Download The_War_Begins

By: Shuristeen Joubert
THE ANACONDA PLAN
•  The Anaconda plan was the unions plan to take over the south
and their rebels.
•  It was named the Anaconda plan because the union was
going to strangle the south like an anaconda does to kill its
prey.
•  This plan was developed by General Winfield Scott who then
presented the plan to Abraham Lincoln in 1861.
•  After much hesitation the Union leaders reluctantly accepted the
plan.
•  The plan was for the Union (northern states) to set up a few
stations at key points in the southern territories.
•  After this was done they were going to “strangle” the south to
end the rebellion.
•  They were going to send 60,000 troops, in gun boats, down the
Mississippi River to cut of the southern forces before they
became to strong.
•  Cutting of the river from Cairo to the Gulf .
•  This would cut off the southern powers almost completely.
•  The Plan was adopted in 1862 and consisted of four parts:
1.  Block the South from the coast to prevent exports (such as
cotton tobacco and cash crops), and to stop the imports of war
supplies.
2.  To divide the South from south to west by securing the
Mississippi River.
3.  To divide the south by controlling the Tennessee River Valley as
well as marching through Georgia's coast.
4.  Capture Richmond, Virginia, and the capitol of the confederate
states.
•  Lincoln ordered a blockade on the south in 1861, 6 days after
the fall of Fort Sumter.
•  The blockade was extremely successful for 6 months and in
result caused cotton prices to increase and a scarcity for
manufactured goods for the south.
•  Control of the Mississippi proved to be vital to the Union.
•  When captured this control would allow movement of Union
men and supplies into the middle of the South.
•  Major General Ulysses Grant’s Vicksburg campaign
confirmed the Union control of the Mississippi river.
•  The Tennessee River valley had much importance to the South.
•  Tennessee was home to 5 railroads, and the Tennessee
Rivers made it an ideal port for getting troops together and
distributing resources. They began to store many of their
supplies and weapons in Nashville.
•  They Built Fort Henry and Fort Donelson to protect their
resources; however their forces collapsed after Grant’s
capture of Fort Donelson of Feb. 16, 1862.
•  This supply would remain in Union hands after the Gen.
Albert Johnston withdrew from Nashville.
•  Grant occupied Richmond, and Virginia in April of 1865 however
the main cities served no value except to weaken the
Confederacy.
BATTLE OF MANASSAS
•  Also known as the Battle of Bull Run, named after the flowing
stream on the battle ground., began on July 21, 1861.
•  It was the first major battle for the Virginia armies.
•  Some say the war had not begun till the battle of Bull run that’s
had been only miles away from Washington DC
•  The federal forces were lead by Brigadier General Irvin
McDowell
•  The soldiers were organized into four divisions of about
30,000 men.
•  These divisions were commanded by Tyler, Hunter,
Heintzelman, (Runyan), and Miles
•  The head Leader of the confederate forces was Joseph
E. Johnston
• His second in command was P.G.T. Beauregard in
charge of tactical command
•  The Unions goal was to eliminate most of the Confederate army to
open the way to Richmond, the confederate capitol. This plan was
meant to end the war.
•  The Confederates suffered from lack of communication, whereas the
union’s plan was far to complex.
•  Many delays in their plan to march gave many of their movements
away. While they failed to distract them to the west so they may
attack on the left flank.
•  Fighting increased as many of the Confederate forces were being
pushed back.
•  However they received reinforcements that were able to help them
break apart the Unions left Flank.
The Union was left shattered and reached safety in Washington D.C on July 22.
MARCH TOWARD MANASSAS
The 17th of July dawned bright and clear, and everything being in
readiness, the Army of the Potomac took up its line of march for Manassas. In
gay spirits the army moved forward, the air resounding with the music of the
regimental bands, and patriotic songs of the soldiers. No gloomy forebodings
seemed to damp the spirits of the men, for a moment, but "On to Rich-mond,"
was echoed and re‑echoed, as that vast army moved rapidly over the country. I
felt strangely out of harmony with the wild, joyous spirit which pervaded the
troops. As I rode slowly along, watching those long lines of bayo-nets as they
gleamed and flashed in the sunlight, I thought that many, very many, of those
enthu-siastic men who appeared so eager to meet the enemy, would never return
to relate the success or defeat of that splendid army. Even if victory should perch
upon their banners, and I had no doubt it would, yet many noble lives must be
sac-rificed ere it could be obtained.
OPVL
• 
Origin:
•  July 21,1861 an excerpt of a Union Nurse’s experience just before th Battle of
Manassas
• 
Purpose:
•  The purpose of this excerpt form her novel about her experiences in the war was
meant to show the extreme happiness and ease the soldiers had before entering the
battle. It put them in a place of ignorance because neither they or the nurse truly
understood the brutality of the coming war.
• 
Value:
•  This gives historians a real life scenario of what happens before bloody battles that
many people talk about. Not only that but it gives reassurance to many northern
families to know that the war is not all bad and that many of their family members
fighting experienced happiness.
• 
Limitation:
•  Though this view is just from one nurse who may be stretching the truth to sell her
novel. Not only that but she wasn’t a solider and was unable to know if all the
soldiers may have been happy at this moment.
BORDER STATES
•  The border states consisted of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky
and Missouri
•  Each state was home to slaves; however it was only half as
many compared to the other southern states.
•  Adding these states to the south would have added 40% to the
mule and horses count, 45 percent to the white population and
possible military strength, and 80% to the manufacturing
companies.
•  These border states were very vital for the Union to win the civil
war.
BORDER STATES
•  Delaware
•  Was the first to quickly reject the South's idea for Confederacy
•  Maryland
•  It is close to Washington DC (bordering 3 sides of it), which is the capitol
of the Union forces
•  the other state that borders Washington is Virginia which is a
secessionist states, meaning the people who agreed and were apart of
the 11 states removing themselves from the rest of the US.
•  Governor Thomas Hicks and the state legislature voted against
secession making Maryland a neutral state.
•  However in the state elections in 1861 the state was voted a Union state
and remained that way the rest of the war.
BORDER STATES
• 
Kentucky
•  Bordered by 3 slave states and 3 free states Kentucky was one of the most
conflicted.
•  Like Maryland the legislature kept the state neutral.
•  However Lincoln did not approve since being neutral it meant they would supply
Confederate with supplies.
•  Lincoln took a gentle approach and did not force the issue onto Kentucky, this
paid of and in the state elections Kentucky was pro-union
• 
Missouri
•  The access to the Mississippi river was vital to the Northern states.
•  Many residents were slave owners, yet Missouri had a population of Germans who
were against it.
HOW THE ARMIES WERE ORGANIZED
•  “The South could only “win” the war by not losing; the North could win only
by winning”
- James McPherson
•  South couldn’t lose slavery, while the North’s whole point of winning was
to abolish it.
•  Union-was investing in the Anaconda Plan
•  Confederates-”offensive-Defensive” strategy, meaning they would defend the
Confederate territory by using interior communication to concentrate forces
on an invading attack, yet if their became an opportunity they would invade
the north, or go on offensive.
• 
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/the-anaconda-plan-civil-warstrategy.html#lesson
• 
http://www.civilwaracademy.com/anaconda-plan.html
• 
http://www.mycivilwar.com/campaigns/610400.html
• 
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/bullrun.html
• 
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/civilwar/a/A-Nurses-View-Of-Battle.htm
• 
http://www.netplaces.com/american-civil-war/on-the-eve-of-war/the-border-states.htm
• 
James McPherson; Battle Cry Of Freedom; published 1998
• 
Tim Beck; The Importance Of The Border States To The Union; 2007