Download Civil War Overview

Civil War Overview
The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861 when forces of the Confederate States of America fired upon the
United States forces at Fort Sumter, which was in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. Although one could point to the
growing divide between the Northern region of the country and that of the South because of sectionalism, governmental
philosophy, and economic differences, all of the differences between North and South boiled down to one central issue;
slavery. The “virtual divide” between the North and South became an actual divide shortly after the election of Abraham
Lincoln in 1860. Lincoln was a Republican; the party platform included the abolition of slavery. Even though Lincoln himself
was a moderate on the issue, pledging to leave slavery alone where it already existed (but not allow it to expand), the South
saw Lincoln’s election as a signal to leave the United States and form a new country. South Carolina was the first state to
secede, followed quickly by 6 other states (Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas). These states moved
quickly to re-organize into the Confederate States of America (CSA). After Fort Sumter, 4 additional states seceded (North
Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas), forming the final 11-state confederation. Perhaps of even greater importance,
several slave states stayed with the Union and did NOT secede. These became known as “the border states” and included
Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware. Even stranger, when Virginia seceded from the Union, a sizeable portion of
Virginia seceded from Virginia, forming the free state of West Virginia!
On paper, the North held a massive advantage. It had three times the population of the South, over 90% of the
country’s manufacturing capacity, twice as much rail lines and telegraph wire, most of the banking and financial strength of
the country, more weapons and ammunition, and the moral “high ground.” However, the South had strengths it called upon
as well; most of the gifted military commanders in the country were Southern. The eventual commander of the Army of
Northern Virginia (the largest Confederate army), Robert E. Lee, was first approached by President Lincoln and asked to lead
the Union army. Lee balked, stating that he would have to wait until he knew the fate of Virginia because he would not fight
against “his country.” Others, including Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and James Longstreet, were equally revered in the US
Army before the war. Also, most of the war was fought on Southern soil, which gave the South several advantages; they knew
the terrain, knew who was loyal and who was a Unionist, and put them in a position of defending their homes and families.
Also, fighting on the defensive is much easier and less costly than fighting an offensive battle. Since the North fought mostly
on the offensive, the casualties experienced by the Union were much greater than those of the Confederacy.
Union commanders established a plan for the defeat of the CSA; they would surround and squeeze the South into
submission like a gigantic snake. The plan, called The Anaconda Plan, consisted of three parts: 1. Use the massive superiority
of the Union navy to blockade southern ports so they could not export goods for sale or import weapons or ammunition
(important since the South had little or no industry and could not manufacture weapons itself); 2. Take control of the
Mississippi River and cut the South in half (doing so would prevent the western CSA from aiding the eastern half of the country
and keep the Mississippi from being used to aid Confederate troop or material movement); and 3. Attack and capture the CSA
capital, Richmond, Virginia. Capturing Richmond would “cut the head off of the snake” and scatter the leadership of the
Confederacy.
The early part of the war went mostly in favor of the South. The Battle of Bull Run (called the Battle of Manassas by
the South), was won by Confederate forces. Early in the battle, it appeared as though a Union victory was sure, but retreating
Confederate forces were bolstered by Confederate General Thomas Jackson, who held his ground despite what appeared to
be a lost cause. Another Confederate commander, General Bernard Bee, looked across the battlefield and exclaimed “Look!
There’s General Jackson and his Virginians, standing like a stone wall!” Jackson rallied his troops, led a counter attack, and
routed the Union forces. He was known as “Stonewall” Jackson from that day forward. Lincoln replaced aging General
Winfield Scott and picked George McClellan to lead Union forces. McClellan trained the raw recruits and formed them into an
effective fighting force, but little union success was seen in the Eastern theatre of the war until much later. In the west, the
Union was having better luck; General Ulysses S. Grant commanded Union forces to victory at forts Henry and Donnellson. He
then followed up with a bloody but decisive Union victory at Pittsburg Landing Tennessee at a place called Shiloh, giving the
Union control of the Tennessee River and the upper Mississippi River. The Battle of Shiloh caused Grant’s star to rise, and the
Union Army, especially the Commander-in-Chief Abraham Lincoln, was taking notice. Meanwhile, back east, Robert E. Lee’s
army of Northern Virginia, bolstered by unprecedented success, made its first invasion of the North, meeting McClellan’s Army
of the Potomac in Maryland at a place called Antietam Creek. The ensuing battle, the Battle of Antietam (September 16,
1862), was the bloodiest single day of fighting in American history, but the North claimed victory because Lee was forced to
retreat, giving Abraham Lincoln the victory he’d been waiting for and an opportunity to release a new Union policy; the
Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln’s proclamation had several purposes: First of all, Union commanders were overrun with
escaped slaves. By law, they were required to return these slaves to their owners, but most were refusing to do so. Instead,
they claimed them as “war contraband” and used their labor to help build bridges, roads, railroads, fortifications, etc. Since
Lincoln did not want to jail his commanders, the Emancipation Proclamation made it legal to keep runaway slaves and not
return them. Secondly, the CSA had been courting the European powers, trying to gain aid in their fight. Since European
countries had done away with slavery several decades before, making the war about the eradication of slavery made siding
with the South out of the question. Lincoln’s Proclamation declared the slaves of the South “now, henceforth, and forever
free,”* but the proclamation did not include ALL slaves. Only the slaves in states currently in rebellion (the CSA) and territory
not under Union control were freed. This meant that slaves of the Border states and the areas of the CSA that were under
Union control were NOT freed! 1863 was a better year for the Union; Grant followed up his victory at Shiloh by laying siege to
Vicksburg on May 18, 1863. Largely because of Grant’s stranglehold on Vicksburg (and Lee’s desire to force Grant to leave
Vicksburg to relieve Gettysburg) and the importance of the installation to the CSA, Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia
once again invaded the North, attacking the forces of George Gordon Meade and his Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania on July 1, 1863. The battle raged on July 1, 2, and 3, 1863, culminating with Pickett’s Charge, a charge in which
General George Pickett’s entire brigade was annihilated. The three day Battle of Gettysburg was the deadliest battle in
American history, with 50,000 soldiers from both sides either killed or wounded. Gettysburg proves to be costly indeed for the
Confederacy; Lee never again invades the North and loses men and material that he cannot replace, and forcing a dejected
army to fight on the defensive for the remainder of the war. One day later (July 4, 1863), Vicksburg surrendered to Grant,
giving the Union control of the Mississippi River. The Siege of Vicksburg brought phase 2 of Anaconda to fruition; phase 3 yet
to come!
*See 13th Amendment Below
After Vicksburg, Lincoln had seen enough. He needed Grant to take control of all of the armies of the United States, so
Grant left George Meade in command of the Army of the Potomac, but went to Washington to lead and coordinate the forces
of the Union, especially those who faced the Army of Northern Virginia under Robert E. Lee. Grant left his right-hand
commander, William Tecumseh Sherman, to lead the Army of the West, the position he himself had just vacated. Grant and
Sherman decided it was time to make the war as painful for the South as possible, the hope being to end it as quickly as
possible. Between them, they devised a strategy they called “Total War,” which involved attacking not only the troops of the
enemy, but also any private property that may aid the war effort of the enemy. As Grant took off for Washington, Sherman
outfitted his new army for a campaign into the deep South, the aim being to take Atlanta. Convinced by the Vicksburg
Campaign that it was possible to supply food and forage (food for the animals) for an army “off the land,” Sherman detached
himself from his supply lines and marched across Georgia, facing the Army of Joe Johnston in his attempt to take Atlanta (a key
Southern manufacturing center and railroad hub). Atlanta fell to Sherman on September 2, 1864, just in time to assure the
re-election of Abraham Lincoln, who needed just such a piece of good news at just such a time! Sherman continued after
burning Atlanta and destroying its many warehouses and rail lines, and took off for Savannah on the coast. In many ways,
“Sherman’s March to the Sea” broke the back of the South and destroyed any will that was left to fight, along with much of
the supplies and materials necessary to do so. As Sherman marched north to meet up with Grant (who’s army had besieged
the outskirts of Richmond, a town called Petersburg, for nearly 6 months), Lee was forced to evacuate Richmond, leaving the
town to the Union. Grant’s army caught up with the severely depleted Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Courthouse,
Virginia, where Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865. Nine days later, Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth
assassinated Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington. Several days later, Johnston’s army surrendered to Sherman;
the Civil War was essentially over.
Additional Key Elements That Effected the Outcome of the Civil War
1. The Re-Election of Abraham Lincoln – The Civil War brought the rebellious southern states back into the Union
AND ended slavery, but these outcomes were in doubt unless Abraham Lincoln were re-elected in 1864. Lincoln’s
opponent, Democrat George McClellan (Yes, the same General whom Lincoln had replaced after disappointing
results during 1861/62) promised to negotiate peace with the South and end the war if he were elected.
McClellan sided with the “Copperheads,” who were Congressional Democrats against the war. Lincoln promised
to bring the war to a successful conclusion (i.e., win it!) and end slavery. Such being the case, we can today in
many ways thank William T. Sherman and his victory in Atlanta for the re-election of Lincoln, the re-unification of
the country, and the end to slavery!
2. The 13th Amendment – In early 1865, Lincoln has a problem. It appears that the war is coming to an end (a good
thing!), but his Emancipation Proclamation is only in force as long as he exercises his war powers. In other words,
the slaves are free as long as he can hold them as war contraband, but what happens to them when the war is
over? Will he be forced to return them to slavery as the law demands? Lincoln needs a change in the
Constitution, so he pushes for passage of the 13th Amendment, which makes slavery illegal in the United States.
Congress passes the 13th Amendment on January 31st, 1865 and it is ratified by the necessary number of states on
December 6, 1865, 8 months after Lincoln’s death.
3. Technology – Weapons and other technology played a key role during the war. Transportation, communication,
weapons, and military innovation all aided both sides during the war, but especially the Union. In transportation,
railroads and steamboats played a pivotal role in the movement of troops and supplies. Union commanders
strung telegraph lines and relayed messages to one another and Washington in almost real time, allowing troops
and supplies to be allocated quickly and effectively. Rifled muskets were used for the first time in real numbers
and a percussion cap replaced the loading of powder in the breach, so rifles could be fired much more quickly than
before. Both Union and Confederate troops were armed with a new bullet called the “Minnie Ball.” The Minnie
Ball could be loaded quickly; it was conical in shape, giving it much better aerodynamics in flight. Made of soft
lead, it essentially shattered when it contacted its target, causing massive injuries that were most often fatal.
Minnie Ball wounds to the extremities most often caused so much damage that surgeon had little choice but to
amputate the effected limb. Before war’s end, repeating rifles were also introduced. When issued to Sherman’s
troops, Confederate adversaries remarked that Sherman’s troops “could load their weapons on Sunday and fire all
week long” without reloading! Though issued on a limited basis, Gatling guns (the first “machine gun”) were also
introduced during the war. The first “ironclad” vessels were introduced by both sides at approximately the same
time, making ships impervious to cannon fire. Ironclad vessels could now run past a shore battery without fear of
being sunk while simultaneously delivering withering fire of their own! As mentioned, the concept of “Total War”
was also introduced at this time as commanders recognized the importance of depriving the enemy of material
support during war time from domestic sources and sapping the will to fight as homes/businesses of the enemy
were destroyed.
4. The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln – Only 5 days after Robert E. Lee’s surrender, John Wilkes Booth murdered
President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. Booth thought he was striking a blow that would
reinvigorate the South and turn the tide of the war (not all Confederate forces had yet surrendered), but he did
not realize that any hope for a relatively quick and painless reconstruction process died with Lincoln. In 1863,
Lincoln had forwarded what he called the “10% Plan.” In Lincoln’s plan, only 10% of a state’s citizen’s would have
to swear allegiance to the Union and the state had to outlaw slavery in order for that state to be readmitted to the
Union. Subsequent reconstruction plans offered by Lincoln’s successors were very much more stringent and
punitive.
5. Congress didn’t sit on its hands while the war was going on – While the war was going on, Congress was busy
passing other significant legislation. In 1862 alone, they passed the Morrill Act, the Homestead Act, and the
Pacific Railway Act. The Homestead Act granted land to individuals who were at least 21, had never fought
against the Union, and promised to farm the land for at least 5 years; the Morrill Act granted land to states for the
formation of colleges and universities within those states, and the Pacific Railway Act authorized the issuance of
government bonds and the distribution of public lands for the construction of the first transcontinental railroad.
6. Interesting oddity – Wilbur McClean of Mannassas Virginia was a little too close to the first major battle of the Civil
War; a cannonball broke through a front room in his home and destroyed his kitchen, so he moved to a sleepy
little town about 30 miles west of there where he hoped he would be out of harm’s way. Four years later, Robert
E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant sat down in McClean’s front room and signed the instrument of surrender for the Army
of Northern Virginia; the war quite literally started in Mclean’s front yard and ended in his parlor!
Battles of the Civil War to Know (for sure!)
Remember “Full Big Smiles Are Very Good Always” – Fort Sumter; Bull Run; Shiloh; Antietam; Vicksburg;
Gettysburg; and Appomattox Courthouse.