Download Chapter 21 The Furnace of the Civil War

Chapter 21 The Furnace of the Civil War Bull Run Ends the “Ninety-­‐Day War” •  A7ack on Fort Sumter-­‐ April 12, 1861 •  Ba7le of Bull Run-­‐ July 21, 1861 •  Union Goal-­‐ Defeat Confederate Army and march toward Richmond ending the war •  Efforts of T. Jackson (Stonewall nickname earned here) •  Confederate reinforcements arrive and overwhelm Union troops •  Union soldiers and onlookers retreat back to Washington DC •  Why didn’t the Confederates pursue? First Ba7le of Bull Run Bull Run •  Importance of Bull Run –  Convinced the Lincoln administraTon/North the Civil War would be a long and costly affair. –  McDowell was relieved of command of the Union army and replaced by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, who set about reorganizing and training the troops. First Ba7le of Bull Run Irvin McDowell
Stonewall Jackson “Tardy George” McClellan and the Peninsula Campaign •  Later in 1861, command of the Army of the Potomac was given to Gen. George B. McClellan –  Excellent drillmaster and organizer of troops –  A perfecTonist –  Constantly believed that he was outnumbered, never took risks •  Would hold the army without moving for months before finally ordered by Lincoln to advance. George McClellan Peninsula Campaign •  McClellan finally decided upon a water-­‐borne approach to Richmond (The Peninsula Campaign) •  Lincoln against the plan-­‐ would leave D.C. open for a7ack Peninsula Campaign 7 Days Ba7le •  General Robert E. Lee’s countera7ack—the Seven Days’ Ba7les— June 26 to July 2 of 1862. •  Confederates suffered 20,000 casualTes •  All but 1 of the ba7les had been a Union victory, but Lee had successfully pushed McClellan back to the James R. •  Lincoln transfers most of McClellan’s army to General Pope in N. Virginia Planning Total War •  6 Components 1.  Suffocate the South through an oceanic blockade. 2. Free the slaves to undermine the South’s very economic foundaTons. 3. Cut the Confederacy in half by seizing control of the Mississippi River. 4. Chop the Confederacy to pieces by marching through Georgia and the Carolinas. 5. Capture its capital, Richmond, Virginia. 6. Try everywhere to engage the enemy’s main strength and grind it to submission. Second Ba7le of Bull Run •  August 28–30, 1862 •  Union Gen. John Pope vs. Lee •  Lee defeated Pope and headed into Maryland •  Why? –  Victory on Union soil would encourage foreign intervenTon –  Border states would leave the Union General John Pope
2nd Ba7le of Bull Run: Effects •  Pope removed and sent •  McClellan back in to Minnesota to fight power Sioux Indians –  McClellan had the unwavering support of •  A wave of despair rolled the soldiers over the North with –  Lincoln needed a speedy news of the ba7le's reorganizaTon of Union outcome, and morale in forces the army sank to new depths. The War at Sea •  The Union blockade started with many leaks at first •  Britain recognized the blockade as binding, since Britain herself ofen used blockades in her wars. •  Blockade-­‐running was a risky but profitable business •  Union navy also seized BriTsh freighters on the high seas, ciTng “ulTmate desTnaTon” (to the South) as their reasons. •  Union Navy pinched off major southern seaports from N.O. to Charleston Monitor vs. Merrimack •  The biggest Confederate threat-­‐ recondiToned and plated with iron railroad rails: the Merrimack •  Monitor-­‐ built in 100 days •  The Merrimack destroyed the Cumberland, the Congress, and forced the Minnesota aground (250 sailors dead in 1 day) •  March 9-­‐ Monitor came to support the Minnesota and fought the Merrimack •  Afer 4 ½ hours, the Merrimack backed off •  Confederates blew up the Merrimack 2 months later when they were forced out of Norfolk •  Effect-­‐ would change world navies forever-­‐ no more wooden ships, birth of the ironclads Bloody AnTetam (Sharpsburg) •  Lee began his invasion of the North by entering Maryland •  Met by McClellan, AnTetam begins on the morning of Sept. 17, 1862 •  Bloodiest day of the Civil War (22,700+ killed) •  18 Generals would be killed in ba7le •  Considered a military draw, even though Lee retreats from Maryland •  McClellan again slow to chase Lee, may have crushed Lee’s enTre army •  Effects-­‐ –  Confederacy loses Britain and France –  Lincoln considers AnTetam a “victory”-­‐ would launch the EmancipaTon ProclamaTon (Sept. 23) The Ba7le of AnTetam AnTetam AnTetam AnTetam Bridge A ProclamaVon Without EmancipaVon •  The EmancipaTon ProclamaTon freed the slaves in not-­‐yet-­‐
conquered Southern territories •  Slaves in the Border States and the conquered territories were not liberated •  13th Amendment would be raTfied in 1865-­‐ 8 mo. afer end of Civil War ReacTons to the ProclamaTon •  Northern ReacTons-­‐ –  AboliTonists: Lincoln had not gone far enough –  Border states & Bu7ernut region-­‐ Lincoln had gone too far –  DeserTon increased in the border states –  Congressional elecTons of 1862 went against Republicans •  Southern ReacTons-­‐ –  Lincoln trying to sTr up slave rebellions •  European ReacTons-­‐ –  Aristocrats sympathized w/slaveholders –  Working class saw an end to slavery, opposed intervenTon in the war Blacks Ba7le Bondage •  By war’s end-­‐ blacks accounted for about 10% of the Union army (180,000) •  500 engagements •  22 Congressional Medals of Honor •  38,000 killed in ba7le •  Service offered them a chance to strengthen their claim to full ciTzenship at war’s end 54th Massachuse7s •  July 18-­‐ Sept. 7, 1863 •  The assault was led by the 54th Massachuse7s regiment; Col. Robert Gould Shaw. •  54th Massachuse7s lost 42% of its ranks in the a7ack (272) •  Confederates abandoned Fort Wagner on September 7, 1863 •  Proved to skepTcs that they would fight bravely if only given the chance. •  William Carney-­‐ 1st African American to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor (at Fort Wagner) Massacre at Fort Pillow •  Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest surrounded Fort Pillow •  Fort held by 557 black troops and a unit of Tennessee Unionists •  Confederate Army stormed the fort and butchered 300 disarmed black and white soldiers begging for mercy •  Many black soldiers captured: –  Returned to their former slaveholder –  Sold to the highest bidder –  murdered Ba7le of Fredericksburg •  Dec. 11-­‐15, 1862 •  Burnside replaced McClellan as commander •  Decided to launch frontal assault on Lee at Fredericksburg •  14 waves of Union soldiers were mowed down by the Confederates •  Many more would freeze to death that night •  12,600 Union soldiers were slaughtered (Burnside’s Slaughter Pen) General Ambrose Burnside
Ba7le of Chancellorsville •  April 30-­‐ May 6, 1863 •  Hooker replaced Burnside •  Confident that he could defeat Lee, marched to Chancellorsville •  Confederates outnumbered 2-­‐1 •  Lee divided his army and ordered Jackson to flank the Union soldiers through the “Wilderness” •  Losses: Union-­‐ 17,000+ Confederate-­‐ 13,000+ •  Loss of Stonewall Jackson-­‐ shot by his own men. Ba7le of Ge7ysburg • 
Afer his victory at Chancellorsville, Lee decided to invade the North for the second (and last) Tme –  Hoping to encourage foreign intervenTon –  Collect supplies in Pennsylvania –  Escape war-­‐torn Virginia –  A major victory on northern soil would strengthen the peace movement in the North •  Lincoln appoints Meade as commander just 3 days before the ba7le •  Meade made sure to keep between Lee and D.C. and Lee decided to concentrate his army around Ge7ysburg Ge7ysburg-­‐ Day 1 •  July 1, 1863 •  Union troops fall back through Ge7ysburg to the hills south of town-­‐-­‐
Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill. Ge7ysburg-­‐ Day 2 •  July 2, 1863 •  Union defended a range of hills and ridges south of Ge7ysburg with 90,000 soldiers. •  Although the Confederates gained ground, Union defenders sTll held strong posiTons by the end of the day. General George Meade
Ge7ysburg-­‐ Day 3 •  July 3, 1863 •  Main event was a dramaTc infantry assault by 12,000 Confederates against the center of the Union line on Cemetery Ridge-­‐-­‐PickeZ's Charge (6,000) •  Lee retreated back to Virginia. •  As many as 51,000 soldiers from both armies were killed, wounded, captured or missing in the three-­‐day ba7le. •  Broke the heart of the Confederate cause Pickett’s Charge
Ge7ysburg Address •  Meaning of the Address –  Put the Civil War in perspecTve as a test of the success of the American RevoluTon. –  The naTon founded on equality was in the midst of a war to determine whether such a naTon could conTnue to exist. –  His speech turned the event into a rededicaTon of the living to the war effort to preserve a naTon of freedom. •  Impact •  Before Lincoln gave the Ge7ysburg address, Edward Evere7 gave a long speech-­‐ 2 hours • Lincoln's speech lasted only 2 minutes. • Because it was very short compared to the other speaker, there was silence from the audience aferward. The Western Theater •  The Rise of Grant –  West Point graduate –  Veteran of the Mexican War –  Drunkard •  Fort Henry and Fort Donelson –  Located on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers (Feb. 1862) –  Demanded “uncondiTonal surrender” –  Crucial victories-­‐ secured Kentucky and opened gateway to heart of Dixie BaZle of Shiloh •  April 6-­‐7, 1862 •  Shiloh, Tennessee (border w/ Mississippi) •  The two day ba7le at Shiloh produced more than 23,000 casualTes •  Importance –  No quick end to the war in the West Sunken Road Hornet’s Nest Capturing New Orleans •  In the spring of 1862, a floTlla (fleet of ships) commanded by David G. Farragut joined with a Northern army to seize New Orleans. •  Importance-­‐ New Orleans was lifeline of Miss. River •  One of the Confederacy’s largest ciTes Ba7le of Vicksburg •  May 18-­‐ July 4, 1863 •  Grant converged on Vicksburg, sieged the city and entrapped the Confederate army •  On July 4, Vicksburg surrendered-­‐ soldiers were eaTng rats/mules •  Effects-­‐ –  Confederacy cut in half –  Union Army gained control of Miss. River –  July 4 –  One day afer victory at Ge7ysburg Sherman’s March to Sea •  Grant cleared Tennessee of all Confederate soldiers •  Ordered Sherman to march into Georgia and take Atlanta •  Sherman captured Atlanta and burned the city (Sept. 1864) •  Sherman conTnued on to Savannah (Xmas present for Lincoln) and worked his way into S. Carolina •  Purpose of Sherman’s March to the Sea –  Destroy supply lines –  Weaken the morale of the Confederacy The PoliTcs of War •  Lincoln had difficulty within his own cabinet (Chase) •  Commi7ee on the Conduct of War resented Lincoln’s expanded presidenTal powers •  Democrats were split-­‐ “War Democrats” vs. “Peace Democrats” •  Copperheads (extreme Peace Dems)-­‐ openly obstructed the war-­‐ led by Clement Vallandigham 1864 PresidenTal ElecTon •  In 1864, the Republicans joined the War Democrats to form the Union Party and re-­‐nominated Abe Lincoln •  Copperheads and Peace Democrats nominated George McClellan. –  Victories at Mobile, AL and Atlanta helped Lincoln win re-­‐
elecTon, 212-­‐21. –  The popular vote was closer: McClellan won 45% ElecTon of 1864 Grant’s Wilderness Campaign •  Grant’s strategy-­‐ “When it doubt, fight” –  In a series of wilderness encounters, Grant fought Lee, with Grant losing about 50,000 men –  At Cold Harbor, the Union sent soldiers to ba7le with papers pinned on their backs showing their names and addresses, and over 7,000 died in a few minutes –  The public was outraged and shocked-­‐ strategy was necessary to defeat the Confederacy Southern Surrender •  Finally, Grant and his men captured Richmond and cornered Lee at Appoma7ox Courthouse in Virginia •  April 9, 1865 •  Lee formally surrendered The Death of a President •  On April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth and died shortly afer. •  Before his death, few people had suspected his greatness, but his sudden and dramaTc death erased his shortcomings and made people remember him for his good things. “He Now Belongs to the Ages” Booth Conspirators The Afermath of the War Between the States •  The Civil War cost 600,000 men, $15 billion, and wasted a enTre generaTon of young Americans •  However, it gave America a supreme test of its existence, and the U.S. survived, proving its strength and further increasing its growing power and reputaTon •  Slavery was also eradicated •  Secession & nullificaTon gave way to supreme federal government.