The Civil War (1861-1865)
-The Civil War lasted for four years. It was the bloodiest Battle in American History. This war
was the only war fought on American soil, by Americans. This war was a struggle for freedom
trying to end slavery.
-Ft. Sumter: It began in Wilmer McClain front yard. McClain was a peaceful farmer and his
peace was shattered by gunfire. He states that the war began in his front yard and ended in his
parlor, 500 miles away from his front yard. The war in Ft. Sumter, Charleston Harbor, took
place on April 12, 1861 at 4:30 in the morning.
-This bloody battle from the United States History was where brothers were fighting against
brothers and neighbors were fighting against neighbors. It was a splitting of the nation along
with an attempt to free the people in slavery.
-Abraham Lincoln: He was an Illinois lawyer, a politician who argued popular sovereignty in
1858; he lost an election to be senator to Stephen Douglas, but ended up being elected for
president in 1860. He was known as the greatest president and a man of determination. He was
overwhelmed by family problems: his wife went insane, his three children died in the White
House. He had a relentless search for the right commander for his Union army and he had
several assassination attempts. He also had turmoil over the slavery issue that was taking place.
-Stephen Douglas: An Illinois senator who tried to resolve the northern and southern differences
over the slavery issue. He did this through the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas/Nebraska
Acts. Stephen Douglas said, “…their can be no neutrals in this war, only patriots-or traitors,”
(p.286).
-Most people thought that this war was going to be a 90 day war. It was a white mans war; any
blacks that tried to be in the war were turned away.
-Beauregard: He opened fire on Fort Sumter. He was a general, gunner and an artillery student.
He was a Confederate commander of Charleston and he demanded evacuation of Ft. Sumter.
Then April 12, he demanded that Robert Anderson surrendered but he refused so the war began
and 34 hours later, Anderson finally refused ending the battle of Ft. Sumter. At 2:30, April 13th,
Anderson surrendered Ft. Sumter, evacuating the following day. This bombardment at Ft.
Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War.
-Robert Anderson: S. Carolina official who ordered the state militia to seize to federal forts and
federal arsenal. Major Robert Anderson moved all the federal troops from Charleston to Ft.
Sumter. (def. in book, p.285)
-Frederick Douglass: Was previously a slave for many years. There used to be a saying that all
men are created equal. Now there was saying that all men are created equal except Negros.
Slavery issue: 1 out of every 7 Americans belongs to another American. 4,000,000
men/women/kids were slaves during this time.
-Edmund Ruffin: Ordered the first shot, beginning the Ft. Sumter War, 34 hours later, a white
flag ended the bombardment and put a death to slavery.
-Robert E. Lee: A Virginian with a prominent career in the United States army; he resigned from
the army to take command of the army of the Confederate States. He was a promising officer in
the regular army and he wrote a letter of recognition on April 20th, he was going to take
command at the state militia. Then on April 21st, Lincoln lost his best soldier.
-Lincoln offered Lee field commander of the Union Armies. Lee resigned the U.S. Army
commission and accepted command of Virginia’s defense in April 1861. With the election of
Lincoln in 1860, 7 southern states choose to withdraw from the union. The last minutes of
compromise ended up failing and 5 weeks after Lincoln became inaugurated, the Confederates
fired on federal troops at Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor. The states then had to choose
sides.
-General Winfield Scott: Virginia soldier and statesman who led troops in the War of 1812 and
the War with Mexico. He still was serving as a general at the start of the Civil War. He said, the
commander of the Union forces, that Lee was “the best soldier he had ever seen on the field,”
(p.287).
-April 12th, 1861
 7 slave holding states succeeded
 8 remained in the Union
-Upper south states consisted of:
 Virginia, N. Carolina, Tennessee, The Border states of: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland,
Delaware (Hopes of Confederacy) needed the upper southern states for their physical
resources.
-The War:
-it was fought in 10,000 places
-3,000,000 Americans fought in the war
-600,000 men died
-In Cold Harbor-7,000 men fell in 20 minutes.
The Battles: 1. Ft. Sumter April 12-14, 1861: 0 estimated casualties
2. 1st Bull Run July 21, 1861: 4700 estimated casualties 3. Shiloh April 6-7, 1862
23,746 estimated casualties 4. 2nd Bull Run Aug. 28-30, 1862: 22,180 estimated casualties
5. Antietam Sept. 16-18, 1862: 23,100 estimated casualties 6. Fredericksburg Dec.11-15,
1862: 17,429 estimated casualties 7. Chancellorsville April 30-May 3, 1863 8.Vicksburg
May 18-July 4, 1863: 35,825 estimated casualties 9. Gettysburg July1-3, 1863: 51,000
estimated casualties 10. Chickamauga Sept.18-20, 1863: 34,624 estimated casualties
11. Cold Harbor May 31-June 12, 1864: 15,500 estimated casualties
-The Battles were fought all across the U.S., from New Mexico and Tennessee to Vermont and
Florida.
The states involved: Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia,
Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, N. Carolina, N. Dakota, Ohio, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, S. Carolina, Tennessee, Texas,
Virginia, and West Virginia.
-This war was about a new birth of freedom in America and it also defined Americans of what
we are today and what we would soon become.
-It was the establishment of the United States in Independence from Great Britain with slavery
still a part of its heritage.
-Also the war was trying to get a compromise within the states, but it kept failing.