Download American Civil War

1861-1865
“War does not determine who is right,
only who is left.” –Bertrand Russell
1860 Election
Abraham Lincoln elected
President
First Republican to become
president
Won less than 40% of the
vote
“Government cannot endure
permanently half slave, half
free”
December 20, 1860
South Carolina secedes from the
Union
Within two months Mississippi,
Florida, Alabama, Georgia,
Louisiana and Texas also
seceded in that order
The Confederate States of
America
• February 9, 1861
• Jefferson Davis
becomes
president of the
CSA
• Lincoln sworn in
March 4th
Ft. Sumter
After secession, Confederate soldiers
began taking over forts in the South
One of these was Ft. Sumter in
Charleston, S.C.
Lincoln had two choices
Attack the South and start hostilities
Do nothing and let the fort fall into
Confederate hands.
Lincoln simply ordered the fort to be
resupplied with food
Fort Sumter
Now the decision
was left to the
South
April 12, 1861 the
South opened fire
with 50 cannons
The Civil War
began
Union and Confederate Resources
April 15, 1861
President
Lincoln issues a
Proclamation
calling for 75,000
militiamen
Robert E. Lee
was offered
command of the
Union Army, he
declined
April 17, 1861
Because of Ft.
Sumter 4 border
states secede
Confederacy=11
States, population
9 million
Union = 21 states,
population 20
million
First Bull Run
July 1861: Under General Irvin
McDowell, at Bull Run 25 miles
southwest of Washington, the Union
Army is defeated by General
Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson.
Union army falls back to Washington.
The Confederates fail to attack the
capital
July 27, 1861
Lincoln appoints
George B. McClellan
to replace McDowell
as Union
Commander
Ironclad ships could splinter wooden
ships, withstand cannon fire, and resist
burning
The two most famous ironclads of the war
were the Merrimack (Confederate) and the
Monitor (Union)
The two ships fought off Norfolk, VA in
March of 1862
Wooden ships were now obsolete, naval
warfare is thus changed forever
Antietam
• September 17, 1862 Lee is stopped by
McClellan at Antietam, Maryland
• By nightfall 26,000 are dead
• Lee withdraws to Virginia
• The bloodiest day in American history
• Lincoln replaces McClellan with General
Burnside and says that McClellan has “a
case of the slows”
1863
• January 1st, Lincoln issues the
Emancipation Proclamation
– Frees slaves in areas still in rebellion to
the Union
– Allows African Americans to fight in the
military
– The war is now considered to be about
slavery
• Conscription-Congress enacts a draft of
20-45 year old males
– Draft riots occur
Gettysburg
– Best known battle of the Civil War
– July 1-3, 1863-Gettysburg, PA
– Turning point in the North- July of
1863.
– Before Gettysburg, 1863 had gone
very well for the South
– Lee and the Confederate forces
would never again regain the
offensive
Gettysburg
The battle would last three days and
produced staggering losses of more
than 50,000 men killed or wounded.
 NC lost more than any other state.
Corpses of men and horses lay
rotting everywhere in the July heat.
Four a
The Gettysburg Address was given
Score and
few months later to honor the dead.
seven
-
Gave the war a moral cause!!
years
ago…
Vicksburg
Ulysses S. Grant takes over and Union
commander
Grant ordered the attack of Vicksburg
Mississippi in an effort to allow the Union
complete control of the Mississippi River.
Turning Point in the South
Food supplies ran so low that men were
forced to eat dogs and mules.
The city finally fell on July 4, 1863 and the
Union army gained complete control of the
Mississippi River.
Lincoln wins re-election!!!
Lincoln is re-elected President defeating
McClellan winning all but three states and
55% of the popular vote.
Sherman’s March to the Sea
Sherman believed in total war- fighting not
only armies, but civilian populations as
well
Sherman occupied the city of Atlanta on
September 2, 1864.
From there he marched southeast to the
city of Savannah creating a wide path of
destruction through the state of Georgia.
He arrived in Savannah around Christmas
burning almost everything in his path.
Surrender at Appomattox
Lee and Grant met to arrange a
Confederate surrender on April 9,
1865 in a Virginia village called
Appomattox Court House.
Grant pardoned all Lee’s soldiers and
sent them home with all of their
possessions.
Finally, after four long years, the Civil
War was over leaving more than
650,000 American dead-As many as
all other wars combined.
Lincoln’s Assassination
• April 14, 1865
• Lincoln was assassinated
by 26 year-old actor John
Wilkes Booth
• He would die the next day