Download The Early Battles of the War Completed

The Early Battles of the War
(1861-1862)
How did each side’s resources and strategies affect the early battles of war?
Advantages of the Union
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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More People
More Industry = More Production
More Money to go around
No Slaves, Free Blacks want to fight
Better Navy
Strategies of the Union
Blockade- Ships that stop anything from coming
in or out
Advantages of the Confederacy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Home Field Advantage- Know the Land
Reason to Fight, Being Invaded
Protecting their Rights
Better tactics, Better Military Leaders
Better Men ready to fight
Strategies of the Confederacy
Robert E. Lee- Fight a Defensive War, Protect
Richmond, Let the War come to the South
Anaconda Plan1. Blockade the south using superior navy,
cut off supplies and trade from coming
in or out
2. Cut the south in two using the
Mississippi River
3. Capture the Capital Richmond, VA
Border States- Fighting will take place there, Join
the Confederacy to prevent it
Foreign Support- 2/3rds of the Worlds Cotton
comes from the South; Other Countries should help
the South Win. (England and France
New Technologies of the Civil War
Technologies
Mini Ball- Grooved Bullet, Improved Accuracy
and Decreased Loading Time, Kill rate rose as a
result
Railroad- Lincoln put the Unions lines under
government control, used it to resupply and
redeploy the Union Forces effectively
The Repeating Rifle- Multi-shot riffle, now could
shoot multiple times per cartridge load
Telegraph- Lincoln used it to stay in instant
communication with his generals, could give direct
commands to them as a result
Postal Service- Soldiers used it on both sides to
send letters home, without censorships it allowed
civilians to read about the horrible descriptions of
war
Trench Warfare- Developed as a result of
defensive campaigns, revolutionized war strategies
Photography- Was used by reporters to take
photos of the death and carnage on battlefields
aftermath, changed civilians outlook on war
Cannons- Now more accurate at longer distances
For the first time in history two ironclad ships battled. The
battle lasted for about 4 hours. Neither side won the battle.
The Confederate ironclad was an old wooden ship called the
Merrimac which had been rebuilt with iron all around the
boat then renamed the Virginia. The Merrimac had sunk
several Union ships in the past months. The North decided to
build an ironclad ship to fight it. The Northern ship was
called the Monitor.
Ironclads Clash
Monitor v. Merrimac – March 1862
First time two iron ships fought. Changed Naval
Warfare forever, from now on wooden ships
would be obsolete and naval vessels will be
made entirely of iron. As a result bigger and
better weapons would be developed to destroy
them.
The American Civil War has been called the last of the ancient wars and the first of the modern wars. It was
a war which introduced the first metallic rifle and pistol cartridges, the first repeating rifles and carbines,
the first ironclad ships, and many other inventions which herald a change in warfare. But the military still
relied on the old tried and trusted means of smoothbore muskets, paper cartridges, and troops marching in
military precision across the battlefield towards the enemy. More innovations and experimentation took place
\ the Civil War than during all other previous wars combined.
during
What effects would new technologies have on the humanity of
war? Who has the advantage in technology and mass
production, would that have an effect on the war and why?
 More Death the previously seen in war
 The North, they have more of everything and can coordinate and
organize it better, it gives the Union the advantage in the long term
Ulysses S. Grant
Union General in the West on the Mississippi

Aggressive, wanted to win at all cost.
Unconditional Surrender
"No terms except unconditional and
immediate surrender can be accepted. I
propose to move immediately upon your
works."
Shiloh
Tennessee, April 1862
After Grant had captured several forts in Tennessee his armies moved south toward Mississippi. The Confederate
Army lead by General Albert Sidney Johnston, met Grant at Shiloh, Tennessee. Grant had not expected the attack
which started while the Yankee soldiers were cooking their breakfast. At first Grant seemed to be losing. Then more
Northern troops arrived and Grant defeated the Southerners.
Results of Shiloh
Two days of fighting = 25,000 dead, Union Victory
The War for the Mississippi
Union Forces Capture New Orleans; April 25–
May 1, 1862
Why was the loss of New Orleans so
devastating to the Confederacy?
Following the passage of forts Jackson and St. Philip,
near the mouth of the Mississippi River, on April 24,
1862, the Union occupation of New Orleans was
inevitable. The city surrendered on April 28. On May 1,
the Union army began landing at New Orleans and
occupying the city. New Orleans, considered an
international city and the largest city in the Confederacy,
had fallen. The Union occupation of New Orleans was an
event that had major international significance.

Major port city of the C.S.A.

Controlled economic commerce for
the country

Without it Confederacy will struggle
to get the resources they need to
support their economy
The Peninsula Campaign
Yorktown to Richmond; June 1862
-
McClellan pressured by Lincoln to capture Richmond
causes him to move on the “Peninsula”
-
Not given forces he needed in order to protect D.C.
-
McClellan proceeds cautiously in a series of battles
known as the Seven Days
-
Lee uses the time to fortify Richmond against attack
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Union forces stalled at the Battle of Seven Pines
-
McClellan abandons his attack on Richmond and
retreats to Washington D.C.
Why did Lincoln and McClellan clash in early 1862? How did this affect the outcome of
the Peninsula Campaign?
 Lincoln wanted to end the war fast
Basic Military References
 McClellan was cautious especially when attacking on foreign soil

McClellan did not commit fully to the plan of attacking resulted in Union Loss
Which side do you think had the best long-term chances for victory at the start of the Civil War? Why?