Download The Civil War

The Civil War
Recap
Remember 11 States have just seceded and
formed a new country, the Confederacy.
These states attacked the United States army
base at Fort Sumter.
Border States
There were five border states: Missouri,
Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware
Slavery was legal in these states, though there
were not many
Border States
Missouri - Controlled parts of Mississippi River
Kentucky - Controlled parts of the Ohio River
Delaware - Protected Philadelphia (in PA)
Maryland - Close to Richmond and surrounded
Washington, D.C.
Border States
Abraham Lincoln made it his goal to keep the
Border States in the Union, and eventually
succeeded.
These Border States still had close ties to the
Confederacy however.
I think to lose Kentucky is nearly
the same as to lose the whole
game. . . We could as well
consent to the separation at
once, including the surrender of
this capital.
Comparing the North and the South
North Advantages:
Large Population (Approx. 23 million people)
More manufactured goods
South Advantage:
Excellent military leaders
Confederacy knew the land
Comparing the North and the South
North disadvantages:
Poor leadership
Poor strategy
South disadvantages:
Small population (Approx. 9 million people)
Lack of manufactured goods
War Goals
Both sides had different goals in the war
With vastly different goals the North and the
South both fought the war differently
War Goals
The South wanted to establish its own country.
Therefore all they needed to do was make the
Northerners think the war wasn’t worth it.
War Goals
The North wanted to reunify the country.
This mean that the North had to invade into the
South and forcing the states to rejoin.
Confederate Strategies
How did the South make most of their money?
How might they then use that in the war?
Confederate Strategies
The South expected support from Great Britain
and France who relied on the South for their
cotton supply
They thought the pressure from these two
countries would scare the North away. (Neither
country supported them)
Confederate Strategies
The South wanted to wage a defensive war.
The South would try to hold on to as much
territory as they could.
They thought if they showed they were
determined to be independent, the North would
get tired and give up
Union Strategies
The North knew they had to subdue the South.
Winfield Scott (a well known Union general)
proposed a three step plan to completely defeat
the South.
Union Strategies
Step One: Cripple the South by blockading
Southern Ports. This would stop the South from
shipping goods and getting more supplies.
Step Two: Take control of the Mississippi River
and cut the South in two
Step Three: Take Richmond
American vs. American
The Civil War was more than state vs. state.
The war pit brother against brother, neighbor
against neighbor.
Lincoln’s wife even had relatives in the
Confederate Army
American vs. American
Men joined for several reasons:
1. Patriotism
1. Belief in a cause (anti-slavery, etc.)
1. Fear of being called a coward
American vs. American
Also many teenagers would join.
Tens of thousands were under 18, with some
under the age of 14 even.
However, despite letting teenagers fight, both
armies at first refused to let African Americans
fight.
False Hopes
Both sides expected an easy win at the start of
the war.
The North thought with superior resources they
would steamroll the South.
The South thought they were better fighters
and had more courage and “fightin’ spirit”
Who Were the Soldiers?
Most soldiers were farmers. (50% in North, 60%
in South)
By the Summer of 1861 the Confederates had
about 112,000 soldiers (also known as Rebels)
The North has about 187,000 soldiers. (Yankees)
Who Were the Soldiers?
By the end of the war about 900,000 men
fought for the Confederacy.
Almost 2,100,000 fought for the North.
The Union Army included about 200,000
African Americans.
Realities of War
Both sides suffered terrible loss of life.
Devastating new technology killed many men.
However, the big killer was disease. The
hospitals were overwhelmed and disease
ridden.