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Chapter 17 Notes: The Tide of War Turns
Section 1: The Emancipation Proclamation
A: Call for Emancipation
- Throughout the war, abolitionists such as Douglas, had been urging Lincoln to
emancipate slaves
- Lincoln hesitated because he did not believe he had the power under the Constitution
to abolish slavery where it already existed, and he didn’t want to anger the 4
remaining slave states
- Also most Northern Democrats and many Republicans opposed emancipation
- By the summer of 1862, Lincoln decided in favor of emancipation because if freeing
the slaves would weaken the South, he would do it.
- Lincoln waited for a moment when he was in a position of strength, which was after
Antietam
B: The Emancipation Proclamation
- January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation
- Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in Confederate territory
- The Proclamation freed few slaves
- Slaves were freed only in the South because it could be seen as a military action as
well as weakening the Confederacy
C: Response to the Proclamation
- Abolitionists were thrilled about the Emancipation Proclamation
- But they were upset about the fact that all enslaved persons were not freed
- White Southerners reacted in rage
- The slaves began to run away to the Union lines, this caused the Confederacy to be
deprived of labor and the Union now began to gain more soldiers
D: African-American Soldiers
- In addition to being freed as slaves, they would also be received into the armed forces
of the U.S.
- After emancipation, African Americans rushed to enlist
- By the end of the war, about 180,000 black soldiers wore Union Blue
- Many black soldiers refused to accept lower pay than white soldiers, so they fought
for free
E: The 54th Massachusetts
- one unit that insisted on fighting without pay was the 54th MA Regiment
- this regiment was one of the most famous in the Civil War
Section 2: War Effects Society
A: Disagreement About the War
- Confederate soldiers began to leave the Army in increasing numbers, and by the end
of the year the Confederate Army had lost nearly 40% of its men
- The same principle of “states rights” that lead them to break with the Union kept
them from coordinating war efforts
- Lincolns main opponents were Copperheads, who were Northern Democrats who
favored peace with the South
B: Draft Laws
- When both sides needed more soldiers then both passed laws of conscription, a draft
- These laws required men to serve in the military
- Because of clever ways to avoid the draft and war due to wealth, the poor
Southerners complained that it was a “rich man’s war but a poor man’s fight”
- The Union offered bounties, or cash payments, to those who volunteered
C: Economic Effects of the War
- many people suffered economic hardship during the war
- most battles were fought in the South, so the South suffered more
- food shortages were common in the South
- another problem, especially in the South, was inflation
- Inflation – an increase in price and a decrease in the value of money
- In the North, war production boosted industry and fueled economy, which in the
short-term, gave the North an economic advantage over the South
- During the war the government passed 2 important economic measures
o Income Tax (1861) – tax on earnings
o Greenbacks – new government issued currency
D: Resistance by Slaves
- Another factor that affected the South was the growing resistance from slaves
- To hurt the Southern economy, slaves slowed their pace of work or stopped working
- By the end of the war, as many as ½ million slaves had fled to Union lines
E: Women Aid the War Effort
- While the men were away at war, the women assumed more responsibilities
- Southern women were also active as nurses and volunteers on the front
- Women also played a key role as spies
- Most famous Southern spy was Belle Boyd
- Clara Barton – founder of the American Red Cross
F: Civil War Prison Camps
- Prisoners of war faced terrible conditions
- The 2 most famous camps were in Elmira, NY in the North, and in Andersonville,
GA for the South
Section 3: The North Wins
A: The Road to Gettysburg
-
After the Battle of Antietam, with McClellan’s retreat, and removal, he was replaced
with Ambrose Burnside
Burnside also proved to be a disappointment because of his attack on a dug in group
of Confederate soldiers that slaughtered 12,600
Burnside was then replaced by Joseph Hooker
When “Stonewall” Jackson returned from a patrol he was shot by another
Confederate soldier in the arm
Shortly after having his arm amputated, Jackson died of pneumonia
Lee thought a Southern victory in the North would make the North call for peace and
lead European nations to give diplomatic recognition and aid to the Confederacy
B: The Battle of Gettysburg
- The fighting here raged for 3 days
- 90,000 Union troops clashed with 75,000 Confederate troops
- The turning point of the Battle was when General George Pickett was ordered to
mount a direct attack on the middle of the Union lines; a deadly mistake
- This was known as Pickett’s Charge
- Lee’s hopes for a Confederate victory in the North were crushed
C: The Siege of Vicksburg
- The day after Pickett’s Charge, the Union received more good news about Grant’s
defeat of Confederate troops at Vicksburg
- Vicksburg was the last major Confederate stronghold on the MS River
- Grant and his troops surrounded the city and cut off supplies and eventually the
Confederates ran out of food
- With the victories in Vicksburg and Gettysburg, the tide of the war was in the favor
of the North
- Lincoln finally found a man willing to fight in General Grant
D: Sherman’s Total War
- In 1864 Grant was named the commander of all Union armies and developed a plan
to defeat the Confederacy
- Sherman set out against the Union on a total war
- The ravaged towns, tore up railroads, and burned crops
E: Surrender at Appomattox
- April 9, 1865, Lee and Grant met in the small VA town of Appomattox Court House
to arrange a surrender
- Grant offered generous terms of surrender
- The Confederates could return home, taking their private possessions and horses
- He also gave food to the hungry Confederate soldiers
Section 4: The Legacy of the War
A: Costs of the War
- The North and South both had great resentment toward one another
- The costs of the war were great for both sides
- The Civil War was the deadliest war in American history
-
Approximately 620,000 soldiers died.
360,000 for the Union and 260,000 for the Confederacy
The war also had great economic costs; together the North and South spent 5 times
the amount spent by the govt. in the previous 8 decades
B: The 13th Amendment
- One of the greatest effects of the war was the freeing of millions of slaves
- One slave released by the North was Booker T. Washington, who later became a
famous educator and reformer
- In January of 1865, Lincoln urged Congress gain to end slavery
- This attempt was the 13th Amendment, which passed
- By year’s end, 27 states, including 8 in the South had ratified the amendment
- From this point on, slavery was banned in the U.S.
C: Lincoln’s Assassination
- Lincoln did not live to see the end of slavery
- 5 days after Lee’s surrender a Appomattox, Lincoln and his wife went to see a play at
Ford’s Theatre
- A Confederate supporter, John Wilkes Booth, snuck in and shot Lincoln in the back
of the head
- The same evening, an accomplice of Booth stabbed Secretary of State William
Seward, who later recovered
- Lincoln died on April 15, 1865
- He was the first American President to be assassinated
D: Consequences of the War
- People came to see the U.S. as a single nation rather than a collection of states
- This also cause the national govt. to expand
- The growth of federal govt. continued long after the war was over
- The war also changed the Northern economy
- By the late 180o’s, industry began to replace farming as the basis of national
economy
- For the South, the war brought economic disaster
- Also gone was their labor system, slavery
- Before the war, the South accounted for 30% of the nation’s wealth, and after the war
they only accounted for 12%