UNION (NORTH)CONFEDERACY (SOUTH) General Irvin McDowell
(McDowell and Beauregard were West Point classmates) 37,000 troops
2,900 casualties Generals P.G.T. Beauregard and Joseph E. Johnston
20,000 troops until Johnston reinforced with an additional 10,000)
2,000 casualties
Slide 4
Just 25 southwest of Washington D.C. at Manassas Junction,
Virginia on July 21, 1861 Most people thought and were hoping that
the war would be over in one big battle. Hoping to witness a Union
victory, congressmen, society leaders, ladies and local towns
people dressed in Sunday best and drove in carriages to picnic and
watch the war All afternoon the battle raged on. It was not until
Johnston and his 10,000 troops who arrived by train (a first in
war), that the Confederates defeated the Union With the
Confederates yelling their Rebel Yell, the Union troops retreated
running back to Washington D.C. and the battle was a clear
CONFEDERATE VICTORY In the frantic rush, soldiers, spectators,
horses and carriages mixed together in a desperate attempt to flee
the Confederate Army that was not pursuing them at all
Slide 5
Significance of battle It was here that Confederate General
Thomas Jackson earned his nickname, Stonewall Jackson, at this
battle as he stood steadfast with his brigade as bullets flew all
around them. General Bernard Bee pointed and said, Look! There is
Jackson standing like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!
During the battle there was confusion over the similar flags and
uniforms of the North and South. After the battle the Confederate
flag was decided upon and the colors associated with each side
became official: Union blue and Confederate gray. Following the
Confederate victory, Virginia seceded and Robert E. Lee (the best
general on either side) became general of the Confederate Army.
Lincoln fired McDowell and replaced him with Mexican War veteran,
McClellan. Before the First Battle of Bull Run, many in the north
and the south had romanticized the war. However, with the deaths of
troops and civilians, the reality of war was brought home. The
South was criticized for not pursuing the Union troops back to
Washington D.C. and taking the capital, but they were too
disorganized Any hopes of a quick victory (Union or Confederate)
and end to the war were soon lost
Slide 6
Obstacle Course
Slide 7
Merrimac is on the left (Confederate) and Monitor is on the
right (Union)
Slide 8
UNION (NORTH)CONFEDERACY (SOUTH) The Monitor Lieutenant John L
Worden 9 inch thick armor plating Had only two guns, but were
housed in a motor driven turret that could be pointed in any
direction Could travel in shallow waters Looked like a cheese box
on a raft The Merrimac (Virginia) Lieutenant Catesby Jones 2 inch
thick armor plating Larger than the Monitor-weighed twice as much
causing it sit low in the water 4 cannon on each side, bow gun,
stern gun Hard to maneuver Could only travel in deep water channels
Looked like a half submerged crocodile
Slide 9
March 9, 1862 First sea battle using ironclad ships (ironclads)
at Hampton Roads, Chesapeake Bay The Merrimac had sunk two wooden
Union ships, when the Monitor arrived to defend the its ships Most
of the time the two ironclads were less than 50 yards apart (they
even touched several times), but no real damage was ever done and
no one was killed Inside the ironclads, the men suffered from
intense heat and noise (the Monitor was better ventilated and
boasted a toilet) Although each captain thought he had won, the
battle was a decisive DRAW
Slide 10
Significance of battle The real loser of the battle proved to
be the wooden ships who were no longer a match for the ironclads
that did not burn or break under attack. By the end of the war, the
Union had more than 40 ironclads to the Confederacys 24
Slide 11
Water Battle
Slide 12
This print shows the Union troops, under Brig. General Benjamin
Prentiss, who held out for six hours, withstanding a dozen
confederate assaults and point-blank artillery fire before
surrendering on the first day of the Battle of Shiloh. The buzzing
sound of the intense firing gave this area of the battle, opposite
the Peach Orchard, the name "Hornet's Nest."
Slide 13
UNION (NORTH)CONFEDERACY (SOUTH) General Ulysses S. Grant
65,000 troops 13,000 casualties Generals Albert Sidney Johnston
(killed the first day) & P.G.T. Beauregard 40,000 troops 10,500
casualties
Slide 14
April 6 & 7, 1862 at Shiloh Church, Tennessee 5 A.M. in the
morning the Confederates made a surprise attack on unprepared Union
troops cooking breakfast who were waiting at Shiloh Church for
reinforcements before trying to capture a railway station in
Mississippi Ferocious fighting lasted for hours in an area
nicknamed the Hornets Nest- huge death toll and casualties
including Confederate General Johnston who bled to death when
struck by a bullet in the leg General Beauregard took command and
turned all 62 cannon on the nest and fired-once the smoke cleared
nothing could be seen but splintered trees and shattered men Grant
retreated and the Confederates won the first day; Beauregard was so
sure of a Confederate victory that he sent a premature telegram to
Richmond (Confederate capital) declaring that the South had won at
Shiloh. However, Union reinforcements came the next day and the
Confederate Army was defeated, resulting in a UNION VICTORY
Slide 15
Horrors of War The horrors of war were shown at Shiloh Grant
said, The ground was so covered with dead bodies you could walk
across the whole area without touching the ground. After the first
day of fighting, the wounded and dead were left on the battlefield.
All night long troops could hear screaming and pleas for help and
water. A thunderstorm happened that night with numerous flashes of
lightning that lit up the battlefield before the rain came. This
allowed the wounded to see wild hogs feeding on the bodies of the
dead Gunfire had ignited the dry underbrush and many wounded were
burned to death where they lay There were almost as many casualties
at Shiloh as in the entire American Revolution; this was the
bloodiest day in the Civil War so far
Slide 16
Significance of battle Shiloh taught Generals Grant and Sherman
(who later would be referred to as one of the architects of modern
warfare following his March from Atlanta to the Sea where the
Confederates troops destroyed everything in their path including
homes, businesses and railroads and took private property, food and
livestock and freed slaves) to never underestimate the Souths
determination to win In the long run, Shiloh was a devastating loss
for the Confederacy in that it weakened the forces in the region
and they were unable to ever fully recovered Union forces were able
to take control of the rail lines which was the first step of the
Union controlling the Mississippi River and the beginning of the
Confederate loss of the West
Slide 17
Bombardment
Slide 18
Bloody Lane There were 450 casualties in the first 5 minutes of
fighting here. 2600 dead and wounded Confederate Soldiers were left
this lane when troops retreated.
Slide 19
UNION (NORTH)CONFEDERACY (SOUTH) General George McClellan
75,000 troops 12,400 casualties General Robert E. Lee 40,000 troops
10,300 casualties (25% of Lees entire army)
Slide 20
September 17, 1862 Sharpsburg, Maryland More Americans lost
their lives in a single day of battle than ever before or ever
since Lee wanted to invade Maryland to obtain supplies and then
move the war north and out of Virginia and away from the ravages of
war Lee hoped a Confederate victory in the North would bring France
or England on the side of the Confederacy and motivate Northerners
to sue for peace Lee knew and was counting on McClellans cautious
tendencies, but McClellan reorganized quickly and the two armies
met at Antietam Creek Had McClellan attacked promptly, the Union
could have easily defeated the Confederates (who were vastly
outnumbered), before Stonewall Jacksons reinforcements
arrived.
Slide 21
Union artillery fired at dawn all day long fighting occurred in
the cornfields, a sunken road that would be nicknamed Bloody Lane
and the bridge at Antietam Creek Cornfields Fighting in the
cornfields was described as a slaughter pen Men lost control
(weeping, screaming, laughing) Men used bayonets, clubbed rifles,
punched, bit, choked and scratched The cannon smoke made it
impossible to distinguish between friend or foe just one foot away
Entire divisions were lost
Slide 22
Bloody Lane Confederates took position on a sunken road behind
a split rail fence As Union troops approached they were met with
rounds of gunfire and were either killed or forced to retreat 5
times Union forces assaulted and fell back until a group of
soldiers from a New York division broke through and fired down upon
the Confederates now stuck in a trap We were shooting them like
sheep in a trap Antietam Creek Confederate General Ambrose Burnside
spent the day capturing a bridge over Antietam Creek His 500
riflemen almost lost it before reinforcements arrived
Slide 23
Significance of battle Lincoln went to Antietam for a surprise
inspection of the troops and urged McClellan to pursue and destroy
the rebel army if possible. McClellan did not, despite the fact
that he could have put in 62,000 troops (half of whom were
completely fresh) compared to 33,000 Confederate troops who were
all exhausted and battered. McClellan had missed yet another chance
to destroy the Confederates and perhaps end the war. Lincoln fired
McClellan and replaced him with General Ambrose Burnside Although
the battle was technically a draw, Lincoln formally declared it a
Union victory to help gain support when he issued the Emancipation
Proclamation which freed the slaves just 5 days after the battle
Lincoln was morally opposed to slavery and knew that it would
seriously damage the southern economy and help bring the war to an
end
Slide 24
Stratego
Slide 25
Picketts Charge
Slide 26
UNION (NORTH)CONFEDERACY (SOUTH) General George Meade 93,000
troops 23,000 casualties General Robert E. Lee 75,00 troops 28,000
casualties (one third of army)
Slide 27
July 1-3, 1863 at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania What many believe to
be the most decisive encounter between the North and South in the
entire war Almost one out of every three soldiers was killed,
wounded or missing in action
Slide 28
Union and Confederate goal was to get into good fighting
position Jeb Stuart made this difficult for the Confederates.
Stuart rode ahead of Lee on the trip North and his job was to scout
the Union army to find out their location and numbers. He was
unable to get back to Lee, so Lee had no idea where or how big the
Union Army was Most men of both armies were still marching towards
Gettysburg when the fighting broke out Soldiers fought along
Chambersburg Road At the end of the day, Confederate Army
controlled Gettysburg and the Union was spread out on Culps Hill
and Cemetery Hill where Confederate position could easily be
seen
Slide 29
Lees main goal was to gain control of Little Round Top and Big
Round Top The Unions 20 th Maine infantry (led by Chamberlain)
defended Little Round Top against Alabama troops twice their number
5 times the Confederates charged up the hill and 5 times they held
them off In an hour and a half 40,000 rounds of ammunition was used
Running low on ammunition, Chamberlain ordered men to fix bayonets
to rifles and led a brave charge down the hill The charge was a
success as Alabama troops retreated and the Union held its valuable
position Meanwhile, heavy combat was happening in the peach
orchard, wheat field and at Devils Den At the end of the second
day, the field was littered with 35,000 casualties, but neither
side retreated.
Slide 30
Confederate General Longstreet had advised a march around the
Union army Lee, however, insisted on one more attempt to break the
Union line Longstreet was certain that they could not defeat the
Union due to their field position and Lee was did not believe that
his army could be beaten General George Pickett and two other
generals led the attack that would be known as Picketts Charge
Despite their bravery, pride and precision, the Confederate troops
were slaughtered More than 5,600 men died in this charge; most
killed before they reached the Union line Picketts division was
decimated; 2/3 of men were killed, all 13 colonels were killed or
wounded. When Lee asked Pickett to reorganize his division for a
counter attack he replied, General Lee, I have no division
now.
Slide 31
Significance of battle On the fourth of July, Lee retreated
South Lincoln was furious that Meade did not pursue Lee and defeat
the Confederate army and possibly end the war The townsfolk of
Gettysburg were left to care for the thousands of wounded and bury
the bodies of 5,000 horses and 8,000 soldiers Lee was so distraught
over the defeat that he offered his resignation to Confederate
president Jefferson Davis-he refused it The Confederate Army never
invaded the North again After the war, Picketts charge was the
iconic symbol of Confederate bravery in the face of death
Gettysburg was the beginning of the end of the war The battles
significance was immortalized with Lincolns famous Gettysburg
address; approximately 270 words and lasting only two minutes
