Bloodiest war in American history 624,511 killed Over a million wounded 1 in 3 never came home

Many were buried in mass graves, with no names There was no official system to notify families of their men being killed

The war began with nobody getting hurt…

Robert E. Lee is asked by Lincoln to lead the United States Army against the South Lee won’t fight against Virginia When Virginia secedes, Lee goes with it

April 12, 1861 Confederate forces open fire at 4:30 am The Civil War has begun

44 hours later… Doubleday surrenders the fort Nobody has been killed The South celebrates

Everyone thought it would be a quick war They were wrong

Men from both North and South begin flooding recruitment offices They are eager to fight “before it’s all over”

Everyone prepares for war

The Anaconda Plan

Nobody listens to the Anaconda Plan It’ll take too long This thing will over after one battle anyway, right?

Southern strategy

Lincoln’s under pressure to end this thing fast The Northern army invades Virginia

Both armies are inexperienced and not very well led This is probably the only battle in the war where both armies are equal in size

A Legend is born Thomas Jackson refuses to fall back His men go forward instead, and drive the enemy off the battlefield He becomes known as Stonewall Jackson

The Union (Northern) troops fall back, then retreat, then run The battle convinces many that this war will be long and brutal

Life in the Army

Tools of the trade.58 caliber rifled musket Fires a minie ball

Food

Your castle

The Bathroom

Your bedmates

By September 1862 The Confederate Armies have won almost every battle

Antietam: the Bloodiest Day in American History Actually 3 battles in 1

When it was over, neither side had gained anything at all 25,000 dead or wounded

Lee loses almost 1/3 of his army, and heads home for Virginia

Lee retreating back into Virginia gives Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation proclamation It states that slaves in the Confederacy are now free Military decision, denies the enemy resources to fight the war

Britian and France applaud the Proclamation, and stop supporting the Confederacy Black troops can now join the Army

African – American soldiers Often had the worst jobs, and were paid less The 54 th Massachusetts changed this through their bravery

The assault on Fort Wagner, and William H. Carny’s actions led to over 180,000 black men joining the U.S. Army

Meanwhile, back in the West While Lee retreats from Pennsylvania, Grant ends the siege of Vicksburg Now the Mississippi River belongs to the Union, and the Confederacy is cut in half.

Lincoln doesn’t forget his friends, and promotes Grant to Commander of all Union armies

Unlike the commanders before him, Grant wastes no time He will go after Lee His friend William Sherman will invade the Deep South

Thus begins Sherman’s March to the Sea He tears up 300 miles of Southern warehouses, railroads, cities, towns, anything that helps the South make war

This is called total war

Everyone knows the end is near, even Lee. He writes to Grant to surrender his army

His men are starving, outnumbered, and sick They can no longer fight

On April 9, 1865, Lee surrenders to Grant in Wilbur McClean’s living room. The Civil War is over, mostly