Download The Road to Revolution – Ch

Civil War – Ch. 15, “Battle Cries and Freedom Songs,”
Overall main idea: Between 1862-1865, the Union’s eventual victory in the American Civil War
abolished slavery, lifted the Northern economy, divided society, and devastated the South.
Turning Points, 1862-1863
Main idea: Both the Union and Confederacy looked for major victories on the battlefield to achieve their long-term goals.
The Confederacy knew that defensively holding out would help in the war of attrition, but also knew that it hurt in
their lack of resources
Lincoln wanted to emancipate slavery to preserve the Union, but wanted more success on the battlefield before
doing so
The Naval War and the Diplomatic War
Main idea: The Confederacy attempted to continue international trade and diplomatic recognition to help its war effort, but
was stymied by the Union naval blockade.
The Southern economy was dependent on international shipping, importing and exporting (esp. cotton and cash
crops); the Union attempted to blockade this shipping with the “Anaconda Plan”; it grew stronger as the war went on, but
historians still debate how effective it was (one statistic says that over 75% of CS “blockade runners” made it through the
blockade, though these were smaller than typical huge cargo ships)
British were resistant to recognize Confederate independence because the British had outlawed slavery for almost
50 years
The French were reluctant to recognize the CSA without help from Britain
Europeans had other suppliers for “King Cotton” and other cash crops, but declared neutrality and continued to
trade with the US and the CS
CS victories in the East and Lee’s invasion of the North made British intervention more likely
Antietam
Main idea: The strategic defeat of the Confederates at Antietam was a turning point, stopping further CS invasion, halting
European recognition, and allowing Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
Lee was invading the North through Maryland when McClellan attacked at Sharpsburg (near Antietam Creek)
Bloodiest single day in American history; battle was technically a draw, but Confederates withdrew soon after,
stopping their invasion
Lee could no longer threaten Northern industry and financing
Lincoln had the victory he was looking for to issue emancipation
Emancipation
Main idea: Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, declaring all slaves in rebelling states to be free and so
establishing freedom as an important Union cause.
Previously, Lincoln and the U.S. goal was simply to preserve the union; Lincoln had said at his inauguration that
he had no intention to freeing slaves in the states where slavery already existed
Pressure of abolitionists, Republicans, Congress, and the public pushed Lincoln towards emancipation
Confiscation Act 1862 – ordered seizure of land and property and freedom of slaves from disloyal Southerners
After the battle of Antietam, Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation – effective Jan. 1, 1863, all slaves in
states of rebellion were free; exceptions were border states and states under Union occupation (basically freed slaves in
states where the Union actually had no power anyway)
More and more southern slaves escaped to behind Union lines
More than 80% of black U.S. troops during the war were freed southern slaves; they were paid less than white
troops however, were commanded by white officers, and were limited to more menial work and less true combat
Famous all black unit was the 54th Massachusetts regiment, who fought in South Carolina
Union cause was now connected with freedom, so helping U.S. standing with anti-slavery foreign relations and
hurting the C.S.; also gained support for the war effort from abolitionist-supporting Northerners
From Fredericksburg to Gettysburg
Main idea: Confederate victories in the East led Lee to again invade the North, meeting defeat at Gettysburg, the bloodiest
battle of the war.
Lee defeated Burnside and Hooker, U.S. generals in the East, at the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville,
VA
Stonewall Jackson was accidentally killed at Chancellorsville by his own men; in an attempt to save him, CS
doctors amputated his left arm; Lee: “Jackson has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right.”
Lee invaded the North and met General George Meade at Gettysburg, PA – after three days (July 1-3, 1863) of the
deadliest fighting of the war, Lee is repulsed after a huge frontal assault (“Pickett’s Charge”) and retreated back to Virginia
Vicksburg, Chattanooga, and the West
Main idea: Union victories in the West in 1863 split the Confederacy in half and significantly contributed to the defeat of
the South.
July 3, 1863 is sometimes known as the “highwater mark of the Confederacy,” because from July 4 forward its
chances of overall victory lessened every day; July 4 was the retreat of Lee from Gettysburg in the East and the fall of
Vicksburg in the West
Vicksburg was the last remaining Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River; Union General Grant finally
captured it on July 4 after a long and difficult campaign, sealing off the Mississippi River for Union control and cutting off
the far west of the South from the rest
Grant and the U.S. also won a victory at Chattanooga, TN, including the “Battle Above the Clouds” at Lookout
Mountain
Texas and the New Southwest (NM, AZ, CA) was firmly in Union hands as early as 1862
Native Americans in the West mostly fought on the side of the Confederacy
War Transforms the North
Main idea: In the Civil War-era North, Lincoln avoided political dissent, the Federal government expanded, the economy
boomed, and divisions in society increased.
Wartime Legislation and Politics
Main idea: Though some dissent emerged, for the most part the Lincoln administration ran relatively solidly during the
Civil War-era, resisting the limitation of civil liberties while expanding the federal government’s power.
Lincoln did suppress opposition to the war in the North – seized telegrams to intercept seditious messages,
suspended the writ of habeas corpus (protects defendant against illegal imprisonment; an accused can not be held or
imprisoned without formal charges against them); however, he had a relatively good record on upholding civil liberties;
often in wartime, governments are known to limit civil liberties for the safety of the country
Copperheads – A Republican term for those dissenting against the war, or those suspected of aiding the
Confederates
Lincoln mostly supported the Republicans and the Republicans mostly supported him; one exception were Radical
Republicans, a minority of congressmen who favored policies more extreme and less moderate than Lincoln, such as
immediate abolition and harsh punishment of Southerners
Congressional legislation supported by Lincoln and passed during the war:
Homestead Act of 1862 – granted 160 acres of free land to western settlers as long as they stayed there
and “improved” the land for five years
Land Grant College Act of 1862 – gave proceeds of a state’s public land sales back to the state for the
establishment of agricultural and mechanical (A&M) colleges
Protective tariff – to protect industry and raise money for the Union war effort
National Banking Act of 1863 – replaced state bank notes with a Federal uniform currency (including
paper “greenbacks”)
Conscription and the Draft Riots
Main idea: Reaction to Union conscription in 1863 was often negative, including the infamous draft riots in New York.
Military arrested draft dodgers and deserters while organizations formed to help them evade the draft
New York City, July 1863 – mostly Irish mob protested the draft and quickly turned into a riot; buildings burned,
looting, violence; draft anger was worsened by racial and class problems; two blacks were lynched, 100 others killed
The Northern Economy
Main idea: The Northern economy boomed during the war, greatly aiding the war effort but continuing deep social
problems that emerged with industrialization.
High tariffs, massive federal spending, high demand, new industries and technological advances led to the boom in
the Northern economy
Agricultural output actually increased despite the loss of labor to industry and the military; machinery was much
more efficient
Though workers’ wages increased, prices increased more, causing workers to actually get poorer than before the
war; trade unions, strikes, and labor problems increased
Racial and labor problems led to violence and riots in some cities
Some Northerners made profits from illegal trade with the Confederacy; others grew very wealthy from Northern
business at the expense of others, even those dying on the battlefield; this alarmed some social critics
These problems were outweighed by the wartime benefit of the economy, but would worsen and become more
prominent after the war
Northern Women and the War
Main idea: The war was difficult for Northern women, but also allowed them more access to occupations and roles
formerly barred to them.
Some women took jobs in factories, sewing rooms, and arsenals; many women also took jobs as nurses; these were
jobs usually relegated to men, and women were respected less and paid less
Women were admitted to some state colleges that were formerly limited to only men
The Confederacy Disintegrates
Main idea: As the war waned on, the Confederacy fell apart as they hoped to outlast the North in their war of attrition.
Southerners hoped that Lincoln would not be reelected in 1864
Southern Politics
Main idea: As the war continued, southern politics lacked a strong nationalism and increasingly struggled with dissent and
disunity.
West Virginia seceded from Virginia and was annexed into the U.S.; Winston County also seceded from CS AL
States’ rights hampered Confederate unity and coordination
Jefferson Davis’s leadership did not encourage unity or nationalism either, but increased tensions
Confederates tried to associate their country with the ideals of the American Revolution or as the resistance to
Lincoln’s tyranny, but it was not very successful; few Southerners were truly devoted to their nation, but more to their
community or state
The Southern Economy
Main idea: The southern economy increasingly grew weaker as the war continued, making it much more difficult to
continue the war.
Debates over whether the South had enough resources or whether it just had trouble supplying those resources to
those who needed them
Nevertheless, southerners struggled towards the end of the war; farms were destroyed, money was worthless, some
scavenged for meager food, and some wore ragged clothes
Southern Women and the War
Main idea: Southern women took on more active and open roles in society as the war continued.
Antebellum conventions urged women to be pure, innocent, patriotic, and emotionally stable and optimistic; as the
war dragged on and women took on greater roles and suffered more hardships, many shed the old conventions
Some Southern women took on the management of their husband’s plantation or farm; some worked in fields or
factories, taught school, or worked as nurses; some were even spies
Eventually, some women were encouraging their husbands and sons to come back home, despite the status of the
war effort
The Union Prevails, 1864-1865
Main idea: Though the Union was in control by 1863, it still faced obstacles to overall victory.
The Confederacy still blocked Atlanta, Richmond, and the fertile Shenandoah Valley in VA
U.S. Grant was appointed by Lincoln to command all Union forces
Grant’s Plan to End the War
Main idea: General Grant’s coordination of U.S. armies and nonstop warfare pushed the South closer towards defeat.
Grant focused his army on defeating Lee in the East; though he was defeated by Lee in a few major battles in a
row (Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor) in 1864, Grant continued to press towards Richmond, unlike previous Eastern
U.S. commanders
In the West, U.S. General William T. Sherman marched his army from Chattanooga towards Atlanta; CS forces
abandoned Atlanta and burned it; Sherman captured Atlanta in 1864, giving the U.S. a major victory that helped Lincoln
get re-elected in 1864
The Election of 1864 and Sherman’s March
Main idea: Lincoln’s re-election and Sherman’s march through GA and the Carolinas pushed the South closer towards
defeat.
Democrats nominated former general George B. McClellan to run against Lincoln (short-lived “National Union
Party”); the recent Union success, especially in Atlanta, helped Lincoln win (55% of pop. vote, winning electoral vote of all
but three Northern states)
Lincoln’s campaign slogan, “Don’t change horses in the middle of a stream”; Vice-President is Andrew Johnson, a
war-supporting Democrat
13th Amendment passed in 1865 – outlawed slavery everywhere in the U.S.
Sherman’s U.S. troops marched from Atlanta to “the sea,” Savannah, GA, in 1864, then north through the
Carolinas, destroying the southern countryside
CSA passes a bill allowing blacks to fight for the CS army, but it was very late in the war; very few AfricanAmericans fought for the CS during the war
The Road to Appomattox and the Death of Lincoln
Main idea: The Civil War officially ended when Generals Lee and Johnston and President Davis surrendered in April-May
of 1865, around the same time as the assassination of Lincoln.
Lee’s army abandoned Richmond in April, hoping to join with other CS armies; Grant cut him off and Lee
surrendered at Appomattox Court House, VA, on April 7, 1865
Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the other major CS army to Sherman in NC on April 26
Davis was captured on May 10, 1865
Lincoln was shot and killed by John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and CS supporter, at Ford’s Theater in
Washington, DC, on April 14, 1865; Booth was tracked and killed in a barn in VA by Union soldiers; Lincoln’s death was
the first successful Presidential assassination in US history
Many Southerners appreciated the assassination while others realized the other options for US leadership after the
war were harsher than Lincoln’s plans
Conclusion
Civil War produced 620,000 recorded soldiers’ deaths; over 1 million overall casualties (dead, wounded, missing) –
bloodiest war in American history
The War devastated the South – lost ¼ of white male population, 2/5 of livestock, ½ farm machinery, most of its railroads
and industry; wealth decreased 60% while Northern wealth increased by 50%; slavery lost
Civil War taught business lessons that would be applied after the war ended
Social class problems continued
By the end of the war, most Northerners supported the end of slavery, but did not support racial equality; Southerners, of
course, did not like the end of slavery nor racial equality
Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” in which he dedicated the cemetery for the Battle of Gettysburg, connected the US cause to
freedom and democracy, not just preservation of the Union
Biggest problem after the war would be reuniting the North and the South back into a United States again
Overall main idea: Between 1862-1865, the Union’s eventual victory in the American Civil War
abolished slavery, lifted the Northern economy, divided society, and devastated the South.