Download USA Civil War (1861-1865)

USA Civil War
(1861-1865)
Continent discovery
• First immigrants were Indians (30,000 B.C.)
• Second immigrants were Inuit (5,000 B.C.)
• First European nation that discovered American
continent were Vikings (1,000 A.D)
• The trade was the most important reason why the
Europeans started with world exploration.
• Fear of the Ottoman Empire forced the Atlantic
nations to search for a new route to the East.
• In August 1492, Columbus sailed west with his ships:
Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria.
• He made three more voyages to America and each
time he thought he had reached the East.
• Later explorations proved that Columbus had
discovered a “New World.” Ironically, that New World
was named for someone else- Amerigo Vespucci.
War Introduction
There are many causes that led to the American Civil War. Slavery is
known as the main cause for the war, but other political and cultural
differences between the North and the South certainly contributed.
The economies of many northern states moved away from farming
to industry. A lot of people in the North worked and lived in large cities.
The southern states, however, had a large farming economy that was
based on slave labor. While the North no longer needed slaves, the South
did.
The election of the anti-slavery Republican Abraham Lincoln as
president in 1860 caused 11 southern states to secede from the Union to
form the Confederate States of America. Four years of brutal conflict were
marked by historic battles at Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville,
Gettysburg and Vicksburg. By the time it ended in Confederate surrender
in 1865, the Civil War proved to be the costliest war ever fought on
American soil, with some 620,000 of 2.4 million soldiers killed, millions
more injured and the population and territory of the South devastated.
• Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States during the
Civil War.
• He refused to recognize the southern states as an independent
nation.
• Lincoln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday.
• In 1865, Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a southern
sympathizer.
Union Generals
Ulysses S. Grant- General Grant led the Army of Tennessee in the
early stages of the war. He had the nickname "Unconditional Surrender."
After winning major victories at Shiloh and Vicksburg, Grant was promoted
by President Lincoln to lead the entire Union Army. Grant led the Army of
the Potomac into several battles against Confederate General Robert E.
Lee and eventually accepted his surrender at the Appomattox Court
House.
William Tecumseh Sherman - General Sherman led under Grant at
the Battle of Shiloh and the Siege of Vicksburg. He then gained command
of his own army and conquered the city of Atlanta. He is most famous for
his "march to the sea" from Atlanta to Savannah where he destroyed
everything that could be used against his army along the way.
Ulysses S. Grant
William Sherman
Confederate Generals
Robert E. Lee - General Lee led the Confederate Army of Virginia
throughout the Civil War. He was a brilliant commander who won many
battles while being greatly outnumbered. His most important victories
include the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Fredericksburg, and
the Battle of Chancellorsville.
Stonewall Jackson - General Jackson earned his nickname
"Stonewall" early in the war at the First Battle of Bull Run. When his
soldiers held firmly against a fierce Union attack, it was said that he stood
like a "stone wall.“ Jackson was accidentally killed by his own men at the
Battle of Chancellorsville.
Robert E. Lee
Stonewall Jackson
Battles
The First Battle of Bull Run
Union troops gathered around Washington D.C. in hope of seizing
Manassas, which was a vital railroad, but the Confederate troops aligned
the creek waiting for Union forces at Bull Run. This was the first large
battle of the war. The Confederate forces defeated the Union.
The Peninsular Campaign
General McClellan (Union Army) decided to approach Richmond from the
Atlantic coast. McClellan landed troops in Yorktown. The Confederates
defeated the Union in the battles, led by General Joseph E. Johnston, then
General Robert E. Lee.
The Battle of Shiloh
The Battle of Shiloh was fought as one of the battles of the "War in the
West.” General Grant led his army into Tennessee and continued to
advance. Confederate forces attacked near Shiloh, resulting in thousands
of casualties between both armies in two days of fighting. The Union won
the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, even though they suffered more
losses than the Confederates.
The Battle of Chancellorsville
The South won the Battle of Chancellorsville, part of the rising hope in the
South. This was a time for hope in the South because the Union was
loosing troops. Stonewall Jackson was killed accidentally by one of his own
men at Chancellorsville when mistaken for a Yankee.
The Battle of Gettysburg
Almost accidentally, Confederate troops discovered Union cavalry in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Confederates attacked, paving the way for
the largest battle of the war, lasting three days. The Union Army won the
Battle of Gettysburg, destroying Lee's hopes of carrying the fighting
further up North.
War operations
End of war and consequences
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The Civil War was one of the most tragic wars in American history. More
Americans died then in all other wars combined.
The nation was reunited and the southern states were not allowed to
secede.
The South was placed under military rule and divided into military
districts. Southern states then had to apply for readmission to the Union.
The Federal government proved itself supreme over the states.
Slavery was effectively ended. While slavery was not officially outlawed
until the passage of the 13th amendment, the slaves were set free upon
the end of the war.
Interesting Facts
• The Union Army of 2,100,000 soldiers was nearly twice the size of the
Confederate Army of 1,064,000.
• It was the deadliest war in American history.
• Around 9 million people lived in the Southern states at the time of the
Civil War. Around 3.4m were slaves.
• 66% of the deaths in the war were due to disease.
• John and George Crittenden were brothers who were both generals during
the war. John for the North and George for the South!
• Stonewall Jackson, one of the South's greatest generals, was killed by
friendly fire.
• Lincoln dreamed of getting assassinated only a few days before he was
killed by John Wilkes Booth.
• In the first few battles each side did not have regular uniforms. This made
it tough to figure out who was who. Later the Union would wear dark blue
uniforms and the Confederates gray coats and pants.
• President Lincoln asked Robert E. Lee to command
the Union forces, but Lee was loyal to Virginia and
fought for the South.
• After John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln, he jumped
from the box and broke his leg. However, he still
managed to stand up on the stage and yell out the
Virginia State Motto "Sic semper tyrannis" which
means "Thus always to tyrants".
• Clara Barton was a famous nurse to the Union
Troops. She was called the "Angel of the
Battlefields" and founded the American Red Cross.