USA Civil War(1861-1865)

Continent discovery

• First immigrants were Indians (30,000 B.C.)• Second immigrants were Inuit (5,000 B.C.)• First European nation that discovered American

continent were Vikings (1,000 A.D)• The trade was the most important reason why the

Europeans started with world exploration.• Fear of the Ottoman Empire forced the Atlantic

nations to search for a new route to the East.

• In August 1492, Columbus sailed west with his ships: Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria.

• He made three more voyages to America and each time he thought he had reached the East.

• Later explorations proved that Columbus had discovered a “New World.” Ironically, that New World was named for someone else- Amerigo Vespucci.

War IntroductionThere are many causes that led to the American Civil War. Slavery

is known as the main cause for the war, but other political and cultural differences between the North and the South certainly contributed.

The economies of many northern states moved away from farming to industry. A lot of people in the North worked and lived in large cities. The southern states, however, had a large farming economy that was based on slave labor. While the North no longer needed slaves, the South did.

The election of the anti-slavery Republican Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860 caused 11 southern states to secede from the Union to form the Confederate States of America. Four years of brutal conflict were marked by historic battles at Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg and Vicksburg. By the time it ended in Confederate surrender in 1865, the Civil War proved to be the costliest war ever fought on American soil, with some 620,000 of 2.4 million soldiers killed, millions more injured and the population and territory of the South devastated.

• Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States during the Civil War.

• He refused to recognize the southern states as an independent nation.

• Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday.• In 1865, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a southern

sympathizer.

Union GeneralsUlysses S. Grant- General Grant led the Army of Tennessee in the

early stages of the war. He had the nickname "Unconditional Surrender." After winning major victories at Shiloh and Vicksburg, Grant was promoted by President Lincoln to lead the entire Union Army. Grant led the Army of the Potomac into several battles against Confederate General Robert E. Lee and eventually accepted his surrender at the Appomattox Court House.

William Tecumseh Sherman - General Sherman led under Grant at the Battle of Shiloh and the Siege of Vicksburg. He then gained command of his own army and conquered the city of Atlanta. He is most famous for his "march to the sea" from Atlanta to Savannah where he destroyed everything that could be used against his army along the way.

Ulysses S. Grant

William Sherman

Confederate Generals

Robert E. Lee - General Lee led the Confederate Army of Virginia throughout the Civil War. He was a brilliant commander who won many battles while being greatly outnumbered. His most important victories include the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Fredericksburg, and the Battle of Chancellorsville.

Stonewall Jackson - General Jackson earned his nickname "Stonewall" early in the war at the First Battle of Bull Run. When his soldiers held firmly against a fierce Union attack, it was said that he stood like a "stone wall.“ Jackson was accidentally killed by his own men at the Battle of Chancellorsville.

Robert E. Lee

Stonewall Jackson

BattlesThe First Battle of Bull Run

Union troops gathered around Washington D.C. in hope of seizing Manassas, which was a vital railroad, but the Confederate troops aligned the creek waiting for Union forces at Bull Run. This was the first large battle of the war. The Confederate forces defeated the Union.

The Peninsular Campaign

General McClellan (Union Army) decided to approach Richmond from the Atlantic coast. McClellan landed troops in Yorktown. The Confederates defeated the Union in the battles, led by General Joseph E. Johnston, then General Robert E. Lee.

The Battle of Shiloh

The Battle of Shiloh was fought as one of the battles of the "War in the West.” General Grant led his army into Tennessee and continued to advance. Confederate forces attacked near Shiloh, resulting in thousands of casualties between both armies in two days of fighting. The Union won the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, even though they suffered more losses than the Confederates.

The Battle of Chancellorsville

The South won the Battle of Chancellorsville, part of the rising hope in the South. This was a time for hope in the South because the Union was loosing troops. Stonewall Jackson was killed accidentally by one of his own men at Chancellorsville when mistaken for a Yankee.

The Battle of Gettysburg

Almost accidentally, Confederate troops discovered Union cavalry in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Confederates attacked, paving the way for the largest battle of the war, lasting three days. The Union Army won the Battle of Gettysburg, destroying Lee's hopes of carrying the fighting further up North.

War operations

End of war and consequencesThe Civil War was one of the most tragic wars in American history. More Americans died then in all other wars combined.

• The nation was reunited and the southern states were not allowed to secede.

• The South was placed under military rule and divided into military districts. Southern states then had to apply for readmission to the Union.

• The Federal government proved itself supreme over the states. • Slavery was effectively ended. While slavery was not officially outlawed

until the passage of the 13th amendment, the slaves were set free upon the end of the war.

Interesting Facts

• The Union Army of 2,100,000 soldiers was nearly twice the size of the Confederate Army of 1,064,000.

• It was the deadliest war in American history. • Around 9 million people lived in the Southern states at the time of the

Civil War. Around 3.4m were slaves.• 66% of the deaths in the war were due to disease.• John and George Crittenden were brothers who were both generals during

the war. John for the North and George for the South!• Stonewall Jackson, one of the South's greatest generals, was killed by

friendly fire.• Lincoln dreamed of getting assassinated only a few days before he was

killed by John Wilkes Booth.• In the first few battles each side did not have regular uniforms. This made

it tough to figure out who was who. Later the Union would wear dark blue uniforms and the Confederates gray coats and pants.

• President Lincoln asked Robert E. Lee to command the Union forces, but Lee was loyal to Virginia and fought for the South.

• After John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln, he jumped from the box and broke his leg. However, he still managed to stand up on the stage and yell out the Virginia State Motto "Sic semper tyrannis" which means "Thus always to tyrants".

• Clara Barton was a famous nurse to the Union Troops. She was called the "Angel of the Battlefields" and founded the American Red Cross.