The Civil War

Recap Remember 11 States have just seceded and formed a new country, the Confederacy. These states attacked the United States army base at Fort Sumter.

Border States There were five border states: Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware Slavery was legal in these states, though there were not many

Border States Missouri - Controlled parts of Mississippi River Kentucky - Controlled parts of the Ohio River Delaware - Protected Philadelphia (in PA) Maryland - Close to Richmond and surrounded Washington, D.C.

Border States Abraham Lincoln made it his goal to keep the Border States in the Union, and eventually succeeded. These Border States still had close ties to the Confederacy however.

I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game I think to lose Kentucky is nearly the same as to lose the whole game. . . We could as well consent to the separation at once, including the surrender of this capital.

Comparing the North and the South North Advantages: Large Population (Approx. 23 million people) More manufactured goods South Advantage: Excellent military leaders Confederacy knew the land

Comparing the North and the South North disadvantages: Poor leadership Poor strategy South disadvantages: Small population (Approx. 9 million people) Lack of manufactured goods

War Goals Both sides had different goals in the war With vastly different goals the North and the South both fought the war differently

War Goals The South wanted to establish its own country. Therefore all they needed to do was make the Northerners think the war wasn’t worth it.

War Goals The North wanted to reunify the country. This mean that the North had to invade into the South and forcing the states to rejoin.

Confederate Strategies How did the South make most of their money? How might they then use that in the war?

Confederate Strategies The South expected support from Great Britain and France who relied on the South for their cotton supply They thought the pressure from these two countries would scare the North away. (Neither country supported them)

Confederate Strategies The South wanted to wage a defensive war. The South would try to hold on to as much territory as they could. They thought if they showed they were determined to be independent, the North would get tired and give up

Union Strategies The North knew they had to subdue the South. Winfield Scott (a well known Union general) proposed a three step plan to completely defeat the South.

Union Strategies Step One: Cripple the South by blockading Southern Ports. This would stop the South from shipping goods and getting more supplies. Step Two: Take control of the Mississippi River and cut the South in two Step Three: Take Richmond

American vs. American The Civil War was more than state vs. state. The war pit brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor. Lincoln’s wife even had relatives in the Confederate Army

American vs. American Men joined for several reasons: Patriotism Belief in a cause (anti-slavery, etc.) Fear of being called a coward

American vs. American Also many teenagers would join. Tens of thousands were under 18, with some under the age of 14 even. However, despite letting teenagers fight, both armies at first refused to let African Americans fight.

False Hopes Both sides expected an easy win at the start of the war. The North thought with superior resources they would steamroll the South. The South thought they were better fighters and had more courage and “fightin’ spirit”

Who Were the Soldiers? Most soldiers were farmers. (50% in North, 60% in South) By the Summer of 1861 the Confederates had about 112,000 soldiers (also known as Rebels) The North has about 187,000 soldiers. (Yankees)

Who Were the Soldiers? By the end of the war about 900,000 men fought for the Confederacy. Almost 2,100,000 fought for the North. The Union Army included about 200,000 African Americans.

Realities of War Both sides suffered terrible loss of life. Devastating new technology killed many men. However, the big killer was disease. The hospitals were overwhelmed and disease ridden.