Georgia’s Role during The Civil War

Union Blockade of Southern Ports Union General Scott came up with the “Anaconda Plan” to create a blockade of the Confederate States The purpose of the blockade was to stop resources (weapons, ammunition, clothing, and food) from entering or leaving the South. It was effective in that it stopped European trade, forcing the Southern states to manufacture their own implements of war. BLOCKADE = SUCCESS

Emancipation Proclamation September 1862 President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862 following the Battle of Antietam The document stated that if the Confederacy surrendered, they could keep their slaves. Failure to surrender by January 1, 1863 meant that all slaves in rebelling states would be freed. Lincoln hoped the CSA would surrender & end the war, but they had won several key battles and thought they could win

Battle of Chickamauga, GA September 19 – 20, 1863 Took place at Chickamauga Creek in Georgia Just over the Georgia border from Tennessee. The Confederates won the battle. Second bloodiest battle of the war with over 34,000 casualties The Confederate Army did not follow up on the Union retreat, allowing the Union to capture Chattanooga in November, and set up for the March on Atlanta.

The Atlanta Campaign & Sherman’s March to the Sea Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign began in the Spring of 1864, and lasted for 4 ½ months. Battles along the way: Dalton, Resaca, Allatoona, Pickets Mill, Dallas, Kennesaw Mountain Atlanta was a target for several reasons It was the 2nd largest city in the Confederacy (behind the CSA capital of Richmond, VA) It was a railroad and manufacturing hub, provided the Confederate Army with much needed supplies Sherman’s army occupied Atlanta on September 2, 1864 The soldiers looted the city and set it on fire on November 15th destroying approximately 30% of the city

The Atlanta Campaign

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Sherman’s march to the sea November 15 – December 21, 1864 Sherman divided his army into 2 columns and began to march towards the final destination in GA  Savannah As they moved along the countryside, the Union forces torched and destroyed everything of war making ability in their sight Known as “Total War” or a “Scorched Earth Policy” His plan to wreak havoc on Georgia’s infrastructure (railroads [Sherman’s neckties], roads, cotton gins and mills, warehouses) that assisted in supplying Confederate troops Savannah, not wanting to receive the same bombardment and destruction that beset Atlanta, surrendered to Sherman without a fight on December 22, 1864. Sherman wrote to Abraham Lincoln that Savannah was his Christmas present (along with about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton that was ultimately shipped to Northern factories). Purpose of this march was to cause the Confederate Army to surrender The Civil War will end on April 9, 1865

Sherman’s telegraph to Lincoln offering Savannah as a “gift”

Andersonville prison A military prison in Georgia operated by the Confederate Army Housed captured Union soldiers Although it was only built to hold 10,000 prisoners, approximately 45,000 men were sent here Close to 13,000 died here Highest death rate of any Civil War prison Conditions were horrible Overcrowded, exposure to the elements, insects, disease and malnutrition were some of the problems the prisoners faced http://www.gpb.org/ga-digital-textbook/#/en/issue/6AB6A3D78AA1F18EE2D79AA4BE6307D7/read/1

Andersonville

Other Key Information The Battle of Antietam The Battle of Gettysburg & the Gettysburg Address Lee’s Surrender to Grant Lincoln’s assassination

The Battle of Antietam September 17, 1862 Took place between the Antietam Creek & the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland. Battle ended in a draw (tie), but Confederate forces withdrew first Called the “Bloodiest Day of the War” 23,000 deaths/casualties More soldiers killed in this battle than in any other American war before…

The Battle of Gettysburg July 1, 2, & 3 1863 Purpose: to gain supplies for the Confederate Army, and to capture a major Union city Robert E. Lee’s troops ran into George Meade’s troops in a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg. The UNION won this battle after 3 long days There were 51,000 casualties. “BLOODIEST BATTLE OF THE WAR” Gettysburg was the turning point in the war; the Union was now confident that they would win the war.

The Gettysburg address Nov 19, 1863 Four score and seven years ago… https://www.battlefields.org/learn/videos/how-lincoln-changed-world-two-minutes?gclid=CjwKCAiA5qTfBRAoEiwAwQy-6aVrh1XlCMwwUPmgLWUcdDT1n2O1qcovn5wwkGdJpyuJTenUG8YUJhoCKSgQAvD_BwE

Lee’s surrender to grant On April 9, 1865, at Appomattox, Virginia, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders his 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the American Civil War. All officers and men were to be pardoned, and they would be sent home with their private property–most important, the horses, which could be used for a late spring planting. Officers would keep their side arms, and Lee’s starving men would be given Union rations. General Grant told his officers, “The war is over. The Rebels are our countrymen again.” Although scattered resistance continued for several weeks, for all practical purposes the Civil War had come to an end.

Lincoln’s assasination On the evening of April 14, 1865, Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater as he viewed a play. Lincoln would die at a home across the street from the theater the next morning His assassin was a famous actor, and Confederate sympathizer named John Wilkes Booth. The plan also included killing the Vice President and the Secretary of War Booth would elude authorities for 12 days until he was killed while hiding in a farm in VA

Ford’s theater and the place where Lincoln died https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVLM0BSqx5o