The First Year

  Politicians think this will be a “90 - day War”  Short and easy with few casualties  At the start of the War neither side had a large standing Army  Both sides will call for volunteers  Most men that volunteer are between years old, and have no military experience  Describe the attitude of the Soldiers leaving for War. Why are they volunteering? Do they seem scared or worried? Building Armies

  The North calls for 275,000 volunteers  The South calls for 100,000 volunteers  So many men volunteer that some are turned away and sent home  Neither side will allow African-Americans to fight  Men from everywhere, and from many different backgrounds enlist in the Army to fight for their countries.  Entire towns will sign up go to war. Building Armies

  Describe the attitude of the Soldiers leaving for War. Why are they volunteering? Do they seem scared or worried?  Most inexperienced soldiers are excited, happy and eager to fight.  They have no idea what war really will be like  Most experienced soldiers are worried, scared and are predicting a long war with many deaths.  They have seen war before, and know what to expect Building Armies

  Both sides were in need of strong, capable commanders  Robert E. Lee-  Pre-Civil War: Considered the most promising and capable officer in the United States Army  After Fort Sumter: Meets with Abraham Lincoln  Lee is offered command of the entire U.S. Army  Lee declines the offer.  Lee is offered command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia  Lee Accepts the offer  “I look upon secession as anarchy. If I owned four millions of slaves in the South I would sacrifice them all to the Union; but how can I draw my sword upon Virginia, my native state?”  “If Virginia stands by the old Union, so will I. But if she secedes…then I will follow my native state with my sword and if need be with my life.” Robert E. Lee

  Thousands of men have left home to enlist in the army.  They are being trained, but have yet to see a real battle  “This is not an army” – Irvin McDowell  Abraham Lincoln has shown he will do anything to restore the Union, even ignore the Constitution.  Lincoln prevents the border states from seceding (MO, KY, DE, MD)  Neither side is allowing African-Americans to fight.  The Union Army is allowing runaway slaves to work as laborers  Small skirmishes are breaking out across the country, but there still has not been a major battle. Preparing for Battle

  Battle of Bull Run/Battle of Manassas  July 21 st, 1861  First major battle of the Civil War  Manassas Junction, Virginia (near Bull Run Creek)  Contained an important railroad station  Close to both the U.S. and Confederate Capitols  ~25 miles from Washington D.C  ~75 miles from Richmond, Virginia  Turn to your Civil War Map Battle of Bull Run/Manassas

  ~35,000 Union Troops vs. ~25,000 Confederate Troops  Early in the battle, Union Forces are winning easily.  They are breaking Confederate lines and forcing them to retreat.  The battle is so one-sided that Union soldiers are stopping to collect souvenirs from the battlefield Battle of Bull Run/Manassas

  **Turning Point**  Union forces hit Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s line.  Jackson’s men hold and the Union Army is stopped  “There’s Jackson with his Virginians, standing like a stone wall”  Confederate reinforcements arrive and go on a counterattack  The Union Army falls apart and is driven off the battlefield Battle of Bull Run/Manassas

  The South wins a surprising victory against a larger Northern Army  Union = 2896 casualties  Confederacy = 1982 casualties  Casualty = Someone injured, killed, captured, or missing in action after a military action.  Bull Run/Manassas was the largest and bloodiest battle in American history up to that point. Battle of Bull Run/Manassas

  Soldiers now realize what the war will really be like.  They are exposed to death and horrific injuries for the first time  In the South they celebrate their “Great Victory”.  They will gain the confidence that they CAN win the war.  In the North they wonder how this could have happened.  Lincoln and others are shocked, begin to question their strategies  People on both sides are shocked by the amount of casualties.  Both sides realize this will not be a “90-day War” After Bull Run/Manassas

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  George B. McClellan is put in command of the Union Army  His strength is preparing and training armies.  He drills them day and night, inspires confidence, and makes the Union Army truly ready for war.  His weakness is inactivity/cautiousness  McClellan creates great armies, but does not want to fight battles. George B. McClellan

  Most people now realize the Civil War will be much longer and more destructive than they thought.  Generals:  Ulysses S. Grant – relieved of command and assigned desk duty  William T. Sherman – called insane when he predicts he will need 200,000 men in Kentucky. Goes into a deep depression  Both sides call for more volunteers and continue to build their Armies  The two nations prepare for a long, bloody No “90-day War”