Period 5.6 (1861-1865) the Civil War

The Anaconda Plan (Union War Plan) Key Components for Union Victory Blockade Southern Ports Liberate the slaves and crash the southern economy Seize the Mississippi River Capture the Confederate Capital (Richmond)

Confederate Strategy Fight a defensive war: Defend the land they already held Knowledge of the terrain in the South gave them an advantage early in the war. Make the North come into the South and be the occupying force The South knew that defending land already held was easier than trying to take land from the enemy Attain intervention from Britain The South lacked the ability to manufacture weapons and supplies during the war. Fight a war of attrition against the North If the South could just outlast the North, they won.

The First Battle of Bull Run July 21, 1861 The Union and Confederate forces meet at the 1st Battle of Bull Run The first official battle of the Civil War Union victory seemed obvious (thought the war would last a maximum of 3 months) The Confederates shocked the Union with a victory at Bull Run, and proved to the North that the Civil War was going to be a long, bloody war.

The War at Sea President Lincoln ordered Naval blockades on all of the major southern seaports (Savannah, Charleston, New Orleans) The purpose of the blockades: to keep Britain and other foreign nations from supplying the Confederates with war supplies To prevent the export of Southern cotton and strangle out the economy of the Confederacy

The 2nd Battle of Bull Run August 29-30, 1862 General Robert E. Lee (Confederacy) crushed General John Pope’s Union forces in the 2nd Battle of Bull Run After the victory Lee gets cocky and plans an invasion of the Union, abandoning the original plan of fighting a defensive war in the South (bad idea).

The Pivotal Point: Antietam September 17, 1862 General Lee’s army meets Union General George McClellan’s army in Maryland, and The Battle of Antietam ensues. McClellan stops Confederate forces after the Union discovered a copy of General Lee’s battle plans After heavy losses on both sides, the Confederates were forced retreat and the Union “won” the battle.

The Toll of Antietam The Battle of Antietam is known the “Bloodiest Day” in American History The battle was unique because of how quickly the casualties occurred Lasted just a few hours: Confederate – 12,000 casualties Union – 10,000 casualties

Political Effects of Antietam No side really won Antietam, but it was seen as a victory for the north because: After the battle, Britain promised the North to stay completely out of the conflict. Gave Lincoln the momentum to announce an executive order that he had been waiting to release, the Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation Called for the freeing of all southern slaves Lincoln did not force border states to give up slavery because he feared they would secede The Proclamation ruined all hope of compromise between North and South The North now had a moral reason to fight the war Changed the Union goal from “preserving the Union” to abolishing slavery

Blacks Battle Bondage After the Emancipation Proclamation Freed slaves were now allowed to enlist in the Union Army. (54th Massachusetts regiment is the most well-known black military unit)

Lincoln Shifting Generals At the beginning of the war, President Lincoln micromanaged his Generals, and often second-guessed their decisions on the battlefield. Lincoln replaced his commanding General 5 times throughout the course of the war. This lead to disorganization and dissention in the ranks, and probably made the war last longer.

Meeting At Gettysburg After a near perfect victory over the Union in the Battle of Chancellorsville, General Lee moves his Confederate force into the north again…Bad idea, again. The Battle of Gettysburg (PA) July 1-3, 1863 General Lee’s Confederate forces were met by Union General George Meade's forces.

The Charge that Changed the War The Battle of Gettysburg last three days After two bloody days of stalemate, General Lee orders a daring charge against the Union’s front line, known as Pickett’s Charge. Lee knows that if the charge is successful, the South would win the war. The charge was an epic failure by the Confederate army. The Confederates suffered over 6,000 (1/3 of his entire fighting force) casualties in less than an hour as a result of the charge

Turning Point in the War Gettysburg was the turning point of the war. If the South would have won Gettysburg, President Jefferson Davis was going to deliver negotiators to the Washington D.C. to force the North surrender  Instead, the union won the battle and was on the offensive for the rest of the war. The South would never again be this close to winning the war

Gettysburg Address In the autumn, Lincoln returned to the Gettysburg battlefield to dedicate the new national cemetery. He delivered a speech that came to be known as the Gettysburg Address The purpose of the 2 minute speech: to rally the troops and boost morale assert that the war would be fought to it’s end, and that those who died, would not die in vain.

The Siege of Vicksburg General Ulysses S. Grant was appointed as a commanding General of the Union forces attacking Vicksburg, Mississippi, the last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. Vicksburg fell to Union forces, and surrendered on July 4, 1863 (one day after Gettysburg). The Union now had control of the entire Mississippi River, which cut the Confederacy in half.

Sherman’s Total War The Union invasion of Georgia was given to General William Tecumseh Sherman.  His forces captured and burned Atlanta in 1864 using the total war tactic. The purpose of total war is to totally demoralize the enemy.

Sherman’s March to the Sea After Burning Atlanta: Sherman’s forces marched southeast towards Savannah destroying and burning everything that they came across. destroyed railroad tracks and burned buildings Destroyed and stole Confederate supplies Weakened the morale of the Confederates by waging total war on their homes and families.  

The Campaign of 1864 1864 – Lincoln faced a tough re-election against Copperhead Democrat (and his former General) George McClellan A “Copperhead” was a Northern Democrat that was in favor of coming to peace terms with the South, even if that meant allowing slavery to remain in the Union. Lincoln chose Andrew Johnson (a democrat) as his running mate. Lincoln won re-election in a close election, in part because of Gen. Sherman’s siege of Georgia was successful, and people saw that the war seemed to be coming to an end.

The Wilderness Campaign General Ulysses S. Grant led his forces in a march toward the Confederate capital of Richmond.  “The Wilderness Campaign” A series of battles fought in the Virginia wilderness as the Union closed in on the Confederate Capital. Grant had 100,000 men at his disposal, and knew he could lose 3 men for every 1 the Confederates lost and still win the war.

Grant Outlasts Lee On June 3, 1864 Grant ordered an assault on Cold Harbor, VA (outside of Richmond) Thousands of Union soldiers were killed within a matter of minutes, but the size of Grant’s army simply overwhelmed the Confederates. Newspapers critically began to refer to General Grant as “The Butcher” because of his willingness to sacrifice his men’s lives in order to overwhelm the Confederates, Grant’s forces captured and burned the Confederate capital (Richmond, VA) and cornered Lee’s Army 

The Surrender After the capture of Richmond, the Confederates were exhausted and left without any resources to continue the fight. On April 9, 1865, General Lee was forced to surrender the Army of Northern Virginia to General Ulysses Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. The surrender marks the end of the Civil War.

Lincoln Assassinated April 14, 1865 Just 5 days after the official end of the Civil War President Lincoln was shot and killed at Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth A famous actor and southern sympathizer 

The Aftermath of the Nightmare Andrew Johnson took over as President. The Civil War claimed over 600,000 (well over 1,000,000 if you count later deaths from complications from injuries) lives, and cost over $15 billion.