The Civil War

Source: The Freeport Wide AwakeDate: November 17, 1860, p. 3Cartoonist: Unknown

SecessionSecession South Carolina

After Lincoln’s election there was a special convention

The convention voted unanimously to secede Official on Dec. 20, 1860, before Lincoln even took

office

By February 1, 1861, six more states joined SC Mississippi: Jan. 9, 1861 Florida: Jan. 10, 1861 Alabama: Jan. 11, 1861 Georgia: Jan. 19, 1861 Louisiana: Jan. 26, 1861 Texas: Feb. 1, 1861

Attempt at Attempt at CompromiseCompromise

Congress tried to get the Southern representatives back to discuss a compromise

Southern states refused to talk and seized all federal property in their states A few pieces of federal property remained in

the union Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South

Carolina Fort Pickens in Pensacola Harbor, Florida A couple of islands off the coast of Florida

Lincoln’s Inaugural Lincoln’s Inaugural AddressAddress

March 4, 1861

If you were preparing your inaugural address, what policy would you choose and why? Abandon the Forts Under Your Control? Reclaim the Forts Taken by Southern States? Hold Only Those Forts Still in Federal Hands? Or Choose Some Other Course of Action?

Lincoln’s Inaugural Lincoln’s Inaugural AddressAddress

"The power confided to me, will be used to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the Government.“

“…there will be no invasion, no using of force against or among the people anywhere."

He said nothing about reclaiming property now under Confederate control

He explicitly offered reassurances to the South that slavery was safe in its present limits and that he would enforce the fugitive slave law

Resistance to the federal government constituted rebellion

Crittenden’s Crittenden’s CompromiseCompromise

Proposed by Kentucky Senator John J. Crittenden

Proposed constitutional amendments Guarantee slavery where it already existed Extend the Missouri Compromise to California

Lincoln told Congressmen to stay strong

The compromise was defeated

Peace AttemptPeace Attempt

Virginia, a slave state still in the union, hosted a peace conference

21 delegates attended Mostly Northern and border states NO delegates from the secession states

Resolved nothing

The ConfederacyThe Confederacy

Delegates from secession states met in Montgomery, Alabama

They declared themselves a new country

The Confederate States of America was formed

A constitution was drafted that guaranteed the right to slavery

Jefferson Davis was chosen as president

Fort SumterFort Sumter

Lincoln vowed to protect all federal property in the south

Davis vowed to take Fort Sumter before its defenses could be strengthened

Davis demanded the fort surrender by April 12, 1861, they did not

Confederate forces fired cannons at the fort for 34 hours before it surrendered

The Civil War had begun

A picture of Fort Sumter soon after the original Confederate flag was raised on April 13, 1861.A picture of Fort Sumter soon after the original Confederate flag was raised on April 13, 1861.

The Rest of the South The Rest of the South SecedesSecedes

Upper south slave states felt they had no choice but to join the Confederacy

Virginia on April 17, 1861 Robert E. Lee is appointed as Commander of

Virginia’s Army Gained fame as a brilliant military leader in the

U.S. Marine Corps

Arkansas, N. Carolina, and Tennessee by early June, 1861

The Confederate

States of America

The Union’s Grand Strategy

Lincoln Strikes FirstLincoln Strikes First

Lincoln was under pressure to attack quickly Most northerners felt that a quick attack would

make the south realize their mistake and force them to compromise

General P.G.T. Beauregard was gathering Confederate troops 25 miles south of Washington D.C., near Manassas Junction, VA A strategic railroad center in northern Virginia Lincoln approved an attack on these forces Lincoln hoped a victory would bring an end to the

war

First Battle of Bull RunFirst Battle of Bull Run

July 21, 1861

Union forces pushed the Confederates across a stream called Bull Run

A large force of Confederate reinforcements lead by General Thomas J. Jackson arrived from Virginia

Jackson’s men gave a morale boost to the Confederates and they stopped retreating

One Confederate commander yelled, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall!” From then on, the general was known as “Stonewall”

Jackson

Union troops retreated when Confederate reinforcements arrived

The first battle of the war was over and the South had won

The Henry House, as it appeared soon after the First Battle of Bull Run

The Stone House, March 1862.Served as hospital following the battle.

Results of Bull RunResults of Bull Run

Lincoln initially thought that a force of 75,000 men would be needed for a period of three months

After Bull Run, Lincoln approved the enlistment of 500,000 men for three years

Both the north and the south instituted a draft to raise the necessary troops

Naval WarNaval War

Lincoln’s goal was to blockade all Southern ports

By the spring of 1862, all but two Confederate ports were sealed off

The South used “blockade runners” Small fast ships that smuggled goods

The Confederacy used warships operating out of foreign ports to attack Northern merchant ships

War in the WestWar in the West

Union General Ulysses S. Grant began a campaign to seize control of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers Control would give Union forces a river route

into Confederate territory Grant seized Fort Henry and Fort Donelson

giving him control of all of Kentucky and Western Tennessee

War in the WestWar in the West

Shiloh Grant’s forces were camped out near a small

church named Shiloh, outside Corinth, Mississippi On April 6, 1862, Confederate forces launched a

surprise attack Grant was extremely aggressive on the second

day of the battle and forced the Confederates to retreat

20,000 troops were killed or wounded Newspapers demanded Grant be fired for high

casualties Lincoln said, “I can’t spare this man; he fights.”

Battle of Shiloh

War in the EastWar in the East

Eastern Union forces were lead by General George B. McClellan Took over after General Irwin McDowell’s defeat at Bull

Run

Peninsula Campaign McClellan took his forces up the James River, southeast

of Yorktown, Virginia McClellan made some tactical errors and lost a battle

outside of Richmond The Confederate commander was wounded in the

fighting and was replaced by General Robert E. Lee

McClellan's Peninsula Campaign

War in the EastWar in the East

Seven Day’s Battle McClellan was attacked by Lee on the

Peninsula Lee forced McClellan to retreat all the

way to the sea Lincoln ordered McClellan to evacuate

the peninsula and return to Washington Over 30,000 casualties in the seven

days of fighting

The Second Battle of Bull The Second Battle of Bull RunRun

Lee attacked the Union forces defending Washington D.C.

The majority of the fighting took place at the same Bull Run creek

Again, Confederate forces prevailed and Lee had entered Union territory Confederate forces were only 20 miles from D.C.

AntietamAntietam

Lee thought that only an invasion would convince the north to recognize the Confederacy’s independence

Lee’s troops congregated near Sharpsville, Maryland

McClellan’s troops gathered near Antietam Creek, east of Lee

McClellan attacked on Sept. 17, 1862

The bloodiest day in American History 8,000 dead 23,000 wounded

AntietamAntietam

Lee’s retreat made Britain rethink its recognition of the Confederacy

McClellan could have chased Lee and destroyed his entire army, but was too cautious Lincoln was disappointed with McClellan’s

performance and fired him General Ambrose Burnside replaced McClellan

Antietam convinced Lincoln to end slavery

Battlefield PhotographsBattlefield Photographs

Alexander Gardner took 70 photographs of the battlefield starting just two days after the battle. This was the first time an American battlefield had ever been photographed before the dead had been buried. Gardner returned in early October when President Lincoln visited General George McClellan and the Army of the Potomac and took another series of images. Gardner, 41 years old at the time of the battle, was employed by Mathew Brady who owned of a photography gallery in Washington, D.C. during the Civil War.

Cumberland Landing, Va. Federal encampment

Falmouth, Va. Drum corps of 61st New York Infantry

Richmond, Va., vicinity. Engineers building corduroy road

Antietam, Md. President Lincoln and

Gen. George B. McClellan in the general's tent.

Antietam, Md. Allan Pinkerton,

President Lincoln, and Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand

Antietam, Md. Confederate dead by a fence on the Hagerstown road

Confederate dead on the east side of the Hagerstown Pike, with the photographer looking toward the Dunker Church

Antietam, Md. Battlefield on the day of the battle

The litter of battle is clearly seen in this image taken just south of the Cornfield looking west. It was time for the burial crew, pictured here, to take over.

Confederate dead gathered for burial

EmancipationEmancipation

Northerners called for and end to slavery To punish the South To make the soldier’s sacrifice worthwhile

Lincoln issued a Proclamation on September 22, 1862 All slavery would be abolished in states at war

with the Union after January 1, 1863 Did not free slaves in the border states Used as a threat to the Confederate States Transformed the entire purpose of the war

VicksburgVicksburg

The last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River

"See what a lot of land these fellows hold, of which Vicksburg is the key, the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket." -Lincoln

A victory here could cut the south in two

Attack from the north was not possible Forests and swamps prevented it Grant planned to cross the Mississippi River, march

south, re-cross and attack the city from the south

Once Grant had re-crossed the river, he marched his troops 180 miles in 17 days 5 battles were fought on the way back to Vicksburg 7,200 Confederate casualties

Vicksburg Vicksburg (cont.)(cont.)

May, 1863: Grant launched two major attacks on Vicksburg City’s defenses pushed both attacks back Grant suffered high casualties

Grant decided that the only way to defeat Vicksburg was to put it under siege Cut off all food supplies into the city Constant artillery bombardment On July 4, 1863, the Confederates surrendered

Vicksburg The Confederacy was cut in two and its eventual

defeat was inevitable

Fredericksburg and Fredericksburg and ChancellorsvilleChancellorsville

Lincoln ordered Burnside to push into the south and destroy Lee’s army

On December 13, 1862 Burnside attacked Lee’s army outside Fredericksburg, Virginia Lee’s army was entrenched in the woods

Union troops suffered over 12,000 casualties, twice as many as the Confederates

Lincoln was upset, he fired Burnside and replaced him with General Joseph Hooker

Fredericksburg and Fredericksburg and ChancellorsvilleChancellorsville

(cont.)(cont.)

Hooker split his army Left most of the troop at Fredericksburg to keep Lee’s

troops occupied Took a small force west in the hopes to circle around Lee

and attack him from the rear

Lee figured out Hooker’s plan and divided his forces as well Left a very small number of troops at Fredericksburg Took the majority of his army to cut off Hooker’s attack

On May 2, 1863 Lee attacked Hooker’s forces outside Chancellorsville Lee was outnumbered two to one Lee aggressively split his troops and defeated the Union

forces Hooker retreated on May 5

Chancellorsville Day 1

Chancellorsville Day 2

GettysburgGettysburg

Lee made one last attempt to invade the north

In June 1863, Lee moved his forces into Virginia and pillaged the countryside

Hooker was unable to stop Lee’s advanced and Lincoln fired him Replaced with General George Meade

Lee sent troops into the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in search of shoes for the troops

When the Confederates entered the town, they encountered Union Calvary

A small division of Confederated pushed the Union forces out of the city and into the surrounding hills

Both sides sent the largest army they could muster to Gettysburg

Gettysburg Gettysburg (cont.)(cont.)

A pivotal battle

Involved more than 160,000 combatants from both sides

Three days of fighting, July 1-3, 1863

51,000 casualties, the greatest number of any Civil War battle

The South's last attempt at a full-scale invasion of the North

Gettysburg Gettysburg (cont.)(cont.)

General Robert E. Lee’s goals Gain European support for the South Turn the attention of Union armies away from

Confederate territory Find provisions for his army

Lee’s defeat made Gettysburg the turning point in the eastern theater of the war The Confederate army could no longer sustain

an offensive

Gettysburg, Pa. on Little Round Top; Round Top in distance

Gettysburg, Pa. View of Little Round Top

Gettysburg, Pa. Dead Confederate soldiers in "the devil's den"

Gettysburg, Pa. Dead Confederate soldier in Devil's Den

Gettysburg, Pa. Four dead soldiers in the woods near Little Round Top

Gettysburg, Pa. Dead Confederate soldiers in the "slaughter pen" at the foot of Little Round Top

Gettysburg, Pa. The battlefield viewed from Little Round Top

Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, Trostle House

Diary of Private Elisha Hunt Rhodes, Diary of Private Elisha Hunt Rhodes,

2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, U.S.A.2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, U.S.A.

July 4th 1863--Was ever the Nation's Birthday celebrated in such a way before? This morning the 2nd R.I. was sent out to the front and found that during the night General Lee and his Rebel Army had fallen back. It was impossible to march across the field without stepping upon dead or wounded men, while horses and broken Artillery lay on every side.

Grant vs. LeeGrant vs. Lee

President Lincoln rewarded Ulysses S. Grant’s success in the west with overall command of all Union forces in the spring of 1864

Grant promised to march south and attack Lee’s forces whenever and wherever he could

Warfare now continued without pause for re-supply and reinforcements

Sherman’s March to Sherman’s March to the Seathe Sea

General Sherman marched his troops from Atlanta, Georgia to Savannah on the coast

He destroyed everything in his path

His goal was to “make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hand of war” Felt that all people in the south should be

punished for the war If all people in the south were demoralized,

they would call for an end to the war

Sherman’s March on Atlanta

You cannot qualify war in harsher terms than I will. War is cruelty, and you

cannot refine it; and those who brought war into our country deserve all the

curses and maledictions a people can pour out.

--William Tecumseh ShermanLetter to the city of Atlanta, 1864

Election of 1864Election of 1864

Democrats nominated George McClellan

Lincoln won 55% of the vote Interpreted it as a mandate to end slavery

On January 13, 1865, with Lincoln’s help, the thirteenth amendment to the Constitution was passed by Congress Banned slavery in the United States

SurrenderSurrender

Lee’s forces were surrounded near the Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia

“There is nothing left for me to do but go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths.” –General Robert E. Lee

Lee surrendered at the courthouse on April 9, 1865

United States War Deaths

Lincoln is AssassinatedLincoln is Assassinated

Lincoln’s plans to incorporate African Americans into the new Southern governments made him many enemies

On April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the Ford’s Theater with his wife

During the third act of the play, John Wilkes Booth snuck up behind Lincoln and shot him in the head

Aftermath of the WarAftermath of the War

The south was economically devastated

Bringing the southern states back into the Union will be a challenge

What will be the status of the millions of freed slaves?

The post Civil War era is known as “Reconstruction”