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Chapter 21 The Furnace of Civil War 1861-1865 My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. -Abraham Lincoln, 1862 First Battle of Bull Run • First major battle of war • Occurred at Manassas Junction, a railroad center in northern Virginia • Union troops, under General Irvin McDowell, unprepared • Confederate reinforcements arrived (1st time troops moved by train) • Thomas J. Jackson, leading company of Virginians, rallied his troops, earning the nickname, “Stonewall” • Disastrous Union defeat • Effects – Union casualties: 2900; Confederate casualties: 2000 – Convinced the North that a long war was inevitable – Gave the Confederacy false confidence David G. Farragut Ulysses S. Grant War at Sea • The Blockade – Union established blockade of all Southern ports in April 1861, successfully sealing off all but 2 southern ports by 1862 – South resorted to blockade runners to get through the blockade • New Orleans (1862) – David G. Farragut was given command of Union naval force and set out to take control of city – Intense barrage – Farragut’s ships slipped into New Orleans, where Union forces captured the city – Capture of New Orleans put the South’s largest city, and a center of trade, in U.S. hands – Cut off flow off goods down the Mississippi River Monitor vs. Merrimack • Confederates reconditioned an old U.S. warship, renaming it the Virginia – Plated with old iron railroad rails – Threatened Union blockade – Destroyed two wooden ships in Chesapeake Bay • Union ironclad, the Monitor (‘Yankee cheese box on a raft’), arrived in March 1862 to challenge the Confederate ship – Battle lasted four hours, with neither ship gaining the advantage – Presence of the Monitor prevented the South from breaking the Union blockade • First battle of ironclad ships in world history – Doomed wooden warships War in the West • Forts Henry and Donelson (1862) – General Ulysses Grant in command of Union forces – Seized control of Ft. Donelson on the Cumberland River and Ft. Henry, the Confederacy’s main fort on the Tennessee River – Placed all of Kentucky and most of western Tennessee in Union hands – When asked by Confederate general for terms, he demanded “unconditional and immediate surrender”, earning himself the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant • Shiloh (1862) – Grant moved to cut South’s rail line at Corinth, Mississippi – Confederates launched surprise attack near Shiloh Church near Pittsburgh Landing – Confederates were winning, but Grant was able to bring in reinforcements from the river – Grant forced Confederate surrender, resulting in a Union victory – Bloodiest single battle of the war up to that point (worse was to come) with 13000 Union casualties and 11000 Confederate casualties • Murfreesboro (1864) – General Braxton Bragg led Confederate army against Union’s General William Rosecrans – Union lines attempted to cut Confederate rail lines at Chattanooga but fell back – Battle ended with no winner, but Union reinforcements forced Bragg to retreat War in the East • Peninsular Campaign (1862) – General George McClellan planned to attack in Virginia where James and York Rivers form a peninsula, then move to Richmond – Moved too slowly, allowing Confederates to strengthen position, and Confederate General Joseph Johnston inflicted heavy losses • Seven Days’ Battles (6/1862) – General Robert E. Lee assumed command and led attacks against McClellan in Virginia – Forced McClellan to retreat – Losses totaled more than 30,000 casualties and Lincoln ordered McClellan back to Washington • Second Battle of Bull Run (8/1862) – Lee moved to attack McClellan’s retreating army – Met near Manassas Junction – South won again, coming within 20 miles of Washington, D.C. Antietam • General Robert E. Lee decided that it was time to invade the North – Believed that victory on Union soil would convince U.S. to negotiate peace and help gain European intervention – Hoped victory would help Peace Democrats win upcoming Congressional elections • Lee ordered troops to gather near Sharpsburg, Maryland – McClellan had no idea where Confederate army was – Discovered Lee’s plans wrapped around a bundle of cigars in an abandoned camp – Pursued Confederate army • Battle began at Antietam Creek in September 1862 – Also called Battle of Sharpsburg – Union had 75000 troops with 25000 in reserve; Confederacy had 40000 troops • Union victory at great cost – Bloodiest single day of the Civil War with 12000 Union casualties and 14000 Confederate casualties • Importance – British decided to delay decision on support of Confederacy – South lost best chance for international recognition – Lincoln decided that the time had come to end slavery in the South Antietam Emancipation Proclamation • Question of Slavery – Democrats opposed ending slavery – Republicans divided on the issue • Feared alienating Border States • Believed restoring Union should be first priority – Many convinced by mounting casualties and length of war that South needed to be punished • Emancipation Proclamation – Effective January 1, 1863 – Freed slaves in states at war with the Union • Did not end slavery in Border States • Did not free slaves in Confederate areas under Union control (New Orleans, etc.) – Transformed the war into a conflict to end slavery – Ended any real chance for Britain to accept Confederacy African American Soldiers • Emancipation Proclamation allowed blacks to enlist in the Union army – 180,000 blacks served in Union army during the Civil War (about 9%) – 10,000 to 15,000 blacks served in the Navy (about 10 to 12%) • 54th Massachusetts – One of the 1st African American regiments organized – Extreme heroism proved that African Americans were good soldiers • African American Contribution – Afforded blacks right to prove patriotism and claim citizenship – African American soldiers received 22 Congressional Medals of Honor • Confederate Soldiers – Did not enlist slaves until last year of war – Slaves were forced to provide labor for war-connected activities 54th Massachusetts The Tide of War Turns Battle of Vicksburg • Strategic Location – Vicksburg located on east bank of Mississippi River – It was last Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi – Union victory would cut the Confederacy in two • Grierson’s Raid – Troops under leadership of Ben Grierson conducted series of raids to distract Confederates from Vicksburg – Grant moved quickly into position south of city, then moved east to capture Jackson – Ordered troops to live off the land by foraging • Siege of Vicksburg – Grant attacked in May 1863 – Defenses were so strong that Grant was forced to lay siege to the city – cutting it off from food and supplies while under constant bombardment – until defenders surrendered (Confederates forced to eat rats and mules) – July 4, 1863 the city surrendered, cutting the South in two parts and giving the Union complete control of the Mississippi River Road to Gettysburg • Battle of Fredericksburg (12/1862) – General Ambrose Burnside replaced the fired McClellan for Union army (McClellan had allowed Lee to regroup after Antietam) – Burnside launched attack against Confederates in Fredericksburg, Virginia – Confederates held superior position in hills above the town (Confederates called it “Burnside’s Slaughter Pen”) – Union losses totaled more than 12,000 men to minimal Confederate losses – Burnside was replaced by General Joseph Hooker • Battle of Chancellorsville (5/1863) – Hooker moved troops in an attempt to get better position against Lee at Fredericksburg – Lee divided his forces and attacked Hooker’s troops at Chancellorsville – Stonewall Jackson – Lee’s ‘right arm’ • Led group to reconnoiter the enemy position and was shot by Confederate patrol when returning to camp • Left arm was amputated but Jackson died 8 days later, probably from infection (some say from pneumonia) – Union forced to retreat Gettysburg • Robert E. Lee planned another attack on northern soil after success at Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville • Lincoln replaced Hooker with General George Meade • Confederate troops converged on Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, hoping to intercept a shipment of shoes • Union army (by accident) positioned themselves atop a ridge • Took place over three days - July 1, 1863 to July 3, 1863 – Confederates pushed Union troops out of Gettysburg, and main forces for both armies rushed to the scene – 92,000 Union soldiers faced 76,000 Confederates – Outcome was in doubt until the very end of the battle Pickett’s Charge • Lee ordered massive assault on July 3, 1863 • General George Pickett and General A.P. Hill took 15,000 men in an attempt to break through the Union line • 5th Alabama Battalion participated in the charge, losing @ 48% of men • Union troops stationed on Cemetery Ridge opened fire, killing 7,000 men in less than half an hour • Remaining troops were overpowered by Union forces Effects of Gettysburg • Marked the turning point of the war • Broke the heart of the Confederate cause • Last real chance for the South to win the war • Along with loss at Vicksburg (the following day), scale of diplomacy tipped conclusively to the North – Britain stopped sale of Laird rams – France killed sale of six naval vessels to the Richmond government Chickamauga and Chattanooga • Confederate army forced out of Chattanooga by General William Rosecrans and his army • Confederates regrouped near Chickamauga Creek in north Georgia • General Braxton Bragg’s forces attacked Union army and Rosecrans was forced to retreat back to Chattanooga • Confederacy laid siege on Chattanooga • Grant was transferred to eastern Tennessee theater to organize Union forces • Union won series of engagements in November 1863 at Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, forcing Confederate retreat • Chattanooga was restored to Union control, paving the way for an invasion into Georgia – the heart of the Confederacy • Grant was made general in chief of entire Union army and promoted to Lieutenant General (a rank not held since George Washington) Sherman’s March to the Sea • • • • William Tecumseh Sherman given task of conquering Georgia in 1864 Captured Atlanta in September and burned the city in November Led troops out of Atlanta toward Savannah Total War – Purpose was to destroy South’s ability and desire to wage war (“make Georgia howl”) by waging war on their homes and families – Sherman allowed his soldiers only a knapsack, blanket, gun, and canteen – no food – Forced them to live off the land • Path of Destruction – Burned 60 mile wide swath from Atlanta to Savannah – Destroyed everything they could not use or take with them • Christmas Gift for Lincoln – Mayor of Savannah surrendered as Sherman approached – Sherman spared the city – Telegraphed Lincoln, offering the city of Savannah as a “present for Christmas” Party Politics in the North • Congressional Committee on Conduct of War – Created in 1861 to investigate allegations of misconduct – Formed by ‘radical’ Republicans who resented Lincoln’s expansion of presidential power – Leading critic of Lincoln was Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase • War Democrats – Supported Civil War – Hoped to restore Union to prewar conditions, including slavery • Peace Democrats – Wanted to seek terms with the South – Did not support the war or Lincoln • Copperheads – – – – Violently opposed Civil War Openly obstructed war effort – attacked draft, Lincoln, emancipation Mustered considerable political strength in parts of Midwest The Man Without a Country was inspired by Ohio Copperhead Clement Vallandigham and helped stimulate devotion to Union Election of 1864 • Republican Party joined with War Democrats and temporarily became known as the Union Party • Lincoln nominated, but barely • Andrew Johnson, a Tennessee War Democrat, was chosen as Lincoln’s running mate • Democrats nominated General George McClellan • Lincoln’s reelection looked doubtful until a series of Northern victories – Mobile Bay, Atlanta, etc. – boosted voter confidence • Many Northern soldiers were allowed to come home to vote • Lincoln won 212 electoral votes to McClellan’s 21, but the popular vote was much closer (McClellan received 45%) Grant vs. Lee • Wilderness Campaign (1864) – Grant fought series of campaigns against Lee in Virginia – Both sides suffered huge casualties (Union & Confederates both suffered @ 50,000) – Woods caught fire during battle • Spotsylvania (1864) – Grant attacked Lee’s forces – Lasted 11 days, with soldiers fighting hand-to-hand combat – Confederate lines held • Cold Harbor (1864) – Grant moved forces against Lee’s army, which occupied an almost impregnable position – Union soldiers advanced, many with their names and addresses pinned to their backs – Grant’s army was beaten badly (stated that “I regret this assault more than any one I have ever ordered”) – Resulted in an outcry against Grant (people called him “Grant the Butcher”) • Siege of Petersburg (1864-1865) – Grant hoped to cut the only remaining rail line to Richmond – Confederates had dug trenches to protect city – Union put the city under siege and forced a surrender at the Battle of Five Forks Union Victories Sweep the South • Battle of Mobile Bay (1864) – David Farragut took ships past the forts defending Mobile Bay – Mine (called torpedoes) blew up a Union ship, bringing the advance into the bay to a halt right in front of the forts’ guns – Farragut cried, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” and with his own ship, led the way – Confederate fleet destroyed, eliminating the last Southern port in the Gulf of Mexico • Nashville (1864) – Union army destroyed the Confederates – Completed Union conquest of Tennessee • Peace Talks The War Ends – Confederate leaders attempted to negotiate peace between the “two countries” in February 1865 – Lincoln met with Confederate representatives aboard a Union ship off the coast of Virginia – Lincoln refused to accept anything short of Union and emancipation • Appomattox Courthouse – Confederate forces under leadership of Robert E. Lee were cornered by Union troops led by Grant at Appomattox Courthouse – Richmond had fallen into Union hands – Lee said, “There is nothing left for me to do but go and see…Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths – Grant offered generous terms of surrender on April 9,1865 Lincoln, the Martyr • Five days after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, Lincoln was shot in the back of the head by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford’s Theater – Booth was part of a conspiracy that planned to kill not only President, but also Vice President and Secretary of State – Booth killed; other conspirators charged and convicted (4 were hanged) • Impact of Lincoln’s Death – South, originally glad at Lincoln’s death, eventually realized what a catastrophe it was – Reconstruction became painful ordeal for the South • Death Toll The Cost of War – Over 600,000 men died in action or of disease – More than 1 million killed or wounded • Damages – $15 billion(+) direct monetary cost of war – Continuing costs of pensions and interest on debt from war – Intangible costs included dislocations, wasted energies, lowered ethics, burning hates, etc. incalculable • Federal Power – – – – Power of federal government over states strengthened States’ rights crushed Ideas of nullification and secession buried forever Preserved the idea of democracy as a “long enduring” concept • Inspiration to Other Countries – English Reform Bill of 1867 made Great Britain a true political democracy – Right of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness guaranteed to people around the world, but especially to former slaves