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The Civil War
Early Years of the War
Chapter 15, Section 2
First Bull Run
• The first major battle of the Civil War was fought
in northern Virginia about five miles from a town
called Manassas Junction.
• This battle would be known as First Bull Run.
• 30,000 inexperienced Union troops commanded
by General Irvin McDowell Vs. Confederate force
of 28,000 led by General P.T. Beauregard.
• Upper Photo: General
Irvin McDowell (Union)
• Bottom: General P.T
Beauregard (Confederacy)
First Bull Run
• Before the battle began, hundreds of
cheerful residents (mostly from Washington
D.C.) dressed in their finest clothing,
packed picnic lunches and headed to
Manassas to watch the battle.
• Most expected to see the Union crush the
Rebels in a quick victory.
First Bull Run
• Confederate soldiers inspired by Thomas
“Stonewall” Jackson forced the Union lines
to break.
First Bull Run
• When the Union lines broke, Northern
soldiers dropped their guns and began to
flee back to Washington, D.C..
• In the panic, many of the residents who
came to enjoy the battle and a picnic lunch
were stampeded. Several civilians died in
the mass chaos.
First Bull Run
• Manassas (First Bull Run) was less than 50
miles from Washington, D.C.. So why did
the Confederate Army not march on the
Union capital?
First Bull Run
• Although victorious, the Confederates were
too disorganized and weakened to pursue.
• Regardless, the South rejoiced. Many
believed that the Southern victory meant an
end to the war…
First Bull Run
• The outcome of First Bull Run shocked many
people in the North.
• Northerners began to understand that the war may
be a long difficult one.
• Lincoln immediately called for the formation of
one million troops. Recruits quickly began to sign
up.
• Lincoln also appointed a new general, George B.
McClellan to head the Union army in the East.
Blockades
• Prior to First Bull Run, the
Union came up with a
strategy known as the
“Anaconda Plan”. The plan
was developed by General
Winfield Scott
• The plan was to blockade
major Southern ports and
control major southern rivers.
• This would put a “strangle
hold” on the South.
Blockades
• Blockades were implemented by the North
and proved to be successful throughout the
war.
• The blockades would reduce Southern trade
by two-thirds.
• In addition, goods such as coffee, shoes,
nails, salt, guns and ammunition would be
in short supply throughout the war for the
South.
Ironclads
• The South refused to let
the blockades go
unchallenged.
• Southerners salvaged an
old wooden battleship, the
Merrimack, and covered it
with thick iron plates.
They called this new
weapon the CSS Virginia.
• This ship was also known
by a more recognizable
term; an ironclad
battleship.
Ironclads
• On March 8, 1862, this ironclad warship attacked
a group of Union ships off the coast of Virginia.
• The North’s wooden warships could not damage
the South’s ironclad. Shells would simply bounce
off.
• The North quickly responded with an ironclad of
their own, the Monitor.
Ironclads
• On March 9th the two ironclads exchanged
fire. Although neither ship could sink the
other, the Union Monitor managed to keep
the Confederate Merrimack in the harbor at
Norfolk, Virginia.
• This battle marked a new age in naval
warfare.
Who Won?
• Both the Union and Confederacy claimed a
victory in the “Battle of the Ironclads”.
• The Union had kept the blockade in tact.
• The southern ironclad (Merrimack/ CSS
Virginia) dealt a crippling blow to the
Union Navy.
Battles in the West
• Early battles were waged in the mid-west as
well.
• An early war aim for the Union was to gain
control of the Mississippi and Tennessee
Rivers.
• The Union General in charge of these
western campaigns was Ulysses S. Grant.
Battles in the West
• Grant’s victories in the
mid-west helped
secure the lower
Tennessee River.
• These victories would
also open a path for
the Union army to
eventually march into
Tennessee, Mississippi
and Alabama.
Battles in the West
• One of Grant’s greatest victories came at the
Battle of Shiloh (April 6, 1862).
• The battle was one of the bloodiest of the war;
20,000 casualties combined. Ironically, Shiloh is
a Hebrew word meaning “Place of Peace”.
• After Grant’s victory in Shiloh, Tennessee, Union
forces were well on their way to controlling the
Mississippi River.
Battles in the West
• Following Grant’s victory at Shiloh, the Union would have
yet another victory.
• Union naval forces, under the command of David Farragut,
captured New Orleans on April 25, 1862.
• This victory allowed Union forces to control almost all of
the Mississippi River.
Union Trouble in the East
• While battle campaigns were going well in the
west, the Union encountered problems in the East.
• In March, 1862 General George McClellan was
given the order to take the Confederate capital of
Richmond, Virginia.
• McClellan, however, was very slow to move and
allowed Confederates to prepare their defense of
Richmond.
What was McClellan’s Problem?
•
1.
2.
3.
McClellan was a general that faced several
psychological problems.
McClellan believed (usually falsely) that he was
outnumbered.
McClellan faced personal issues with the loss of life.
McClellan was a perfectionist. He wanted every battle
plan to be administered perfectly. -
Union Trouble in the East
• While McClellan delayed
in attacking the
Confederate capital.
Robert E. Lee took
command of the
Confederate army at
Richmond.
• When fighting did begin,
Lee boldly countered the
Union advances and
eventually drove the
Union forces away from
the southern capital.
Union Trouble in the East
• Following the Battle of Richmond, Confederate president
Jefferson Davis ordered Robert E. Lee to go on the
offensive and threaten Washington, D.C..
• Davis ordered Lee to launch an offensive attack in
Maryland. If successful, he hoped to win support from
Britain.
• Jefferson Davis believed that an offensive approach to the
war would allow Britain to view the Confederacy as a true
independent and powerful nation. If respect could be
gained from Britain, they could possibly become southern
allies.
• As Lee’s army marched into Maryland in September 1862,
McClellan and 80,000 Union troops tried to figure out a
method to stop the advance.
Union Trouble in the East
• On September 13, 1862 the North received a gift
of luck.
• In a field near Frederick, Maryland, two Union
officers found a copy of Lee’s orders and battle
plans wrapped around three cigars.
• The orders had probably been dropped
accidentally by a Confederate officer.
• McClellan now knew exactly what Lee planned to
do.
Battle of Antietam
• Once again McClellan was overly cautious!
He waited four days before deciding to
attack Lee’s army. This gave Lee time to
gather his troops together at Antietam Creek
in Maryland.
• The Union and Confederate armies clashed
on September 17, 1862 at the Battle of
Antietam.
• The Battle of Antietam
was the single
bloodiest day of the
war and American
history.
• 23,000 lay dead or
seriously wounded.
• Lee withdrew back to
Virginia, thus, Union
troops claimed
victory.
Union Trouble in the East
• McClellan had been ordered by President Lincoln to
follow Lee’s army and crush it once and for all.
McClellan’s slow response time and failure to follow
orders forced Lincoln to remove McClellan from his post.
• Lincoln placed Ambrose Burnside in command.