Vocabulary
CIVIL WAR
Fort Sumter
Union fort in the harbor of
Charleston, South Carolina
Confederacy
Nation formed by Southern
states
Robert E. Lee
Confederate general,
commander of the Army of
Northern Virginia
Border States
Slave states that bordered
states in which slavery was
illegal
Anaconda Plan
Union strategy to defeat the
Confederacy
First Battle of Bull Run
First major battle of the Civil
War
Thomas J. Jackson
Confederate general at Bull Run
War Erupts: One American’s Story
1) Emma Holmes got caught up in the passions of the
beginning of war.
2) Emma wrote about the attack on Fort Sumter in her diary
after watching it for four hours
First Shots at Fort Sumter
1) Lincoln had to decide on what to do with forts
remaining in Southern territory
2) Lincoln decided to supply Fort Sumter, but the
South attacked before the supplies could arrive
3) The Confederates fired on Fort Sumter for a total
of 34 hours until it surrendered.
Lincoln Calls Out the Militia
1) Lincoln asked Union states to provide 75,000
militiamen
2) States near the north were outraged and decided
to join the South instead of helping Lincoln
3) Volunteers rushed to enlist
4) Robert E. Lee left the United States Army to return
home to Virginia where he would lead the
Confederacy
Choosing Sides
1) Border states became a contested area because both
sides knew they could tip the scales of war
2) Keeping Maryland in the Union was important for the
North because it held the capital
3) West Virginia separated from Virginia because it did not
want to be part of the South. Admitted to the Union in 1863
Strengths and Weaknesses
1) The Union had huge advantages in manpower and
resources
2) The Unions greatest asset was Lincoln and his
leadership
3) The confederacy had superior generals and a
soldier’s will to fight
The Confederate Strategy
1) The Confederacy started by taking a defensive
position.
2) They tried to call on European powers to help
them, but France and Britain wanted nothing to do
with the American Civil War.
3) As the war heated up, the South soon took the
offensive to try for big victories to end the war.
The Union Strategy
1) The North wanted to slowly suffocate the
South’s economy. Anaconda Plan.
2) The plan called for blockades and to control
the Mississippi River.
3) The drawback was that it would take time to
work, and many leaders did not want to wait.
Battle of Bull Run
1) Lincoln ordered an invasion of Virginia to try and take Richmond,
but Northern troops ran into Southern troops stationed at Manassas
first.
2) The first major battle of the Civil War took place near a creek
named Bull Run just north of Manassas
3) This is where Thomas Jackson got his nickname “Stonewall”
because he was fearless in battle and rallied his troops
4) The Confederates gained reinforcements and gave out a blood
curdling scream called the “rebel yell”. This drove away the Northern
troops and the South got their first victory.
The Monitor
Union ironclad ship
The Merrimack
Confederate ironclad ship, later
renamed the Virginia
Life in the Army: One American’s Story
1) Peter Vrendenburgh volunteered for the
infantry in the North
2) He wrote home urging his parents not to let
his brother enlist due to what he saw
Those Who Fought
1) The majority of soldiers were between the ages of 18-30,
but some as young as 11 joined and some as old as 83
joined.
2) Farmers made up the majority of soldiers that fought
3) Immigrants also served and made up a large number of
troops
4) African Americans could not join at first, but the North
later allowed them to fight. Many soldiers sought
adventure, money, and joined due to loyalty.
Turning Civilians into soldiers
1) Soldiers lived in tents
2) Training camps had strict schedules and soldiers performed various duties such as cutting
wood, guard duty, and cleaning.
3) The North wore blue uniforms and the South wore gray or yellowish-brown
4) Uniforms in the North were made poorly and the South struggled to supply enough for their
troops
Hardships of Army Life
1) Life in the camps was sometimes extremely
unsanitary
2) Soldiers were filthy and went weeks without
bathing
3) Poor hygiene resulted in widespread sickness and
doctors did not know about diseases when
amputating
Changes in Military Technology
1) Battle tactics changed and casualties soared
2) Rifles that used minie balls contributed to
high casualty rates
3) Ironclads were a vast improvement over
wooden ships
Enlist
To join the armed forces
George McClellan
Commander of Union army in
the east
Ulysses S. Grant
Union general who won battles
in the west
Battle of Shiloh
Bloody battle in Tennessee won
by Grant
William Tecumseh Sherman
Union general at Battle of
Shiloh
David Farragut
Union naval commander who
captured New Orleans
Seven Days’ Battles
Confederate victory in Virginia,
during which Lee stopped
Union campaign against
Richmond
Battle of Antietam
Battle in Maryland that ended
Lee’s first invasion of the North
No End In Sight
1) Lincoln soon gave McClellan control of the
army and he restored confidence and organized
them
2) Lincoln urged McClellan to attack Richmond,
but McClellan kept training
Union Victories in the West
1) While McClellan was stalling in the East,
Ulysses S. Grant was winning in the West
2) Grant captured two river forts that allowed
him to go deeper into the South
The Battle of Shiloh
1) Grant chased the fleeing Southern troops near southern
Tennessee but then stopped to gain reinforcements. The
South rallied and attacked before he could gain
reinforcements.
2) This battle was the fiercest the war had yet seen and by
the end of the day each side thought they would win by
dawn
3) Grant used Union boats to ferry fresh troops to him by
using the river he had captured. He attacked at dawn with
his fresh troops and forced the South to retreat.
4) Union casualties numbered 13,000 and Confederate
casualties numbered 11,000
The Fall of New Orleans
1) David Farragut captured New Orleans, the
largest city in the South.
2) This dealt a heavy blow to the South and the
Union almost succeeded in its plan to split the
South in two.
Lee Claims Victories in the East
1) McClellan finally made his move to try and capture
Richmond
2) Lee spied on McClellan’s army and decided to attack first
taking heavy loses but driving McClellan back (Seven Days’
Battles)
Lee Invades the North
1) After many victories, Lee decides to invade
the North
2) Lee hoped to a victory in the North might
force Lincoln to talk peace
3) Lee tried to also show France and Britain that
they could win the war and hopefully get them
to join
Bloody Antietam
1) While Lee was making plans to invade, a Confederate officer
accidentally left a copy of the plans behind and a Union soldier
found them
2) McClellan had a chance to stop Lee, but he did not act fast
enough. McClellan was very slow and methodical.
3) McClellan finally attacked Lee near Antietam Creek in Maryland.
The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest day in all of American
history with nearly 25,000 Americans dead or wounded. Lee
Withdrew and McClellan had a chance to finish him off but he
stalled.