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The American Pageant
The Furnace of Civil War
1861-1865
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July 21, 1861
Manassas, VA
Irvin McDowell (Union) vs. Johnston and
Beauregard
Union plan: attack, win, march to Richmond
Reality:
Both sides unprepared
 Confederates victorious when “Stonewall” Jackson
stands his ground, until reinforcements arrive
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Given command of Union army after
McDowell defeated
Meticulous in planning
Bad in implementation
Served only 4 months
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Union launched in SE Virginia by McClellan
March – July 1862
Union goal: Avoid Confed. army in VA by
using waterways to sneak up and capture
Richmond
Reality – McClellan held ground with
Johnston, but then was easily defeated by
Robert E. Lee (Confed. victory)
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Union landed at Ft. Monroe but surprised to find Confed.
defensive line
Battle of Yorktown (union victory)
 Started Confed. withdraw
Battle of Williamsburg (Union victory)
 1st battle of campaign
 Continued Confed. withdraw
Battle of Drewry’s Bluff (Confed victory)
 Unsuccessful attempt of Navy to access Richmond via
James River
Battle of Seven Pines (draw)
 Johnston wounded
 Replaced by Robert E. Lee
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June 25 – July 1, 1862
Six Major battles (10 total)
Confed. General Lee vs. Union General
McClellan
Confederates pushed McClellan’s army back
down the peninsula
Lee then turned North to ready for future
campaigns
36,000 casualties
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Northern blockades at principal ports
Merrimack
Confed. steel plated wooden ship
 Effective at breaking through blockades
 Many weapons and large but very slow
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Monitor
Union’s ironclad ship
 Fast and small; few weapons
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Merrimack vs. Monitor
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March 9th, 1862 (draw)
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August 29 – 30th, 1862
General Lee vs. General Pope (Union)
First major offensive battle by Confederacy
Confederate Victory
Casualties
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Union – 10,000
Confed. – 1,300
Union General John Pope
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“Stonewall” Jackson captured union supplies
at Manassas
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Confed. and Union stalemate at Stony Ridge
Gen. Longstreet (Confed.) met up with Jackson
after light resistance
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Severed link with Washington D.C.
Pope unaware of Longstreet, continued to fight
Jackson
Union easily defeated by largest simultaneous
mass assault of the war (25,000 confed. troops)
August 29th, 10am and 12pm
August 29th, 3pm and
5-7pm
August 30th, 3 and 4pm
August 30th, 4:30 – 5pm
Union retreat
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BATTLE of ANTIETAM
September 17th, 1862
• Why was Lee invading the
North, and especially a
border state at this time?
What were his goals?
• Why was it especially
critical for the Union to have
a victory at this time?
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First major battle on Northern soil (MD)
Bloodiest single day battle (23,000)
Lee vs. McClellan
Lee outnumbered 2 to 1, but McClellan sent in
less than ¾ of army
Lee able to withdraw, when McClellan failed to
follow
Tactical Draw; Stopped advance towards D.C.
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Called for the freeing of all slaves
"the rebels could not experiment for 10 years
trying to destroy the government and if they
fail still come back into the Union unhurt.“
Confiscation Act of 1862
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punished "traitors" by declaring their slaves property
of war who shall be free.
Not enforced in the border states
Removed chances of negotiation between north
and south
Made the Civil War also a moral war
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McClellan replaced with General Burnside
after Antietam
Battle of Fredericksburg, VA (12/13/1862)
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Union defeated
Gen. Burnside replaced with General Hooker
Battle of Chancellorsville, VA (May 1863)
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Union defeated
“Stonewall” Jackson mortally wounded
General Hooker replaced by General Meade
July 1 -3. 1863
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Largest # of casualties (approx 50,000)
Major turning point of the war
Lee vs. Meade
Confed. Goal
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Move north into PA, win, and truce
Union victory
Ended the war in the north
Led turn to Confed. defensive war, rather than
offensive
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Early Confed. gains
Pushed Union back to
Cemetery Hill
General Reynolds
killed; replaced by
Doubleday
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Pickett’s Charge
Confed. attack on
Union middle
Preceded by artillery
shooting
Confed. – 50%
casualties
Ended the Battle of
Gettysburg
Union victory
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Congressional Committee on the Conduct of
War
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Democratic Split
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Abused powers during war
Led by Salmon P. Chase (Sec of Treasury)
War Democrats: Pro-Lincoln
Peace Democrats: – Anti-Lincoln
Copperheads
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Radical peace democrats
Vallandigham – Banished to South
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Started as Union volunteer
Captured Ft. Henry and Ft. Donelson in Feb
1862
Battle of Shiloh April 1862
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Union Victory
Given command at Vicksburg
Union victory July 4th, 1863
 Control of Mississippi River for rest of war
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Became Lieutenant General of U.S. Army after
victory at Chattanooga
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Captured and burned Atlanta in September
1864
Captured Savannah December 1864
Captured and burned Columbia February 1865
Purpose to destroy supplies and lower morale
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Union Party – War Democrats + Republicans
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Democrats (including Copperheads)
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Lincoln: President
Johnson (War Democrat): Vice President
George McClellan
Lincoln overwhelmingly reelected
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Another defeat for the South
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April 9th, 1865 Lee surrenders to Grant at
Appomattox Court House in Richmond, VA
following Wilderness Campaign
War Death Total – 600,000
Cost - $15 Billion
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April 14th, 1865
Ford’s Theater (DC)
John Wilkes Booth
Andrew Johnson takes over as president