The Civil War- The Battlefield

Battle of Bull Run 1861 – Northern VA, 25 miles from D.C. First major battle of war Union assault on Confederates Purpose – to put a quick end to the conflict Stonewall Jackson – led Confederate troops from Virginia Jackson refused to retreat – troops rallied b/h him

Battle of Bull Run Union forces had to retreat Showed the North needed a large, well-trained army to defeat the South By 1863 Congress was forced to introduce a national draft

Shiloh Shiloh – a small church on the Tennessee-Mississippi border April 6, 1863  the Confederacy launched a surprise attack on Grant’s troops Purpose – to slow the advance of Grant’s army toward Vicksburg, MS Grant forced the Confederates to retreat

Shiloh Stunned the North and the South Massive casualties- 20,000 troops had been killed or wounded More casualties than any other battle up to that point

Battle of Antietam Lee wanted a Southern invasion on the North (Antietam Creek in Maryland) Purpose of invasion… To get the North to accept the South as independent Victory on Northern soil would help the South win recognition from the British Sept 17, 1862 – Union troops attacked Confederate troops first!

Battle of Antietam Bloodiest one-day battle of the war… Over 6,000 men killed 16,000 men wounded Attempt to destroy Lee’s army  not successful However, Lee decided to retreat to Virginia due to so many casualties

Battle of Antietam Crucial victory for the Union because… It stopped the British govt. from intervening in the war as a mediator It stopped British plans to recognize the Confederacy as a separate country in the event that the North rejected the British mediation It convinced Lincoln it was time to bring slavery to an end  The Emancipation Proclamation

The Emancipation Proclamation Purpose… To end slavery in the rebelling states of the South Keep the slave holding border states loyal to the Union Preserve the Union above abolishing slavery Hurt the South & damage it’s confidence after the Battle of Antietam The proclamation freed slaves in all REBELLING states but allowed border states to keep their slaves This did not free all slaves

African Americans in the Army The Emancipation Proclamation officially permitted AA to enlist in the Union army and navy Frederick Douglass’s two sons both joined the Union army The 54th Massachusetts – one of the first AA regiments organized in the North

Battlefield Medicine Hospitals were known as slaughterhouses Doctors had little understanding of infectious germs They used the same unsterilized instruments on patient after patient They often amputated arms and legs Infection spread quickly in field hospitals Disease was one of the greatest threats facing the soldiers

Civil War Healthcare

Women in the War On the battlefield women served as nurses… Elizabeth Blackwell – 1st female physician in the US Started 1st training program for nurses Organized the US Sanitary Commission Provided medical assistance and supplies to army camps and hospitals Clara Barton – nurse soldiers directly on the battlefield Created the American Red Cross after the war

Elizabeth Blackwell Clara Barton

Women on the Homefront Women ran plantations, farmed, worked in factories, etc. Some women even b/c spies Belle Boyd was a spy for the Confederate States of America

POW’s After the Emancipation Proclamation POW exchanges stopped Andersonville – most infamous prison in the South (Southwest Georgia) Exposure, overcrowding, lack of food, and disease killed more than 100 per day Henry Wirz – leader of Andersonville Only person executed for war crimes during the Civil War