Download The American Civil War

The American Civil War
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln won without
winning a single Southern state
His election signaled the end of the
western extension of slavery
Southerners felt their economic,
property, and other rights were
threatened
As President, Lincoln insisted that
the Union be held together, by
force if necessary.
Secession of the Southern States
Seven southern states seceded from the
Union upon Lincoln’s election. They
feared that Lincoln would abolish
slavery.
Between December 1860 and February
1861 the following Deep South states
left: SC, Miss., Fla., Ala. Georgia,
Louisiana, and Texas
The Upper South did not feel
secession was necessary. These
were VA, NC, Tenn, Arkansas.
Fort Sumter, April, 1861
Fort Sumter, SC
The opening confrontation of the Civil
War
Lincoln refused to evacuate Fort
Sumter.
When he attempted to reinforce the
fort, the Confederates started a
bombardment that lasted 34 hours.
The Union army surrendered at that
time.
The Union army surrendered at
that time.
Only one soldier was killed.
Advantages/Disadvantages of the
North
23 states and 22 million people
(manpower for the army)
Many foreign immigrants
(manpower)
Balanced economy (agriculture,
banking, and industry)
Extensive railroad network to
move men and supplies
A merchant fleet
Naval supremacy
Inexperienced military officers
Had to fight offensive war
Advantages/Disadvantages of the
Confederacy
11 states and 9 millions people; 1/3
were slaves
No immigration
Agriculture based economy
Little industry and few banks
Few railroad lines
Ports and harbors easily blockaded
Experienced military leadership
Men used to military service and
living on the land
Would fight a defensive war
War Aims/Goals
North:
Restoration of the Union (1861)
Freedom for the slaves (1862)
War Aims/Goals
South
Recognition by the North of
independence of the Confederate
States of America
First Campaigns of the War,
1861-1862
Campaign Against Richmond,
1861
Union Army plan to attack the
South’s capital of Richmond.
Marching from Washington, the
Army of the Potomac met the
Confederate Army of Northern
Virginia at Bull Run, VA
Ended in a Confederate victory
over a larger Union force
People realized there would be no
quick or easy end to the war; it
would be long and bloody
Campaign in the West
In February 1862, General Ulysses S.
Grant captured Fort Henry on the
Tennessee, the Fort Donalson on the
Columbia.
Grant advanced into the heart of the
South with 45,000 men.
In early April, Grant met the
Confederate Army of A.S. Johnson just
north of the railroad center of Corinth,
MS, at Shiloh (Church).
A bloody two-day battle followed.
Union forces advanced to Corinth and
cut in two the east/west railroad lines
Eastern Campaigns of 1862
The Peninsular Campaign
Another attempt to seize Richmond.
General McClellan attempted to move
up the peninsular between the York
and James Rivers.
He was beaten in June by Confederate
Army of Northern Virginia led by
General Robert E. Lee
Battle of Second Bull Run,
August 1862
As Lee moved north, he met the Union
Army of the Potomac at Bull Run and
soundly defeated it.
Battle of
Antietam
Sept
1862
Battle of Antietam, September
1862
Lee continued north and crossed the
Potomac River to “liberate” Maryland
and isolate Washington.
McClellan’s army met Lee at Antietam
Creek and after a bloody battle, Lee
was forced to retreat back to VA
Antietam
The Union victory was of strategic
importance because it discouraged
Britain from supporting the South
Emancipation Proclamation
With the victory at Antietam, Lincoln
issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
It freed only those slaves in the
“rebelling states” – the South
Made the destruction of slavery the
North’s war aim
Discouraged any interference of
foreign governments
Battle of Gettysburg,
July 1-3, 1863
In early summer 1863 Lee marched
into Pennsylvania with 75,000 men.
It was the turning point of the war,
marking the beginning of the end for
the South
After three days of battle, Lee retreated
into Northern Virginia
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln’s speech in November 1863
dedicating the battlefield at Gettysburg
He described the Civil war as a
struggle to preserve a nation that was
dedicated to the proposition that “all
men are created equal”
Also, rule was by a government “of the
people, by the people, and for the
people.
Lincoln believed that America was
“one nation” and South could not
secede.
Southerners believed that the states had
joined the Union freely and could
freely leave
Siege of Vicksburg, Miss
While Lee was invading the North, the
Union forces in the West laid siege to
the city of Vicksburg, the last
Confederate stronghold on the
Mississippi River
After 45 days, the Confederate forces
in Vicksburg surrendered on July 1,
1863
The North now controlled the entire
Mississippi River
Final Campaigns
Grant was named commander of all Union
forces in the Spring 1864 after several
Union commanders had failed
Sherman’s March to the Sea began at
Atlanta in September 1864.
- Ended in Savannah in December.
- Carried out destructive tactics to bring the
South to its knees
Grant’s Virginia Campaign began in
Spring 1864
- The Wilderness, May-June ’64
- Siege of Richmond and Petersburg
until April, 1865
Appomattox Court House
Lee retreated from Petersburg on
April, 1, 1865
Finally surrendered the Army of
Northern Virginia to General Grant at
Appomattox Court House, April 9