War in order
to preserve our form of gov’t
This Civil War is a test to see
if these principles will last,
because other republics have failed
Fighting the Civil War: 1863-1865
■
Under Grant’s leadership, the Union army
was more aggressive and committed to
destroy the South’s will to fight:
–Grant appointed William T. Sherman to
lead Southern campaign
–Sherman destroyed everything of value to
the South & emancipated slaves during
his “march to the sea”
Sherman considered
“total war” necessary
to defeat the South
The Battle of Atlanta was a huge victory
for the Union because it took out a
major Southern railroad terminus
Lincoln faced a tough
re-election campaign
against George McClellan
The North’s war failures
were the key election
issue
When Atlanta fell during
Sherman’s “March to
the Sea,” Lincoln was
overwhelmingly reelected
In his 2nd inaugural address, Lincoln promised
a Reconstruction Plan for the Union with
“malice towards none and charity for all”
Appomattox, 1865:
Grant defeated Lee at
Appomattox ending the Civil War
On April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered
to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, ending
the Civil War
From 1863-1865, the lack of
Southern resources & unity as well
as the Northern advances into the
South led to the end of the Civil War
Northern celebration was short lived; On April 14, 1865,
Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth
Ford’s Theater (April 14, 1865)
WHERE
LINCOLN WAS
ASSASSINATED
.
The Assassin
The Conspirators
John Wilkes Booth
The Execution
618,000 troops
The 13th
were dead;
Amendment was
More than any
ratified in 1865
other U.S. war
ending slavery
The war forever The South was destroyed; A plan
ended the states’ was needed to admit Southern
rights argument
states back into the Union
Effects of the
Civil War
Now that the Civil War is over, what to do? Why,
Why, design a plan to “reconstruct” America, of
course.