THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

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Causes

• Slavery

• Northern and Southern states were developing different lifestyles and cultures.

• Differences in the economic life .The North’s economy focused on finance and manufacturing, and the South specialized in crops and agricultural trade.

• Southern states also began to question the extent of the federal government’s power.

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Why Did People Own Slaves?Many people had slaves because they needed help on their

plantations, very large farms that grew things such as tobacco and cotton. The plantation needed many

workers in order to grow, sell, and export their crops.

Abolitionist Movement

• Abolitionists were people who wanted slaves to be freed.

• Some abolitionists favored returning them to Africa.

• Many, but not all, abolitionists believed African-American slaves should have the same freedoms as their owners.

• Southern states opposed the abolition of slavery; it was a financial necessity and part of their social structure. The South’s agricultural trade depended on crops produced with slave labor.

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A Divided NationComparing Northern and Southern Societies

The North’s population was three times that of the South. The

majority of the population in the North wanted slavery to be

abolished. Most other countries recognized the Union as the

government in America. The North had more resources for fighting the

war.

The South had about nine million people, including about three million

slaves. The average Southerner was not as wealthy as the average person living

in the North. About 90 percent of American industry and railroads were in the North. Reliance on slave labor

discouraged the creation of new jobs in the South. This discouraged

immigration, and most immigrants settled in the North.

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The Leaders

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Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States. He

opposed the expansion of slavery. A Republican, Lincoln led the Union

during the Civil War. John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln in Washington,

D.C., on April 14, 1865.

Jefferson Davis was President of the Confederate States of America. During the

Mexican War, he had been an officer in the United States Army. Davis also had served as the United States Secretary of

War. When the South surrendered, he was charged with treason and prohibited from

running for public office again.

StrategiesAnaconda Plan

King CottonThe Confederacy adopted a defensive strategy and attempted to secure alliances with more powerful

countries such as Britain and France. To do that, the South needed to show it could win the war. As a

result, the Confederate army attacked Union territory to draw Union troops away from the South and to

impress potential allies.

Union General Winfield Scott suggested the Anaconda Plan to halt Southern trade. The plan would be to block tools , food, and weapons from getting to the people in the south by Blocking off their sea trade. Meanwhile,

the army would divide and isolate sections of the South and capture its vital cities and the capital in Richmond,

Virginia.

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Uniforms

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At the beginning of the Civil War, states provided uniforms to soldiers; and the uniforms were in a variety of colors. This led to massive confusion on the battlefield, and often soldiers fired on their own men. As the war continued, both sides chose a single color for their uniforms. The United States of America chose blue, and the

Confederate States of America chose gray.

The Emancipation ProclamationJanuary 1, 1863

• President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.

• It was part of a two-part plan that guaranteed freedom to slaves in the Union and some Confederate states.

• The Confederate government claimed Lincoln could not issue laws over states in which he had no political

control.

• The first plan, enacted on September 22, 1862, freed slaves in Confederate

states that had not yet rejoined the Union.

• The second part took effect on January 1, 1863, applying to specific states, but not to the border states such as

Maryland and West Virginia.

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Assassination of LincolnApril 14, 1865

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President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at the end of the Civil

War. He was killed on April 14, 1865, while attending a play at

Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., with his wife. Lincoln was watching

Our American Cousin when John Wilkes Booth shot him in the back of

the head.

Booth was a loyal Confederate, and he thought the Confederacy could

triumph if Lincoln were dead. Booth jumped off the balcony and broke his

ankle, but managed to escape the theater. Lincoln died of his fatal

wound the next morning.

Legacy of the War

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The Civil War was the bloodiest war in American history. It has been referred to as “The War Between the States,” “The Brother’s War,” and the “War of Northern Aggression.” More than 600,000 Americans lost their lives, and countless others

were wounded severely. The Civil War led to passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth , and Fifteen Amendments to the United States Constitution. These amendments

outlawed slavery, granted African Americans United States citizenship, and granted African-American males the right to vote. Although equal treatment under the law

for African Americans would not be enforced until almost a hundred years later, the Civil War abolished slavery and established the supremacy of the federal

government.

Major Battles of the Civil War

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*Fort SumterApril 12, 1861

South Carolina

The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter. Major Robert Anderson of the Northern army had moved his troops to the base because he feared an attack

from the southern army. In the early morning of April 12, 1861, the southern

army launched an attack. Northern troops under Anderson’s command returned fire, but only killed one southern soldier. The

Confederacy continued its attack with prolonged gunfire, and the Union troops in the fort surrendered a day later. One

Confederate soldier and four Union soldiers were killed in the battle.

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*First Bull Run/ManassasJuly 21, 1861

Virginia

The First Battle of Bull Run took place on July 21, 1861. General Irvin McDowell led

the Northern army toward Richmond, Virginia. General P.G.T. Beauregard’s

Confederate troops intercepted them. The battle lasted about five hours. Confederate forces began to retreat due to losses, except General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson who

continued to fight until reinforcements arrived. The reenergized Confederates

pushed the Northern forces out of the area. Many union soldiers died, almost three thousand; and the Confederates suffered

two thousand casualties.

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ShilohApril 6-7, 1862

Tennessee

The Battle of Shiloh raged from April 6 until April 7, 1862. Northern troops

had found Confederate General Albert Johnston’s forces near Corinth Road,

but they were not prepared for an attack. The Southern troops forced them to retreat toward the river. Although the

Confederate soldiers had gained ground, they suffered many losses. On

the second day the Union army claimed ground in the early morning, throwing

off Beauregard’s troops. The Confederacy, however, had an

exceptional defense and stopped the Union soldiers before the Confederates

retreated.

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*The War at Sea

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The Battle of the Ironclads also is known as the Battle of Hampton Roads and the

Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack. This battle was fought off Sewell’s Point near

Hampton Roads, Virginia. It was the first naval battle between two ironclad ships, the Union’s USS Monitor and the Confederacy’s

CSS Virginia, which was rebuilt from the USS Merrimack.

The battle took place over two days, and the Virginia destroyed many of the Union’s

wooden ships. The next day, the two ironclads clashed at sea, and the Virginia was damaged. Neither side claimed victory in this battle, but

the battle revealed the future of naval warfare. Ironclad, steam-driven ships were at a decisive advantage against wooden sailing

vessels.

*AntietamSeptember 17, 1862

Maryland

The Battle of Antietam, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, was fought on September 16–18, 1862. It was a confrontation between Union and Confederate forces under Generals

George McClellan and Robert E. Lee. Federal armies brutalized the

Confederacy; the combined casualties were more than twenty-three thousand. The Union pushed Lee and his troops

back to Antietam Creek, but the stubborn Confederate general

counterattacked with all his troops. The two sides fought to a standstill, and

both armies withdrew.

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*FredericksburgDecember 13, 1862

Virginia

Fredericksburg was the site of a battle in December 1862. Union General Ambrose Burnside led a march on

Richmond, but was delayed for more than two weeks because of late-

arriving supplies. General Lee (the southern general) positioned his army, deploying snipers to pick off Federal troops. During the fight many Union soldiers were left in the open after crossing military bridges, and they became easy prey for Confederate

troops. Burnside had no choice but to retreat with the remnants of his army.

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*VicksburgMay 2-July 9, 1863

Mississippi

The lengthy Battle of Vicksburg began in Warren County on May 13, 1863. The North and the South considered Vicksburg an important stronghold.

Union General Ulysses S. Grant launched massive assaults on Vicksburg and terrorized the

inhabitants. Confederates achieved a minimal victory at Milliken’s Bend

against untrained black troops. Federal troops pushed Confederate forces back as the size of the Union

forces continued to increase. Confederate General John Pemberton surrendered to Grant on July 3, 1863.

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*GettysburgJuly 1-3, 1863

Pennsylvania

The Battle of Gettysburg began as the Battle of Vicksburg was ending.

Confederate General Lee forced federal troops, under General George C. Meade’s

command, to lose ground as the Confederate forces attempted to take the

city. Lee planned several attacks, including attacks at Peach Orchard and Devil’s Den. The Union army fought

back, repelling Confederate attacks and sending them back to Culp’s Hill. Lee

was relentless and sent his army back into battle, but to no avail. He eventually began a retreat toward Williamsport.

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The Gettysburg Address November 19, 1863

Abraham Lincoln delivered this famous speech on November 19, 1863, to a crowd

gathered at the dedication of Soldier’s National Cemetery in Gettysburg,

Pennsylvania. The speech contains only two hundred seventy-two words, but it is

considered one of the greatest speeches in American history.

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WildernessMay 5-7, 1864

Virginia

Union General Grant continued his march to Richmond, Virginia, planning to use

three armies to capture the city. He wanted to cut Lee’s food and artillery supply lines

and to block a Southern retreat. Grant’s troops encountered Confederate General

Richard Ewell’s soldiers. The Union forces outnumbered the Confederate. Because of

gunfire and the Wilderness’ dry land, forest fires were sparked. Confederates achieved

some success and inflicted Union casualties. Grant refused to retreat and

continued his march to Richmond.

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Cold HarborMay 31-June 12, 1864

Virginia

The Battle of Cold Harbor lasted from May 31 to June 12, 1864, in Hanover

County, Virginia. Union General Philip Sheridan led a successful attack against Confederate troops, which lasted until the Confederacy called reinforcements

to the area. Sheridan followed in similar fashion, enlisting the help of General Grant. As in the Battle of Wilderness,

Grant battled on, launching his soldiers at the Confederacy. The Grant-led army

suffered almost five thousand losses. Grant’s march to Richmond had been thrown off, so now he attempted to

regain footing in Petersburg.

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*Sherman’s March to the SeaNovember 15-December 20, 1864

Union General William T. Sherman already had captured Atlanta, but he wanted to leave sixty thousand troops there while he marched the rest of his army to the Atlantic Ocean through

Savannah, Georgia. During this time, Confederate General John Hood had led

troops in a raid on Tennessee, leaving Sherman’s soldiers to face fewer than five thousand Confederate soldiers.

Sherman’s troops burned buildings and infrastructures along the way,

destroying many towns and cities. Sherman’s troops defeated the depleted Confederate army and took Savannah

on December 22, 1864.

As the Union army moved through the South, they destroyed train tracks by heating the rails and bending them

into a bow. This became known as “Sherman’s Neckties”

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Surrender at AppomattoxApril 9, 1865

General Lee finally surrendered in Virginia, on April 9, 1865. His army had diminished, which contributed to the Union’s many victories near the end of the war. In a sign of respect, Grant allowed Lee to keep his saber

and horse.

General Joseph Johnston was the last Confederate general who continued to fight. He still believed that the South could win the war. Johnston’s troops

eventually fell to Union troops, and he surrendered to General Sherman on

April 26, 1865.

Virginia

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