American History U4

American History
CH10 - The Coming of the Civil War
The Coming of the Civil War
In 1861, the Northern States of the US clashed with those of the South It would be known as one of histories greatest conicts Historians continue today to debate over what caused the Civil War Was it Slavery? States Rights? Both? Neither? Something Else? Today, we will begin to lay the groundwork of potential causes
Historians see that in the early 1800s the US began to separate into two distinct countries One of the key factors for this was slavery A massive religious movement had recently taken place in the US called the Second Great Awakening Democratic Protestants felt that slavery violated Gods laws
It does not go to say that these same protestants believed that Blacks were on equal footing with Whites Most Americans were prejudice against Blacks. That War however would be fought at a later time The most powerful voice against slavery came from a woman Her name was Harriet Beecher Stowe
Stowe was born to Lyman and Roxana Beecher in 1811 in Litcheld Connecticut Her parents were deeply religious In 1836 she married Calvin Stowe who was an ardent critic against slavery Together they supported the underground railroad, helping slaves to freedom
In 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law which prohibited the assistance of escaping slaves In response to this, Stowe decided to write a book about the slave problem Her words were powerful and far reaching
Harriet Beecher Stowe
I feel now the time has come when even a woman... can speak a word for freedom and humanity. I hope every woman who can write will not be silent
In 1851, Stowe penned the rst installment of what would become known as, Uncle Toms Cabin The story was set in the PreWar South It followed the life of a slave by the name of Eliza Harris who eventually escaped to freedom along the underground railroad Eliza is not the only character

Stowe also wrote of Uncle Tom Uncle Tom was sold to a new slave owner, Simon Legree Legree was everything that Northerners despised He was unmarried, antiChristian, heavy drinker and a bully Legree eventually beat Uncle Tom to death
Stowe made Legree a northerner She did this to show that anyone could be corrupted under the sin of slavery Apart from the slave issue, the book is a major work of progress for women The book takes a powerful stance where women would sway their headstrong men to do what is right
Harriet Beecher Stowe
I dont know anything about politics, but I can read my Bible; And there I see I must feed the hungry, cloth the naked, and comfort the desolate; and that Bible I mean to follow -Excerpt from Uncle Toms Cabin
Uncle Toms Cabin sold millions of copies in the US and abroad The book also painted a vivid view of the South Northerners became convinced the book was an accurate depiction of slavery They felt that any of them could be corrupted as Simon Legree They did not want that for the future of the US
Although ction, the books impact was huge Lincoln, who met Stowe remarked:
So this is the little lady who made this big War
To people in the South, the book was a lie While they agreed that some slave abuse did occur, they held that most slaves lived as happy families Southerners cared for their slaves as they were important for their farms and production They called the North the true land of slavery
Industrialists employed workers whom they did not care for, feed, or treat as family A southern writer, George Fitzhugh wrote:
They who work for you, who create your income are slaves, slaves without the rights of slaves, slaves without a master
In addition, Southerners claimed that they were the true followers of the American Revolution The founding fathers had slaves Southerners advocated that they had the true spirit of liberty A spirit and way of living that the North would never understand
Slavery aside, there were other issues that divided the North from the South Since 1790, the North had become vastly industrialized It was also full of Irish and German immigrants By 1860, 9 out of 10 of the countries largest cities were found in the North
New technology had a greater impact on the North than the South The Railroad began to be the primary means of transportation of goods in the North In 1840, 3000 miles of Railway existed in the North By 1850 it had expanded to 5000 miles In 1860, over 20,000 miles of railway existed
Railways created and economic boom in the North The Transcontinental Railroad made gateway cities, such as Chicago, one of the nations greatest cities overnight By contrast, the South never kept pace with the North in terms of Railways Most trade and transportation took place on waterways
Like the Railroad, the Telegraph magnied the dierences between the North and South Samuel F.B. Morse discovered in 1844 that communication could be sent over wire The alphabet was transmitted electronically by a series of dots and dashes Telegraph wires tended to follow Railways not waterways
With these technologies, the North developed a much stronger industrial base The South only had 20,000 factories to the Norths 110,000 Factories in the North produced 1.6 billion in goods while the South only created 155 million The South only surpassed the North in terms of cattle, rice and cotton production and slaves
While the North and South were bound together in union, they were in fact very dierent places These vivid contrasts served as a dividing gulf that would only grow wider in the coming years
Chapter 10
War with Mexico
American Progress by John Gast
War with Mexico
New technology allowed Americans to travel like never before 1830-1840 time period saw a massive surge of migration west These Americans believed that it was the Divine mission of the US to spread across the continent New York journalist Jonathan L OSullivan coined the phrase Manifest Destiny
War with Mexico
In the 1840s, Americans dreamed of a land from sea to sea They would not let anyone stand in their way from this goal After winning independence from Mexico in 1836, Texas voted to be annexed into the US Part of the motivation was that they feared Mexican retaliation
War with Mexico
Americans were divided on what to do with Texas Southerners accepted the idea knowing they would become a slave state Northerners, Whigs in particular, opposed it They feared a shift of power to the south Both feared that annexation would bring war with Mexico
War with Mexico
In 1843, Caudillo President of Mexico, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, warned the US that annexation would bring war James K. Polk was elected US President He came into oce promising expansion His rise as president caused many to think that the US wanted expansion In 1845, congress approved the annexation of Texas
War with Mexico
In response, Mexico broke o all diplomatic relations New arguments emerged over the placement of the Texas border Americans said that it went as far south as the Rio Grande River Mexico stated that the border was farther north at the Nueces River
War with Mexico
President Polk wanted more land than just Texas He oered to purchase New Mexico and California from Mexico for 30 million Mexico refused and would not receive US delegates to discuss the purchase Undeterred, President Polk sent a US army across the Nueces River to the border of the Rio Grande
War with Mexico
These forces were under the command of US General Zachary Taylor Taylors march across the Nueces was viewed as an act of war by Mexico Soon ghting broke out and American blood was spilt This was just what Polk wanted, American blood on American land by Mexican soldiers
War with Mexico
President Polk then pushed congress to declare war Despite some opposition, congress declared war in May of 1846 The Mexican-American War had begun Meanwhile, Polk commanded a second division of the US Army to move into California under the command of General John C Fremont
War with Mexico
Before Fremont arrived in California, ghting had already broken out American settlers attacked the city of Sonoma After taking it, they raised their own ag, a bear with a loan red star They proclaimed themselves the California Republic
War with Mexico
General Fremont arrived and joined the rebels to his cause Together they pushed all Mexican forces out of California In July, another American Army, under the command of Stephen Kearny advanced into New Mexico and took Santa Fe Fremont and Kearny joined their forces together to rout the last Mexican army giving the territory to the US
War with Mexico
Back in Texas, General Taylor pushed his army deeper into Mexico After winning a series of victories he came upon the bulk of the Mexican army at Buena Vista There he fought Santa Anna and his army of 20,000 from Mexico City The battle was hard fought, but the Americans took the day
War with Mexico
Santa Anna declared the US the victor and ed back to Mexico City Polk continued to want more and told General Taylor to continue his advance The US captured the crucial Mexican Port of Vera Cruz in 1847 From there, 10,000 American soldiers advanced on Mexico City, the same route taken by Cortez
War with Mexico
After erce ghting, the City of Mexico fell on September the 14th, 1847 Mexico sued for peace The War ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo With this treaty, Mexico agreed to the following
War with Mexico
-Mexico gave up Texas. The Rio Grande was recognized as the border -Mexico also gave up New Mexico, California and 2/5 of its land holdings to the US -The US paid 15 million in repairs -3 million was paid back to the US in claims
War with Mexico
Five years later, the US wanted more land from Mexico A path was needed for the new Transcontinental Railroad There was little Mexico could do and they wanted to prevent another war They sold the US the land in the Gadsen Purchase for 10 million
War with Mexico
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo had great repercussions It destroyed US/Mexican relations In Mexico the War was called the War of American Aggression/Intervention It opened the door for waves of American settlers It also brought back the question of slavery
War with Mexico
What was to become of the new lands? Would they be slave lands or free lands? Most were afraid to decide one way or the other In 1846, Pennsylvania Democrat David Wilmont attached a proviso to a US bill The sneaky Wilmont Proviso attempted to establish all new territories as free lands
War with Mexico
The proviso was shot down but it continued to show up in numerous bills The proviso showed the great rift that had been created between the north and south This rift was about to tear the US apart
Chapter 10
New Political Parties
As we have seen, the divide between North and South was growing wider The question is, could the War have been prevented? To understand this, we need to look at the politics of America The War occurred when it did and the way it did because politicians could not solve the issue of slavery
In 1840, Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: The US will conquer Mexico, but it will be as the man swallows arsenic. Mexico will poison us. The Mexican American War opened a great deal of new territory As settlers poured into the west, the question over slavery would continue to fester What was to become of these new lands?
Congress made its rst attempt to mediate the dispute by putting into eect the Missouri Compromise It attempted to maintain a tricky balance through geography Anything above 36 degrees N Latitude would be free The South was now vast but balanced The North feared the South might break their territory into several small states and upset the balance
In 1848, another presidential election took place Much like today, candidates wanted to attract as many votes as possible In order to attract voters from both sides, candidates avoided talking about the slave issue Many were upset that the issue of slavery was avoided People began to group together and a new party was formed
The rst party we will discuss was the Free Soil Party It was comprised of people from both the North and the South They did not win in any states but took votes away from Southern Candidate Lewis Cass Whig candidate and American War hero Zachary Taylor won the presidency
In 1849, a mass of settlers poured west into the territory of California The famous California Gold Rush threatened to create a Civil War The 1000s of settlers in California pushed to join the union This push led for another stream of events, mainly the Compromise of 1850
Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky had a plan to x the slave dispute To achieve peace, both sides would have to give a little Clay proposed 5 laws 1) California would be admitted as a free state 2) Territories of New Mexico and Utah would decide for themselves 3) Texas would give up claims to New Mexico for 10 million
4) Congress would abolish the sale of slaves but not slavery 5) A Fugitive Slave Act would order Americans to return escaped slaves and deny them a jury Debate over the compromise dragged on for months Finally, Sen. John C Calhoun from South Carolina spoke He was frail, sick, and all knew he was on the brink of death
Calhouns speech was to preserve the union He told that the ability to have slaves was a liberty the government could not take He argued that the North was becoming corrupt and powerful The North was taking away vital rights of the constitution He argued that if liberty failed, then it would be better for the South to separate
Three days later, Daniel Webster of Massachusetts spoke He surprised all by siding with the Compromise in order to preserve the union As the passing of the Compromise Bill loomed, it appeared President Taylor would veto it However, in a turn of events, President Taylor died and Millard Fillmore took his place
President Fillmore passed the bill and the Compromise went into eect The Compromise did little but prolong the coming of the War The Compromise also spelled the end for the Whig Party Seeing that they had adopted compromise on slavery, they lost their support and faded into non existence
With the fall of the Whigs, the battle for a new political party emerged One party that arose in the wake was the Know-Nothings From 1846 to 1854, millions of immigrants from Germany and Ireland had arrived in the US A surge of racism ensued Americans lashed out at the Irish and Germans for ruining traditions and raising crime
Nativism: the belief for special treatment for native born Americans arose In 1849, these nativists formed a secret society They were called, The Order of the Star Spangled Banner Their purpose was to assure immigrants would be not allowed into power Membership soared to over 1 million people
When asked about their meetings and if they were members of a secret society, they said, I know nothing This statement gave them their names In 1854, the decided to go public and proclaimed themselves the American Party They did very well in the elections
Another politician, Stephen Douglas of Illinois had great ambitions He wanted to become the next President of the US He also wanted great things for his state, in particular, Chicago He pushed for new railroads in the Kansas and Nebraska territories His desire was for them to connect to Chicago and bring the wealth of the west home
The problem was, making Kansas and Nebraska into states would cost him critical presidential votes Recognition to statehood would create two free states and cost him the votes of the South Therefore, Douglas proposed the Kansas Nebraska Act This would do away with the Missouri Compromise and allow each state popular sovereignty
Douglas knew this would appease the South while retaining his popularity in the North Congress passed the Act to many angry Northerners In 1854, upset over the passage of the Kansas Nebraska Act another party was formed Those who opposed it gathered and proclaimed themselves the Republican Party
Republicans demanded an end for slavery They also sought to repeal the Fugitive Slave Act Two major parties had therefore been born in a short period of time It will remain to be seen which would eventually prevail
Chapter 10
The System Fails
The System Fails
The passing of the KansasNebraska Act heralded in the next stage of the slavery conict In 1854, Kansas and Nebraska were given popular sovereignty They were allowed to make their own choice regarding slavery While the Kansas-Nebraska Act was a victory for Proslavery, advocates against slavery were not going to leave without a ght
Since there is no escaping your challenge, I accept it in behalf of the cause of freedom. We will engage in competition for the virgin soil of Kansas, and God give the victory to the side which is stronger in numbers as it right. -New York Senator William H Seward
The System Fails
The great ght for Kansas was about to begin In New England, Emigrant Aide Societies were formed Their purpose was to raise funds to send settlers to Kansas to vote against slavery Thousands of anti-slave advocates moved in order to win the ght The Anti-Slave advocates became known as Free Soliers, just like the party with the same name
The System Fails
Meanwhile, the South launched a similar campaign Thousands poured in from the South to take place in the ght for Kansas Northerners set up in Topeka Southerners set up in Lecompton In 1856, tensions in Kansas escalated into acts of violence
The System Fails
On May 21st, Southerners looted a newspaper oce in Lawrence Kansas On the 24th, in response, John Brown, a stern evangelist believed he was doing Gods will to end slavery At a settlement near Pottawatomie Creek, Brown and his men dragged ve men from there homes As slavers from the south, Brown and his men killed all of them in front of their families
The System Fails
This sparked a series of raids and killings by both sides It lead to the name, Bleeding Kansas Violence was not just conned to Kansas, it spread all the way to the capitol Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts gave a ery antislavery speech in congress In his speech, he proclaimed that the goal of slavery was to rape a virgin
The System Fails
Two days later, Preston Brooks, a member of the House came to Sumner at his desk He denounced the speech and then took his cane and struck Sumner repeatedly on the head Sumner tried again and again to get up bet eventually fell to the oor unconscious Other senators attempted to stop the action but were thwarted by SC Rep. Laurence Keitt who waved a pistol yelling to Leave them be
The System Fails
Brooks continued to beat Sumner until his cane broke at which point he left Sumner was beat so badly he nearly died and never regained full health Brooks resigned his seat but was later re-elected When Brooks returned to oce he was sent a cane from the south that read, Hit him again Sumners empty seat sat as a continual reminder of the growing hatred
The System Fails
Fighting calmed as the election date approached The Democrat Party nominated James Buchanan The new Republican Party chose James Fremont, MexicanAmerican War hero The Know-Nothings chose former president Millard Fillmore
The System Fails
Democrats supported the Compromise of 1850 Republicans opposed it, declared the US gov. could restrict slavery Republicans sought to make Kansas a free-state Buchanan and the democratic party won the presidency As president, Buchanan vowed to solve the slave issue once and for all
The System Fails
In March, the supreme court was in a battle over the issue of slavery Buchanan looked to the decision as the nal answer to the slave problem The case, Dred Scott v. Stanford remains one of the most controversial cases in US history Scott, who had lived free in the North led suite that he was now legally free
The System Fails
The Supreme Court saw the opposite however Scotts case lost 2-7 and therefore slaves lost all rights to sue in court The court ruled that living in a free state or territory, even for many years, did not free Scott from slavery The court also ruled that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional
The System Fails
The court reasoned that slaves were property and property was guaranteed as a right under the 5th amendment It could therefore not be revoked or taken away Northerners were disgusted with the decision It meant that congress had no power to ban slavery anywhere President Buchanan felt the issue was at last solved
The System Fails
In 1857, a small pro-slavery group in Kansas drafted a constitution for statehood In it, the Lecompton Constitution declared Kansas a slave state President Buchanan endorsed it The nal vote to become a state was shot down however and for the time being, Kansas remained a slave territory
Chapter 10
The Election of 1860 - A Nation Divided
Lincoln/Douglas Debates
Senator Douglas was known as the Little Giant He was a Northerner who felt whites were superior to African Americans in every way He tolerated slavery, believing that the American People had the right to chose their form of government Though Douglas was an important American Senator, he has long been overshadowed by his running mate
The Republican nominee for senate was Abraham Lincoln Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Kentucky As a young man, he held various jobs: postmaster, rail-splitter He practiced law in Springeld Illinois Her served one term in congress in 1840 He was well known for his strength of character
Lincoln came into the spotlight during 7 debates on the issue of slavery The debates highlighted two important topics: Majority Rule and Minority Rights Douglas supported popular sovereignty He believed the majority should always do as it chose, including making slavery legal
Lincoln on the other hand did not believe in majority rights He felt that the majority did not have the right to deny minority rights Especially when it infringed upon the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness Lincoln hoped that slavery would be conned to the existing states in the south He felt that overtime, it would die out on its own
A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the union to be dissolved I do not expect the house to fall - but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. -Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln gained a large following but lost the election I believe I have made some marks which will tell for the cause of liberty long after I am gone The cause of liberty must not be surrendered at the end of one, or even 100 defeats Despite the loss, Lincoln earned a great reputation that would serve him in the near future

In 1859, ghting broke out once again John Brown hoped to attacked the federal arsenal, take its weapons, and arm southern slaves US General Robert E Lee was alerted of the attack The troops killed half of Browns 21 men He was captured and hanged I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away; but with blood
A Nation Divided
In 1860, the race was on for the US Presidency The Democrats elected senator Stephen Douglas Republicans elected Abraham Lincoln They felt the other option, William Seward, was too radical The ght had returned, this time to a national scale The South American Party nominated John Bell
The elections proved there was no longer a national vote In the North, the election was between Lincoln and Douglas In the South it was between Bell and Breckinridge Lincoln won the presidency without a single southern vote The North had more electoral college votes and Lincoln was sworn in
The South was outraged that a man could become president without any of their votes In response to Lincolns victory, South Carolina left he Union permanently in Dec. of 1860 Six more states followed over the following weeks In February of 1861, these same states gathered and formed The Confederate States of America They elected Jeerson Davis as their president
In early 1861, President Buchanan was in the last days of oce He believed it was in the right of the south to leave He spoke against the use of force to bring them back Many last ditch eorts were made to preserve the Union, all failed President Lincoln decided to focus on enforcing American Law
In your hands, my dissatised fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war...You have no oath...to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one of preserve, protect, and defend it -Abraham Lincoln
We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of aection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battleeld and patriot grave to every living heart...will yet swell the chorus of the Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature -Abraham Lincoln
As lincoln spoke those words, in attempt to preserve the Union, the wheels of war were already moving The die was cast and the storm clouds of war were gathering Fort Sumpter was about to ignite the US in Civil War
Chapter 11
~The Civil War Begins~
Attack on Fort Sumpter
South Carolina was the rst state to leave the Union in December of 1860 Federal troops occupied Fort Sumpter o the coast of S. Carolina A Union resupply ship was red upon by Confederate forces in January Food was running low, if Lincoln did not resupply the Fort by force, it would have to be abandoned
Lincoln struggled with the decision He had promised the North would not be the aggressors He had also taken an oath to defend government property Sending troops to the Fort would make him responsible for starting a war Leaving it would acknowledge the authority of the Confederate Government
Lincoln attempted to nd a middle ground He contacted the governor of South Carolina and informed him of his intent to send only food Jeerson Davis ordered that the fort be surrendered to the South An ultimatum was placed on the fort in which it was to be surrendered The North refused, and the South opened re
The fort was bombarded for 34 hours With few supplies, the fort was surrendered to the Confederacy As a defender of the constitution, Lincoln had no choice but to respond to the attack He put out the call to assemble the army Southerners saw this as an act of war
Within days, the States of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas joined the Confederates [upper south] For the time being, the border states remained uncommitted to either side 84 years after the United States had been founded it had come apart Fighting at Fort Sumpter had revealed that the Union could not be preserved by peace Could it be brought back by force?
The Civil War Begins
In response to the attack at Fort Sumpter, volunteers eagerly joined the army on both sides Both sides felt the war would be short lived By July, 35,000 soldiers were training in Washington D.C. The North thought that a quick and decisive battle against the Southern Capital of Virginia would decide the War
General Irvin McDowell did not feel ready for conict in July of 1861 He felt it took time to properly train his forces and felt rushed Despite the warning, Lincoln ordered his general into action General McDowell marched his army into Virginia His objective was to take the town of Manassas, an important railroad junction
Opposing him was Confederate General P.G.T Beauregard, the same who had captured Fort Sumpter The Confederates were camped along Bull Run, a stream that passed 4 miles north of Manassas Union General McDowells March was incredibly slow Soldiers were not disciplined, stopping to pick berries, get water and relax
In addition, McDowells march was followed and reported on by the media Beauregard knew exactly where McDowell was and prepared carefully Confederate troops had packed into rail cars and reinforced Beauregard Fighting broke out on July 21st, 1861 - The First Battle of Bull Run -
After hours of hard ghting, it appeared as though McDowells Union forces were prevailing However, Virginia soldiers commanded by General Thomas Jackson refused to give up Seeing Jacksons men holding rm, retreating Confederate soldiers yelled, Look! There is Jackson standing like a stone wall! The Confederates rallied under Stonewall Jacksons stand
Growing tired and discouraged, Union soldiers began to fall back Late in the afternoon, Confederates were reinforced by new troops arriving by train With fresh troops, a counterattack was launched and Union troops were put to ight Soldiers dropped weapons and stampeded into sightseers who had gathered to watch the battle
Union soldiers and civilians alike ran all the way back to the safety of Washington D.C. The rst battle of the Civil War had been fought and lost by the North The battle was relatively small The Union army experienced 2,900 casualties The Confederates 2,0000
The Battle of Bull Run caused some Americans to believe that the War would not be easily won Congress authorized the President to raise a million man army In the South, an army of considerable size was also being raised Both sides had plans, strategies and advantages over the other
The Confederate War plan was to prepare and wait Many hoped that after many erce fought battles, Lincoln would just let the South go Jeerson Davis planned for a defensive war This kind of defensive strategy is known as a war of attrition One side inicts continuous losses on the other in order to wear down its will to ght
The problem with this strategy was that the North had far more men and resources The South had 75% of the worlds cotton Confederate leaders convinced Southerners to stop exporting cotton They gured that the loss of cotton to Europe would cause France and Britain to assist them in the war This strategy backred Europe turned to India and Egypt which crippled the Souths ow of money for arms
Chapter 11
~Strategies and Battles~
The Civil War
In several ways, the North was more prepared for war than the South The North had twice as much railroad This allowed quick movement of troops and supplies There were twice as many factories in the North They were in a much better position to produce supplies, munitions, food and other items for soldiers The North had more money, banks and a balanced economy
The Civil War
Even more, the North already had a functioning army and navy 2/3 of the population lived in the North These would all be major factors in the conict ahead Confederates did have some advantages Most of the nations top military ocers lived in the South The South did not need to advance, only hold their positions The South had greater motivation
The Civil War
As we have seen, the Norths strategy was based around an Anaconda tactic Cut o ports and strangle them out This plan was put forth by Mexican American War hero, Wineld Scott Scott knew it would take a long time to train an army capable of invading the South Better to lay siege and seek peace without a lot of bloodshed
The Civil War
Most of the technology and strategy in the War cam from two earlier conicts in history The rst was the Napoleonic Wars in Europe That conict had developed numerous ghting systems and strategies Field medics, communication lines, eld tactics, canned foods Most of the Confederacy even adopted the French Zouave uniform The other conict from which knowledge was derived was the Mexican American War
The Civil War
In Europe, generals and politicians viewed the American Civil War as primitive However, by the Wars end, there was no doubt that the US had developed one of the worlds greatest ghting forces It is speculated that it could have matched any major European power Many tactics and technologies that were developed during the American Civil War were later used in the First World War
The Civil War
Over the previous centuries, armor and sword had given way to musket and ball While these were major advances in the 17th century, little had been changed since Canons and Muskets were unreliable and very inaccurate The primary method of winning a battle still depended on concentrating forces against enemy lines Massive charge in rank and le lines remained the best way of attack
The Civil War
During the Civil War, new technologies came about that slowly began to change the way ghting took place Bullet shaped balls [mini ball] made shot much more accurate Riing the barrel of a gun also improved accuracy Old musket type guns were accurate at 100 yards, new guns remained accurate for 500 In addition, they could be red more rapidly with factory made powder packets, cartridge shells
The Civil War
Following the First Battle of Bull Run, Lincoln had General McClellan build and command a new army While that training was going on, Union forces invaded the Confederacy in the West The main objective was to take control of the Mississippi River The most successful of the Union Forces were those led by Ulysses S Grant Grants success in organizing, training and ghting with a group of Illinois volunteers earned him the rank of General
The Civil War
In February of 1862, Grant advanced South along the Tennessee River with 15,000 soldiers and gunboats Grants objectives were to capture two Forts, Fort Henry and Fort Donelson These forts protected the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers, important trade and transportation waterways On February 6th, gunboats pounded Fort Henry into surrender General Grant marched his land army along the Cumberland River and attacked Fort Donelson
The Civil War
Following three days of attack and constant shelling, Fort Donelson also surrendered The Battles created a sensation in the North The Union had at last won a denitive victory With its critical Forts lost, Tennessee was prime for the taking Soon after, Nashville fell under the Union Army Grant then started his march, with 42,000 soldiers towards Alabama
The Civil War
In March, General Grant approached Corinth, Mississippi Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnson gathered troops to prevent Grants advance Johnsons army was also of a considerable size, 40,000 Grant stopped in order to bolster his army with more troops before continuing to the ght Johnson decided to attack before reinforcements came
The Civil War
On April 6, 1862 Johnsons forces surprised Grants troops by attacking near Shiloh Church outside Pittsburg Landing Fighting quickly spread across rank and le lines that were six miles long By the end of the rst day, Southerners had driven Grants army back, nearly into the Tennessee River During the night, some of Grants ocers advised a retreat during the cover of night To this Grant replied, Retreat? No, I propose we attack at daylight and whip them
The Civil War
Grants reinforcements arrived just in time The following day, with fresh reinforcements, Grant counter attacked The Union, under Grants leadership won the day Casualties were high on both sides The Battle of Shiloh claimed 13,000 Union deaths and 11,000 Confederates The Battle was the bloodiest conict on North American soil to that date
The Civil War
While Grant continued his march south, the Union Navy advanced north along this Mississippi It was under the control of David Farragut Farragut destroyed two forts along the Mississippi and captured New Orleans He then sailed up and took Baton Rouge, Natchez The South was reeling under the continuous defeats inicted by Grant and Farragut
The Civil War
By June, only two ports were left along the Mississippi, Vicksburg and Port Hudson If the North could seize those, they would cut the South of from trade along the Mississippi The Confederates were secretly building a weapon they believed could change the war Union Navy ships were engaged in a blockade of Virginia In March of 1862, a massive Confederate warship lumbered out of the James River
The Civil War
The best ships of the Union Navy opened re on it Strangely, all shots bounced o The Confederate ship was made completely of iron The Merrimack was the pinnacle of naval innovation It was the rst Ironclad warship in history The Merrimack engaged the Union Navy at Virginia, sunk three of its best and sent the rest to ight
The Civil War
Northern leaders were very troubled at this new weapon They gured that if they did not do something, the entire naval blockade could be in jeopardy Fortunately for the Union, the Merrimacks construction was not unnoticed Lincoln had already ordered the construction of a similar vessel for the North The Union Ironclad was completed in 100 days It was called the Monitor
The Civil War
Not long after the Merrimack had made its appearance known that the Monitor was put to sea On March 9th, the Monitor and Merrimack fought o the coast of Virginia Neither ship, after hours of ghting, was able to deliver substantial damage Finally, the Merrimack withdrew and the two never again met in battle
The Civil War
In May, Union forces marched into Norfolk Virginia Confederate soldiers decided to scuttle the Merrimack rather than allow it to fall into Union hands In December, the Monitor sank in a storm at sea Their battle forever changed the world In a single day, the wooden navies of the world were rendered obsolete
Merrimack vs Monitor
Merrimack vs Monitor
Chapter 11
~Strategies and Battles~
The Civil War
In May of 1862, Union General George McClellan would attempt to achieve what General McDowell could not McClellan landed his army at Norfolk Virginia, in an attempt to seize the Confederate capital of Richmond At 36 years old, McClellan was young for a general, but he was an outstanding organizer, strategist and was well liked by the troops His weakness was that he was overly cautious and seemed never quite ready to ght
The Civil War
Lincoln was very eager to avenge the Union defeat at Bull Run McClellans army was huge, over 100,000 soldiers The last time the North moved south to Richmond, they did so by land McClellan this time would arrive by sea As they landed and began their march, they were engaged by an army of 15,000 soldiers at Yorktown Virginia Although the Confederate army was much smaller, McClellan asked for reinforcements
The Civil War
Lincoln demanded that McClellan act and engage the enemy McClellan did not act, he waited outside of Yorktown for a month When he nally decided to attack, the Confederates retreated back to Richmond Just outside of Richmond, the small Confederate army turned and attacked, inicting heavy casualties [20,000] Confederate General Joseph Johnston was wounded and charge of the army fell to the control of Robert E Lee
The Civil War
Lee understood strategy and good planning but he also realized the importance of taking chances Lees army consisted of 55,000 men He divided his force and sent half of them to reinforce Stonewall Jackson Lee gambled knowing that the ever cautious McClellan would not attack until he had his reinforcements General Jackson then began a brilliant act of deception He began preparation for an attack on Washington
The Civil War

Lincoln discovered the invasion plans Instead of sending additional men to McClellan, he kept them home to protect the capital The entire plot to invade Washington was a ruse Jackson secretly moved his army to join Lees With their combined forces they sprung an attack on McClellan The series of battles was called the Seven Days Battles
The Civil War
Although the Confederates lost more men than the North, McClellan decided to retreat Furious with McClellans cowardice, Lincoln demanded him to return to Washington The plan was to replace him with General John Pope Pope already had an army and combining it with McClellan's men would create an overwhelming force Lee knew he must prevent McClellan from returning to Washington and joining forces
The Civil War
Pope began to march his army south to join with McClellans force and take command Again, Lee and Jackson split their armies Jackson swept wide and smashed into the unsuspecting General Pope Jackson then destroyed many of the Unions supplies Enraged at being caught o guard, Pope sent his 62,000 men into action against Jackson
The Civil War
While Pope and Jackson were engaged, General Lee arrived at joined the ght The battle took place in nearly the same spot as the First Battle of Bull Run General Popes force met the same fate After the Second Battle of Bull Run, and another Union defeat, McClellan was returned to command We must make use of what tools we have. If he cant ght himself, he excels at making others ready to ght -Lincoln
The Civil War
With the Union army running back to Washington, and Richmond no longer threatened, Lee made a daring move He decided the time had come to invade the North He hoped that a major victory on Union soil would provoke Europe to join the Confederate side In 1862, Lee slipped by Union forces and moved into Maryland McClellan was clueless as to where the Confederate Army had gone
The Civil War
Unlucky for Lee, McClellans men found Lees plans at an abandoned camp A map was wrapped around a bunch of cigars McClellan gured he had Lee now True to his nature though, McClellan decided to wait another 16 hours before marching on Lee This gave Lee the opportunity to prepare, as he had discovered that his plans had fallen into enemy hands
The Civil War
The two armies met and Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg, Maryland General Lee had 40,000 under his command General McClellan had 75,000 with 25,000 in reserve Union troops attacked throughout the day Losses were heavy on both sides In the rst three hours alone, 12,000 soldiers from both sides were killed
The Civil War
By the end of the rst day, the Union had lost 12,000 men and the Confederacy 14,000 The next day, Confederates retreated back to Virginia Lincoln telegraphed McClellan, Destroy the rebel army if possible The ever cautious McClellan however delayed yet again and lost a critical opportunity The Battle of Antietam became the bloodiest day of the Civil War A soldier wrote: God grant these things may soon end...of this War I am heartily sick and tired
Chapter 11
~The Home Front~
The Civil War
Antietam provided Lincoln with the victory he had needed In the Fall of 1862, as General Lee retreated into the south, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation This proclaimed that all slaves in areas of rebellion were free The decree had little initial impact Abolitionists argued that it did not go far enough It did not free slaves in the border regions It also failed to free slaves in the South occupied by the North
The Civil War

It created fear in the North Many worried that free slaves would compete and take American jobs Frederick Douglas was elated, We shout for joy that we live to record this righteous decree Even if the proclamation did not free slaves, it promised that enslaved people would be free at wars end Perhaps the greatest eect occurred in England It was praised by abolitionist abroad and meant Europe would not aid the South
The Civil War
The proclamation had two immediate eects It caused slaves in the South to ee and join protection under Union troops It also caused many to join the army During time of war, items from the opposing side could be taken This capture of goods is referred to as Contraband Escaping slaves were taken by Union soldiers and fell to their property under Contraband laws
The Civil War
Union soldiers, as the new owners of these goods, could set them free at will In 1862, following McClellans victory at Antietam Lincoln accepted African Americans into the military By 1895, 180,000 African Americans had joined the Union More than half of that number were slaves that had escaped the south to freedom Many of the soldiers felt a strong desire to ght and were highly motivated
The Civil War
All African American soldiers served under the command of white ocers Until June of 1864, African American soldiers earned less pay than white soldiers In July of 1863, the 54th all Black regiment went into action against Fort Wagner at Charleston South Carolina The Regiment was led by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw The regiments charge over a narrow beach of sand cost 1/2 their lives Sergeant William Carney became the rst African American to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor
The Civil War
The Emancipation and the welcoming of black troops into the army drastically changed the economy of the South Slaves who were unable to escape to the North refused to work or destroyed farm equipment These developments weakened the Souths economy and gave the North a greater numerical advantage Among the problems the Confederacy faced as the war went on was food shortages Invading armies and eeing slaves also disrupted cotton production
The Civil War
Confederate drafts pulled large numbers of men out of the workplace Southern women had to work the land and tried to keep farms and plantations operating Food riots began to break out In April of 1863, 1000 women looted bakeries for food As bad as it was, the Southern economy actually grew during the War Many factories emerged to build ammunition, railroad and equipment for soldiers Most were run by women
The Civil War
Some men defected from the army and returned home to help their struggling families We are poor men and are willing to defend our country but our families come rst -Confederate Soldier In the North, industries struggled as many depended on Southern cotton Overall however the North was far better o The North had farms and factories Food was never an issue and civilians worked hard to keep soldiers well prepared
The Civil War
As in the South, women lled many of the jobs vacated by men ghting in the War Many factory owners favored women because they were paid less than men Some Union manufactures made healthy prots selling inferior products to the army Rusty ries, boats that leaked, hats that dissolved in rain, uniforms made from compressed rags Soles came o of boots after only a few miles Many shameful manufactures made killings of their own without seeing a battleeld
The Civil War
During the war, both sides employed the use of prison camps The North used penitentiaries throughout the states The South put their prisoners wherever there was room Andersonville was nothing more that a eld in Georgia Both sides treated prisoners about the same Ocers were always treated better than common soldiers
The Civil War
Andersonville was the exception to good treatment It was built to house 10,000 men but soon swelled to over 35,000 All of these prisoners were fenced into 26 acres About 100 prisoners a day died of starvation or exposure The Southern overseer of the camp was the only person tried and convicted of war crimes after the War was over He was hanged
The Civil War

Medical care was terrible for both sides One if Four soldiers wounded died Most died of disease Poor nutrition, contaminated food, typhoid fever, malaria and pneumonia claimed the most lives A Union soldier was 3 times more likely to die in camp than on the battleeld While most doctors understood the need for clean equipment, most did not know how to sterilize it Surgeons sometimes went days without washing their instruments
The Civil War
On both sides, 1000s of women quit their jobs to care for the wounded Clara Barton was one who oered supplies and rst aid to soldiers Barton later continued her service and founded the American Red Cross During the War, 4000 women served as nurses Previously a mens occupation, following the Civil War, that would forever change The US Sanitation Commission was also created during the War to combat disease Despite the eorts, twice as many med died from disease than from gunre
Chapter 11
~The Tide Changes~
The Civil War
During the War, Congress reformed the nations banking system Since 1832, each US state was issued its own form of currency Congress passed an act that created a national currency system This new currency was called greenbacks because of their color This paper money was not backed by gold but was declared by Congress to be a legal form of tender
The Civil War
As the War drug on, and more and more lives were claimed, the need for a draft became paramount General Lee was the rst to call for a draft for his army The draft was not instituted easily Many claimed that by starting a draft, the South was betraying the very thing they were ghting for However, the draft law was passed and required all men between the ages of 18 35 to serve two years in the military After Antietam, duty was moved to 5 years
The Civil War
Like the South, the North also started a draft Riots broke out in New York City when the draft law was passed in 1863 More than 100 people died in 4 days In congress, a new antiwar group was formed They were called the Copperheads after the poisonous snake Radical Copperheads tried to persuade Union soldiers to desert the army and resist the draft
The Civil War

Border states remained a critical problem Four states were slave states but were part of the North Because of their location, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware and Missouri were critical In Maryland, many supported Lees troops during his invasion Lincoln ordered all disloyal members in Maryland arrested Kentucky and Missouri were critical for control of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers
The Civil War
In Missouri, Lincoln supported an uprising aimed at overthrowing proconfederates in the state government In Kentucky, Lincoln declared a state of Martial Law The military assumed control and the Bill or Rights was suspended Lincoln was the only president in US history to declare martial law In some regions he suspended the writ of habeas corpus which gave a person right to a fair trial More than 13,000 Americans who objected to government policies were imprisoned
The Civil War
Following the battle of Antietam, McClellan refused to destroy Lees army That action caused Lincoln to once again remove him from control Lincoln turned to General Ambrose Burnside Burnside had thick whiskers on the sides of his head and gave name to the word sideburns He was not as good a general as McClellan Knowing that McClellan had been relieved for being slow to act, Burnside sprang into action
The Civil War
He marched 122,000 Union men into Virginia towards Richmond In response, Lee massed 79,000 men and decided to cross directly in front of Burnside Armies clashed at Fredericksburg Virginia Burnside decided to head straight for Lee His lack of planning proved his demise He sent rank and rank of troops to their deaths Union soldiers lost over 13,000 while the Confederacy only lost 5,000
The Civil War
The following day, General Burnside asked to be relieved of command Lincoln then turned to a new general, Joseph Fighting Joe Hooker General Hooker sought to swing the Union army South and attack the Confederates from the rear rather than head on Lee became aware of Hookers plan He divided his forces and in the night had his soldiers build many res to hide that they had moved
The Civil War
As General Hooker awoke and began his march to attack Lee from behind, he was surprised to nd Lee in front of him The Battle of Chancellorsville had begun After a brief clash, General Hooker moved his army into a nearby forest to build defenses The next day, when Lee did not attack, Hooker believed Lee had retreated Instead, Lee divided his army and sent Stonewall Jackson 12 miles through the forest to attack Hookers ank Again Hooker was taken by surprise
The Civil War
If it was not for darkness slowing the battle, Lee would have destroyed the Union army That night, Jackson and others left camp to scout the Union force As they returned to camp, Confederate soldiers mistook them for Union soldiers and red Jackson was struck by his own men three times and his left arm was amputated The next day ghting resumed, Hookers army retreated across the river This became Lees greatest victory but it came at a cost
The Civil War
Stonewall Jackson did not recover from his wounds and died His death deprived Lee of what he called, His strong right arm The crushing defeats of Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg were low points for the Union The mood in Washington was dark Rumors spread of Lincoln contemplating resigning as president Many in the North grumbled about seeking peace
Chapter 11
~Gettysburg~
The Civil War
The North had reached a low point in the War Lincoln was beside himself with the two losses at Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg Despite winning two battles, things were not going well for General Lee either He was running low on supplies and his army was growing weak He decided upon moving his army North once again, thinking his army could forage for supplies and that one more victory would mean the end for Union
The Civil War
The Union Army moved North, as did Lees On July 1, 1863, some Confederate soldiers entered Gettysburg Pennsylvania Many of them were barefoot and they had heard that Gettysburg had a supply of shoes While scavenging, the Confederates ran into a Union calvary From this small skirmish grew the greatest battle ever fought in North America The Battle of Gettysburg had begun
The Civil War
Hearing gunre, both the Union and Confederate Armies rushed to Gettysburg Soon, Confederates outnumbered Union forces Among those rushing to the scene was the new Union General, General George Meade Soon, battle lines stretched across the tops of a series of hills At the center of the Union line was a hill called Cemetery Ridge The Confederate center was at another hilltop called Seminary Ridge
The Civil War
Feeling condant after his recent victories in the South, Lee planned to attack right at the Unions strength His new second in command was General James Longstreet Longstreet was opposed to attacking such a strong defensive position but Lee would not listen The next day, Confederate forces gathered, ready to assault Cemetery Ridge
The Civil War
Longstreet was the Confederate version of McClellan. He was a great general, but slow and indecisive As the sun rose, Longstreet waited until 4PM to prepare his lines for attack The delay allowed Meade the chance to reinforces his men and position Heavy ghting occurred in a peach orchard, a wheat eld and a mass of boulders known as Devils Den As the ghting continued, Confederate soldiers noticed an un-protected hill called Little Round Top
The Civil War
Confederates thought that if they could take the hill they could bombard Union lines with artillery Union solider noticed the hill as well and also made their way to capture it 350 soldiers from Maine, arrived just before the Confederates from Alabama They held the hill until they ran out of ammunition, at that point, they charged with bayonets axed The heroic charge likely saved the Union from total defeat At the end of the second day, the Union lines held rm
The Civil War
The third day opened with a small skirmish and then fell silent until the afternoon At that point, 150 Confederate canons began a heavy artillery barrage Many Union Generals gured the canon re was sign that the Confederates were going to retreat They were wrong, Lee was planning a massive all out assault right at the front of the Union lines After a two hour artillery duel, the Union ceased re
The Civil War
Longstreet and Lee gured the Union canons had been destroyed Confederates formed lines and began to march At Cemetery Ridge, Union soldiers were surprised to see 15,000 Confederate soldiers marching right at them The Confederate Charge is now remembered as Picketts Charge The Confederates had to cross a mile of open eld in order to reach Union lines
The Civil War
As the charge began, Union soldiers loosed a hail of artillery re on the marching Confederates It tore huge holes in the Union lines As they approached the hill, Union soldiers then unleashed a wave of rie re into the Confederate ranks Only a few hundred Confederates reached the Union lines alive In about 30 minutes it was over
The Civil War
Confederates retreated back to Seminary Ridge General Meade of the Union army ordered a counter attack Lee ordered Pickett to reform his division to which Pickett replied I have no more division Picketts charge ended the bloodiest battle of the Civil War Of a Union Army of 85,000 over 23,000 were killed The Confederate Army of 75,000 lost 28,000 Lee once again had to return to the South
The Civil War
While armies clashed in a bloodbath in the East another major battle was raging in the West General Grant was having problems taking the last stronghold of the Mississippi, Vicksburg Vicksburg stood high atop a blu along the Mississippi It was hard to assault due to the angle upon which it stood In addition. land based attacks proved dicult because the city was surrounded by a large swamp
The Civil War
General Grant rst sent Tecumseh Sherman on an unsuccessful attack from the north They then tried to dig a canal around the city which also failed Lastly, they sent gunboats down from the north which failed With all these attacks ending in failure, Grant came up with a brilliant plan He marched his army down river, crossed the Mississippi, ferried them down a second river, attacked Jackson Mississippi and then attacked from the west
The Civil War

Battles were fought all around Vicksburg Once Confederate forces were cut o within the city, Grant ordered a siege and constant artillery barrage Citizens of Vicksburg huddled in shelters as Union soldiers red 2,800 shells a day Soon, conditions in the city became dire Many had to survive o eating rats On July 4th, Confederates in Vicksburg surrendered The Mississippi River belonged to the North
The Civil War
The year had started with talk of the Union seeking peace However, on the 4th of July, the opposite held true Massive celebrations took place on the nations holiday Free slaves were able to join the festivities With Meades victory at Gettysburg, Grants at Vicksburg, the Union felt the War was in hand The end nally seemed in sight
The Civil War
On November 19th, 1863, people gathered at Gettysburg to honor those who had fallen The featured guest speaker was Edward Everett Everett produced a crow pleasing two hour speech After he nished, Lincoln arose and delivered his remarks which are now revered as the Gettysburg Address Lincolns speech took only 2 minutes Most did not pay it any attention and thought it too short and simple
Chapter 11
~Wars End~
The Civil War
Despite the loss at Gettysburg, the South was determined to hold on They felt that if they held out they could still prevail In 1864, the North would hold a presidential election They gured that Lincoln could be replaced and the War could end on a high note Lincoln on the other hand became more aggressive He knew that victories on the battleeld meant re-election
The Civil War
In March, Lincoln made yet another change in the military He placed General Ulysses S Grant in charge of the Union forces His goal was to destroy the Confederate army before the upcoming election To take his place in the west, Tecumseh Sherman was placed in charge Grant adopted a stance of attrition He would use the Norths advantage in numbers to wear down the Confederacy
The Civil War
Grant took his huge force of 115,000 men straight into Virginia He knew that Lee either had to abandon Richmond or ght Lee chose the latter, it was exactly what Grant wanted The rst conict occurred on May 5th and is called the Battle of the Wilderness It took place in the same location as the previous loss of Chancellorsville Fighting soon lead the armies back into the forests where Jackson had been killed
The Civil War
Due to the continuous gunre, the forest soon set caught re In the confusion, Confederate soldiers red on their own men This time, General Longstreet, Lees second in command, was killed It occurred only 3 miles away from where Jackson was shot Grant took massive losses in the Wilderness campaign Grant however, unlike those before him continued to ght on despite the losses
The Civil War
Days later, ghting resumed just outside of Spotsylvannia Again Grant took heavy losses Grant however continued, undeterred He told Lincoln that he would continue to ght the enemy if it took all summer In June, Grant attacked Confederate soldiers just 8 miles from Virginia He lost 7,000 soldiers in the rst hour Despite the heavy loss of life, Grant knew he was slowly wining the War
The Civil War
Grant then attempted to attack Confederate supply lines to Virginia The attack failed, costing more Union lives Since the battle had begun, Grant had sent 65,000 Union soldiers to their graves Many of Grants soldiers began to pin their names and addresses to their uniforms so their bodies could be identied Grant then laid siege to Petersburg, an area the Confederates depended on for supplies
The Civil War
Despite all of the ghting, both Generals maintained their same strategy Lee wanted to hold his ground until the elections, Grant wanted to win before Another critical region to the Confederate army was the Shenandoah Valley It was an area the South depended on for supplies and food Grant gave the order to lay waste to the region He told Union soldiers to tear up railways, burn elds and houses and to leave nothing standing
The Civil War
This was just the beginning of a new kind of warfare, Scorched Earth In the West, General Sherman adopted the same philosophy He took a massive 98,000 men strong army deep into the South His target was the city of Atlanta Opposing Sherman was General Joseph Johnston He hoped to hold Sherman o, just like Lee, until the political elections
The Civil War
Sherman marched on Atlanta, the same time as Grants invasion of Richmond The Confederates attempted to build fortications and hold the city Sherman bombarded the city to near oblivion and prevented andy trade or food from getting in In early September, tired and destitute Confederate soldiers ed south leaving the city to Sherman The Union had captured a critical Confederate outpost
The Civil War

War is cruelty Sherman once wrote There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over Many thought Sherman to be partially insane yet Grant stood by him In November, Sherman began his infamous march to the sea Leaving Atlanta, rather than have it fall into Confederate hands he set the city on re He then led 62,000 Union soldiers south through Georgia
The Civil War
After leaving Atlanta in ruins, Sherman cut a 300 mile long path of destruction across Georgia Everything Sherman came into contact with he destroyed Bridges were torn down, cities were setare, factories destroyed, railroad lines dug up They slaughtered all animals, burned all the elds The terror of Shermans army was widespread Who could stop his march to the sea
The Civil War
As Shermans army approached Savanna, Georgia its inhabitants came out and surrendered Sherman took the city without a ght On December 21st, Sherman sent a letter to Lincoln He informed him that he was giving him the city of Savanna without a ght as a Christmas present It was the second bit of good new Lincoln received before the elections
The Civil War
Lincoln, despite the recent good news did not feel he was going to win Not only did he meet erce opposition from democrats but his only party failed to support him They nominated John C Fremont as president Fremont chose to withdraw so they elected another Democrats nominated General George McClellan for president McClellan was elated at the chance to get back at Lincoln for ring him
The Civil War

McClellan gured he had the upper hand He had immense popularity amongst the troops He promised that if elected, he would negotiate and end to the War Shermans capture of Atlanta had changed the mood of the North The War seemed nearly over and they were not in favor of a negotiated peace In November, with the help of Union soldiers, Lincoln won 212 electoral votes out of 233
The Civil War
Following the election. Lincoln decided to take a rm stand against slavery He proposed the 13th Amendment which was ratied by congress It ended slavery in the US forever As Grant was strangling Richmond, General Sherman moved north from Georgia to join him Gloom descended upon the South Sherman moved on South Carolina It was his goal to end the War where it had started
The Civil War
Sherman had two goals as he moved into South Carolina Destroy the Confederates remaining resources Crush the Confederate will to ght In South Carolina, he did both In many ways, Shermans march through South Carolina was worse that in Georgia By February 17th, Sherman had taken the capital of South Carolina, Columbia He set re to it and burned nearly the entire city to the ground
The Civil War
By April, the Confederate army was in dire straights Mass desertion had reduced the army to 35,000 starving men They stood defending the capital city of Richmond Lee, realizing they could no longer hold the city, set it are and headed south to join forces with Johnston Grant followed Lees retreat at a close distance Anytime they tried to change course, Grant aronted them
The Civil War
As Lee entered the city of Appomattox, Grant surrounded him Lee knew he had no chance His men and generals suggested they break the army into small bands and carry out continual raids Lee knew the war was over however and decided to meet with General Grant They met in a small house and briey chatted about the weather and their service in the Mexican American War Then Lee asked about the terms of surrender
The Civil War
Grant told Lee that he and his soldiers would not be tried as traitors He told them they could take their supplies and return home He oered to feed and take care of the Confederate soldiers Lee signed the papers and rode o Union soldiers immediately began a massive celebration Grant halted the celebration, telling the men that the Confederates were their countryman They would not celebrate their misfortune
The Civil War
A few weeks later, General Johnston surrendered to General Sherman Slowly but surely, all Confederate forces began to surrender Unfortunately, President Lincoln did not live to see the Wars end Throughout the winter of 1864-65 John Wilkes Booth had plotted with other men to capture Lincoln The plan was to use him in an exchange to free Southern POWs When the War began to change, Booth revised his plan
The Civil War
He assigned his men to assassinate top Union generals, the vice president and Wilkes would kill Lincoln Wilkes tracked the President to Ford Theater where he was watching a play He entered in behind him, produced a pistol and shot him in the back of the head The President died shortly later Booth screamed out Sic Semper Tyranis (thus always to tyrants) leapt from the box and onto the stage breaking his leg He then ed into an alley and eluded capture
The Civil War
Booth was tracked down to a tobacco barn in Virginia He was asked to come out and when he refused they set the barn on re In the confusion that followed, Booth either shot himself or was killed by Union solider gunre Both sides loss a great deal in the Civil War but more was gained Slavery was abolished Democracy would live on, as would an undivided union
Chapter 12
~Presidential Reconstruction~
I reached home in Gova!e, outside of Austin...a"er an absence of four years and ve months. Father and mother were not expecting me and were not at home, but my dog, Brave, was on guard...It was not a deep mouthed welcome that greeted me as I drew near, but a gru emphatic warning to keep out. Brave, old boy I said, dont you know me? He cocked up one ear and looked at me sideways. It na!y dawned on him who I was, and he...circled wildly a! around me, expressing in his dumb way his delight at my return...
-Confederate Soldier Val C. Giles
Reconstruction
Often, Confederate soldiers homecomings contained as much sorrow as delight Their cause had been defeated In many cases, their homes had been destroyed Fields were full of weeds, warehouses barren, families destitute, wharves rotting Between 1865 and 1877 the federal government tried to repair the damage the War had caused This program was known as Reconstruction
Reconstruction
At the start of Reconstruction, it was clear that the nation had been changed forever by the War In particular, the South was a far dierent place War had destroyed 2/3 of the Souths shipping industry 6000 miles of railroad were gone Farm land had been burned or left to weeds 1/3 of all livestock, bridges, levees and 1000s of miles of road were gone The value of the South had plunged 70%
Reconstruction
In addition, the War had destroyed a generation of men in the South The South lost 260,000 men This equated to 1/5 its population Those who returned alive were horrible scarred by the eects of the War Many returned missing limbs, as invalids Children were made orphans; brides became widows Beginning again would be a long and dicult process
Reconstruction
Southern hardship has been classied into 3 areas Black Southerners numbered 4 million They were now free but had received little food, shelter or care from the North Many had to start new, with nothing to their name Others ventured North to work in factories Plantation owners also had it hard They lost all their laborers which equated to a general worth of 3 billion
Reconstruction
In 1863, the Captured and Abandoned Property Act allowed the Federal Government to seize 100 million in plantations and cotton With worthless Confederate money, owners could not hire workers Others had to sell property to cover debts The last category consisted of white laborers Many could not nd work because of the liberated freedmen Poor whites began migrating to frontier lands such as Mississippi and Texas to seek a new beginning
Reconstruction
Defeat of the South brought forth many questions Should the South be punished for their actions? If so, for how long? What rights would freed African Americans have? Did the Civil War mean the nation would turn to a stronger federal government? Some of these questions were so powerful and fought over, many historians call the Reconstruction period an extension of the Civil War
Reconstruction
During the winter of 1863, Abraham Lincoln had begun laying down plans for Reconstruction His plans were very forgiving to the South It has been called the 10% plan It oered pardon to any confederate who would take an oath of allegiance to the Union and accept federal policy on slavery It denied pardon to all Confederate military and government ocials who had killed African America POWs It permitted each state to hold a convention to create a new state constitution only after 10% of voters in the state had sworn allegiance to the Union
Reconstruction
Lastly, states could hold elections and resume full participation in the Union Lincolns plan did not require new constitutions to provide voting rights to African Americans Nor did it readmit southern states since their departure had been unconstitutional Congress however did not like Lincolns plan They felt that it threatened constitutional authority He was essentially making the rules himself, not allowing Congress to do their part
Reconstruction
Much of Lincolns opposition came from Radical Republicans They wanted a sti penalty against the South for their actions They felt the War had been fought over slavery and wanted African Americans to have equality Their proposal for Reconstruction was Pocket Vetoed by Lincoln When Lincoln was assassinated, the nation descended into political chaos What would the future hold for the South?
Reconstruction
With Lincolns death, Reconstruction fell into the hands of Andrew Johnson Johnson was Lincolns vice president He was southerner, born in North Carolina Johnson was chosen by Republicans in order to attract southern votes in the 1864 election He was the only southerner to remain in congress following secession When Johnson took oce, Congress was in recess until December Johnson used those months to draw up his own reconstruction plan
Reconstruction
His plan was known as the Presidential Reconstruction It pardoned all southerners who swore allegiance to the Union It permitted each state to hold constitutional convention, without Lincolns 10% States were required to void succession, abolish slavery and repudiate Confederate debt States could hold elections and rejoin the Union It held the same spirit as Lincolns plan but was more generous
Reconstruction
As politicians debated, African Americans enjoyed their new freedoms Many walked away from plantations and sought after sold family members Many freed slaves pushed for ownership of land They wanted land redistribution and they wanted the land they and their ancestors had farmed What led to this sentiment was a small experiment conducted by General Sherman He had divided land into 40 acre lots and given it to free slaves President Johnson ended it
Reconstruction

Many freed slaves banded together They formed organizations and especially their own churches Historians estimate that nearly 90% of freed slaves were illiterate As result, when schools were created for freed slaves, many eagerly joined Soon colleges were popping up all over the South To assist freed slaves in their transition to freedom, the US Government set up the Freedmens Bureau
Reconstruction
The Bureau gave out free clothing, medical supplies and meals It was immensely helpful and popular It helped educate over 250,000 African American refugees However, it was short lived and was largely dismantled in 1869 These batches of educated African Americans would serve a valuable role in the future
Chapter 12
~Congressional Reconstruction~
Reconstruction
Defeat in the War had not changed the fact that most people in the South were white Johnsons reconstruction plan did little to protect liberated African Americans Many southern governments rushed to pass laws that restricted African American freedom These laws were known as Black Codes Curfews: Freedmen could not be out after dark V agrancy: Freedmen found without jobs could be ned, whipped or sold for a years labor
Reconstruction
Labor Contracts: Freedmen had to sign a years contract for labor. If they quit in the middle they lost all wages earned Land Restrictions: Freedmen could rent land or homes only in rural areas. This forced them to remain on plantations Southern deance to reconstructions infuriated Republicans Most of the blame was placed on President Johnson Congress used its power to amend the constitution In 1866 they passed the Civil Rights Act that outlawed Black Codes
Reconstruction
President Johnson vetoed the Civil Rights Act Congress then overrode the Presidents veto Congress then went a step further Concerned courts might override the Act, Congress decided to build it into the Constitution In June of 1866, the Civil Rights Act was approved as the 14th Amendment The states ratied it
Reconstruction
Following the passage of the 14 Amendment, there were still many that were less than enthusiastic Many moderate Republicans favored freedom for freedmen but not equality They did not want to see African Americans treated as equals, to have voting rights In response to the 14th Amendment, violence towards freedmen broke out all across the South Memphis, New Orleans, New York City all saw mass killings, shootings, hangings take place In many cases police ocers joined the mobs
Reconstruction
President Johnson continued to oppose equal rights for African Americans Angry Northern voters decided to voice their concern for Johnson by voting Radical Republicans into the senate In November, Congress put its own Reconstruction plans into action The Reconstruction Act of 1867 became one of the most radical Acts in US history It put the South under military rule It ordered the South to create new elections It forced all states to allow African Americans the right to vote
Reconstruction
It banned those who had supported the Confederacy from voting It required Southern stats to guarantee equal rights for all and for them to ratify the 14th amendment The stage was now set between the President and the Radical Republican led Congress President Johnson acted rst, trying to re Secretary of War Edwin Stanton Stanton was a appointed by Lincoln and a friend to the Radical Republicans
Reconstruction
Firing Stanton directly challenged the new Tenure of Oce Act Under the Constitution, the President had to seek Senate approval to ll and re certain jobs Led by Thaddeus Stevens, the House sought to impeach the President for an unconstitutional action If 2/3rds of the Senate voted for impeachment, Johnson would have become the only president ever removed from oce When the votes were counted, Johnson had survived by one single vote The incident would serve as president that only serious crimes could remove a president
Reconstruction
President Johnson served the last remaining months of his term without power Johnson left the presidency and went back to being in the Senate as a democrat In 1868, republican candidate Ulysses S Grant beat democrat Horatio Seymour Congress and the President were now strong allies In the South, freedmen were voicing demands for equality, for the right to vote and hold public oce This led to passage of the 15th Amendment
Reconstruction
Even before the 15th Amendment was ratied, 735,000 freedmen joined the voting rolls Their electoral power transformed politics in the South 80% of the newly registered voters went to the polls Whites in the South refused to participate As a result, 600 African Americans were elected to state legislatures They helped draft new constitutions for their states
Reconstruction
The extension of the vote to freedmen led to the rst election of African Americans to the House of Representatives By 1875, there were 8 in the House Blanche K Bruce became the rst African American voted into the senate In addition to political debates and reposturing in the government, people were on the move Many from the North decided to move into the South Some sought new beginnings, others sought prot
Reconstruction
Northern Republicans who moved south were called Carpetbaggers Southerners gave them the name due to the cheap suitcases they carried made out of carpet scraps Southerners did not like Carpetbaggers as they saw them as a threat to their ways of life They felt that many came to exploit their plight following the War In the South, it was viewed as treason to be white and a Republican
Reconstruction
Southerners had a name for them too, Scalawags Some were poor farmers seeking a new beginning Others were former Whigs who had opposed secession Seeing carpetbaggers, scalawags and African Americans in high governments positions, life was tough on the South It led to a great deal of resentment towards the government
Chapter 12
~Birth of the New South~
We have been faithful in the eld...and think that we ought to be considered as men, and a!owed a fair chance in the race of life. It has been said that a black man can not make his own living, but give us opportunities and we wi! show the whites that we wi! not come to them for anything.
-Black Union Soldier
Reconstruction
The demand for a fair chance in the race of life was echoed by freedmen across the South For most, a fair chance meant land Most African Americans could not aord land and those that could, found no willing white sellers The only opportunity was for freedmen to work the land of others Some who were freed found life even more dicult Under slavery, plantation owners fed and clothed slaves
Reconstruction
Now, under freedom, they had to work for money to buy food and clothes Many did not earn enough to cloth themselves, feed their families and own a home Changes were coming however Plantation owners slowly recovered and sought after good laborers Cotton is an increasingly dicult crop Plantation owners soon found that most whites were unwilling to do the labor
Reconstruction
Many whites preferred working on the railroads or mining which paid better Out of the need for cotton workers, sharecropping was born Freedman would farm a portion of a plantation owners land and were promised a share of the crop at harvest time The owner usually provided some kind of housing for the family While in many ways, this was a good system, Southerners found ways to exploit freed slaves
Reconstruction
Owners ned sharecroppers for missing even a single days work On other occasions, at the end of the year, owners would charge sharecroppers rent for housing Some would ne and charge so much that sharecroppers would fall into debt and be forced to work at least another year without pay Thus sharecropping became another loophole for slavery to endure
Reconstruction
If a freedman or sharecropper saved enough money they might be able to switch to tenant farming Under this system, freedmen would use their own money to rent a lot of land They could then plant what they wanted and work the land as they chose Tenant farmers did well and enjoyed higher social status that sharecroppers Many freedman worked hard and dicult lives in order to move to tenant farming
Reconstruction
Changes in farming aected the long term economic health of the South Sharecropping and Tenant farming encouraged planters to grow cash crops Soon cotton production surpassed prewar levels Due to growing sugar cane, tobacco and cotton, the South depended on imports for food It created an endless cycle of debt for many sharecroppers and farmers Many worked all year just to pay o last years debts
Reconstruction
Tenant farming lead to a new cycle of wealthy Southerners, merchants Soon shops were being set up with merchants selling products and equipment on credit Some merchants were honest but many were not They oered high interest rates and raised prices on goods they knew farmers could not get elsewhere Due to high debts, many tenant farmers were reduced back to sharecropping
Reconstruction
Southerners who traveled North following the War were astounded at how big the North had grown Small factories had turned into massive ones and had become large scale production facilities This led many in the South to desire industrialization If the North could do it, why couldnt the South? This new goal led to the term New South
Reconstruction
The City of Atlanta in particular sought to rise from the ashes of Shermans destruction Atlanta was rebuilt on modern technology with wide streets and industry The movement spread across the South to the cities of memphis, Nashville, Louisville, Little Rock, Montgomery and Charlotte Despite the gains the South made, it is important to note they never caught the North Industry in the South handled the early processes, such as turning iron into pig iron
Reconstruction
Their crop was, as it always had been, cotton While cotton made a lot of money for the South, the North reaped the benets They made more turning the cotton into clothing and dying it than growing it In Congress, industrializing the South remained the gospel of prosperity They continued to fund and seek to industrialize the South to help it recover
Reconstruction
Money being poured into the South during Reconstruction came from heavy taxes These taxes were placed on the South who was, for the most part, destitute The system was not very eective in ending debt but making it worse Scandals and fraud was everywhere It was not limited to the South though as even the government got its hands dirty
Reconstruction
Late in Grants rst term, the US government poured enormous amounts of money into the Credit Mobilier Company This company oversaw the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad Most of this money however went into the pockets of Union Pacic ocers Politicians were bribed to not notice The scandal rocked the nation and eventually culminated in the collapse of the Railroad industry
Chapter 12
~The End of Reconstruction~
Reconstruction
Southern whites found themselves in an awful state They had lost the War African Americans now ran freely and seized state legislatures Carpetbaggers from the North had moved to the South and purchased former plantations and land In such a plight, many Southerners, former Confederates, turned to extremism
Reconstruction
In 1866, former Confederate soldiers living in Pulaski Tennessee decided to form a secret society It was proposed that it be called the Kuklos Greek for circle Instead, it was called the Klu Klux Klan They would gather and discuss the situation they were in They would dress in white robes and masks, pretending to be the spirits of dead Confederate soldiers
Reconstruction
The Klan chose Nathan Bedford Forrest to be their leader He was called Grand Wizard Forrest was known as a sly Confederate General during the War Forrest had also been a wealthy cotton plantation owner and slave trader During the War he captured Fort Pillow and executed all 300 captured Black Union soldiers He had also been known to kill Black women and children during the War
Reconstruction

The Klan grew rapidly in the South It consisted of ex-Confederate soldiers, plantation owners, even merchants and lawyers As Reconstruction Plans continued, the Klan began to strike back in their own way The lynched and killed 300 Republicans, including a US Congressman in one year alone The murdered 1000s of people in Louisiana, most African Americans Half of the adult white population in New Orleans were members of the KKK
Reconstruction
The Klans goal was to keep African Americans in the role of submissive laborers They used acts of terror to intimidate and manipulate congressmen Klans tactics varied from place to place They would often appear in the night, with torches, on horseback, encircling houses The burned crosses in peoples yards, harassed, tortured, kidnapped and murdered Anyone who did not share the Klans goals could become victims
Reconstruction

Federal response was strong and swift President Grant passed a series of antiKlan laws The Enforcement Act of 1870 banned the use of terror, force or bribery to prevent people from voting Other laws banned the KKK entirely Former Union soldiers were sent South to enforce the new laws With this show of force the KKK was virtually wiped out They would resurface in the 1900s
Reconstruction
President Grant won re-election in 1872 and continued to pursue Reconstruction goals Voters however were growing tired with Reconstruction There were four main factors that caused a swing of power in Congress Grants later term was marked by corruption, greed and poor government Reconstruction taxes and spending plunged the South into deeper debt Federal Troops started to be pulled from the South and whites once again seized power from freedmen
Reconstruction
A new movement of Southern Democrats wrenched control away from Republicans A series of court cases in the South narrowly interpreted the 14th and 15th amendments returning power to the states Reconstruction eorts took a nal sour turn in 1876 The Presidential election between Republican Rutherford B Hayes and Democrat Samuel Tilden was very close Debate over the election ballots caused a recount declaring Hayes the victor The South cried foul
Reconstruction
In order to appease both parties the Compromise of 1877 was struck The South agreed to name Hayes the victor The Presidency came at a cost The North had to remove all remaining Union troops from the South The North had to pay for levees along the Mississippi River It also had to pay for Southern railroads The Compromise marked the end of Reconstruction

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American History

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