The American Civil War

1861–1865

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 Causes

There were many causes for the outbreak of the Civil War. Many people agree
slavery was the main cause for the war. In addition, sectional differences led to
conflicts. Northern and Southern states were developing different lifestyles and
cultures. Differences in the economic life of the North and the South also
contributed to the conflict. The North’s economy focused on finance and
manufacturing, and the South specialized in crops and agricultural trade. Southern
states also began to question the extent of the federal government’s power.

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How does this painting, Tragic Prelude, represent the debate over
slavery prior to the Civil War?
Abolitionist Movement
The Abolitionist Movement was active
in Northern and Western states before
the Civil War. Abolitionists wanted
slaves to be freed. Some abolitionists
favored relocating them in Africa.
Many, but not all, abolitionists believed
African-American slaves should have
the same freedoms as their owners.
Southern states opposed the abolition
of slavery; it was a financial necessity
and part of their social structure. The
South’s agricultural trade depended on
crops produced with slave labor.

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 A Divided Nation
Comparing Northern and Southern Societies

The South had about nine million

The North’s population was three people, including about three million
times that of the South. Most other slaves. The average Southerner was not
countries recognized the Union as as wealthy as the average person living
the government in America. in the North. About 90 percent of
However, Britain and France had American industry and railroads were
friendly relations with the in the North. Reliance on slave labor
Confederacy and considered aiding discouraged the creation of new jobs in
the South. The North also was more the South. This discouraged
affluent. immigration, and most immigrants
settled in the North.

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 The Leaders

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth Jefferson Davis was President of the
President of the United States. He Confederate States of America. During the
opposed the expansion of slavery. A Mexican War, he had been an officer in
Republican, Lincoln led the Union the United States Army. Davis also had
during the Civil War. John Wilkes Booth served as the United States Secretary of
assassinated Lincoln in Washington, War. When the South surrendered, he was
D.C., on April 14, 1865. charged with treason and prohibited from
running for public office again.

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 The Generals

Ulysses S. Grant Robert E. Lee

William T. Sherman Thomas Jackson

George Meade James Longstreet

George B. McClellan James E.B. Stuart

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 Strategies
Anaconda Plan
Union General Winfield Scott suggested the Anaconda
Plan to halt Southern trade. The plan would impose a
blockade. This would eventually enable the North to
control the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, the army
would divide and isolate sections of the South and
capture its vital cities and the capital in Richmond,
Virginia. Under General Ulysses S. Grant, the North’s
strategy kept pressure on General Robert E. Lee’s army
and constantly weakened their numbers. The larger
population of the North made this possible.

King Cotton
The Confederacy adopted a defensive strategy and
attempted to secure alliances with more powerful
countries such as Britain and France. To do that, the
South needed to show it could win the war. As a
result, the Confederate army attacked Union territory
to draw Union troops away from the South and to
impress potential allies. As the war continued, the
Southern strategy became one of evading the Union
army, prolonging the war, and inflicting casualties to
demoralize the North.
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 Weapons of the Civil War

canister shot artillery projectile

rifled barrel

officer’s sword

Springfield rifle, 1861 British Enfield rifle, 1853

(Union) minié ball (Confederacy)
Although the Union used many types of rifles, this was the most common. Although the Confederacy used many types of rifles, this was the most common.

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 Uniforms
At the beginning of the Civil War, states provided uniforms to soldiers; and the
uniforms were in a variety of colors. This led to massive confusion on the battlefield,
and often soldiers fired on their own men. As the war continued, both sides chose a
single color for their uniforms. The United States of America chose blue, and the
Confederate States of America chose gray.

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Major Battles of the Civil War

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 Fort Sumter South Carolina

April 12, 1861

The first shots of the Civil War were

fired at Fort Sumter. Major Robert
Anderson of the United States Army had
moved his troops to the base because he
feared a Confederate attack. In the early
morning of April 12, 1861, the
Confederates launched an attack.
Northern troops under Anderson’s
command returned fire, but were
ineffective. The Confederacy continued
its attack with prolonged gunfire, and the
Union troops in the fort surrendered a day
later. One Confederate soldier and four
Union soldiers were killed in the battle.

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 Virginia

First Bull Run/Manassas

July 21, 1861

The First Battle of Bull Run took place on

July 21, 1861. General Irvin McDowell led
the Union army toward Richmond,
Virginia. General P.G.T. Beauregard’s
Confederate troops intercepted them. The
battle lasted about five hours. Confederate
forces began to retreat due to losses, except
General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson who
continued to fight until reinforcements
arrived. The reenergized Confederates
pushed McDowell’s forces out of the area.
Union casualties were high, almost three
thousand; and the Confederates suffered
two thousand casualties.

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Shiloh Tennessee

April 6-7, 1862

The Battle of Shiloh raged from April 6

until April 7, 1862. Union troops had
found Confederate General Albert
Johnston’s forces near Corinth Road,
but they were not prepared for an
attack. The Southern troops forced them
to retreat toward the river. Although the
Confederate soldiers had gained
ground, they suffered many losses. On
the second day the Union army claimed
ground in the early morning, throwing
off Beauregard’s troops. The
Confederacy, however, had an
exceptional defense and stopped the
Union soldiers before the Confederates
retreated.

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The War at Sea
The Battle of the Ironclads also is known
as the Battle of Hampton Roads and the
Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack.
This battle was fought off Sewell’s Point near
Hampton Roads, Virginia. It was the first
naval battle between two ironclad ships, the
Union’s USS Monitor and the Confederacy’s
CSS Virginia, which was rebuilt from the
USS Merrimack.
The battle took place over two days, and
the Virginia destroyed many of the Union’s
wooden ships. The next day, the two
ironclads clashed at sea, and the Virginia was
damaged. Neither side claimed victory in this
battle, but the battle revealed the future of
naval warfare. Ironclad, steam-driven ships
were at a decisive advantage against wooden
sailing vessels.

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Antietam Maryland

September 17, 1862

The Battle of Antietam, also known as

the Battle of Sharpsburg, was fought
on September 16–18, 1862. It was a
confrontation between Union and
Confederate forces under Generals
George McClellan and Robert E. Lee.
Federal armies brutalized the
Confederacy; the combined casualties
were more than twenty-three thousand.
The Union pushed Lee and his troops
back to Antietam Creek, but the
stubborn Confederate general
counterattacked with all his troops.
The two sides fought to a standstill,
and both armies withdrew.

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 Virginia
Fredericksburg
December 13, 1862

Fredericksburg was the site of a battle

in December 1862. Union General
Ambrose Burnside led a march on
Richmond, but was delayed for more
than two weeks because of late-
arriving supplies. General Lee
positioned his army, deploying snipers
to pick off Federal troops. Confederate
artillery decimated Union forces in
their attempts to capture Marye’s
Heights. Many Union soldiers were left
in the open after crossing military
pontoon bridges, and they became easy
prey for Confederate troops. Burnside
had no choice but to retreat with the
remnants of his army.

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The Emancipation Proclamation
January 1, 1863

President Abraham Lincoln issued the

Emancipation Proclamation. It was part
of a two-part plan that guaranteed
freedom to slaves in the Union and some
Confederate states. The Confederate
government claimed Lincoln could not
issue laws over states in which he had no
political control. The first plan, enacted
on September 22, 1862, freed slaves in
Confederate states that had not yet
rejoined the Union. The second part took
effect on January 1, 1863, applying to
specific states, but not to the border
states such as Maryland and West
Virginia.

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 Mississippi
Vicksburg
May 2-July 9, 1863

The lengthy Battle of Vicksburg

began in Warren County on May 13,
1863. The North and the South
considered Vicksburg an important
stronghold. Union General Ulysses S.
Grant launched massive assaults on
Vicksburg and terrorized the
inhabitants. Confederates achieved a
minimal victory at Milliken’s Bend
against untrained black troops.
Federal troops pushed Confederate
forces back as the size of the Union
forces continued to increase.
Confederate General John Pemberton
surrendered to Grant on July 3, 1863.

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 Pennsylvania
Gettysburg
July 1-3, 1863

The Battle of Gettysburg began as the

Battle of Vicksburg was ending.
Confederate General Lee forced federal
troops, under General George C. Meade’s
command, to lose ground as the
Confederate forces attempted to take the
city. Lee planned several attacks,
including attacks at Peach Orchard and
Devil’s Den. The Union army fought
back, repelling Confederate attacks and
sending them back to Culp’s Hill. Lee
was relentless and sent his army back into
battle, but to no avail. He eventually
began a retreat toward Williamsport.

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The Gettysburg Address
November 19, 1863

Abraham Lincoln delivered this famous

speech on November 19, 1863, to a crowd
gathered at the dedication of Soldier’s
National Cemetery in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania. The speech contains only two
hundred seventy-two words, but it is
considered one of the greatest speeches in
American history.

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 Virginia
Wilderness
May 5-7, 1864

Union General Grant continued his march

to Richmond, Virginia, planning to use
three armies to lay siege to the city. He
wanted to cut Lee’s food and artillery
supply lines and to block a Southern
retreat. Grant’s troops encountered
Confederate General Richard Ewell’s
soldiers. The Union forces outnumbered
the Confederate. Because of gunfire and
the Wilderness’ dry land, forest fires were
sparked. Confederates achieved some
success and inflicted Union casualties.
Grant refused to retreat and continued his
march to Richmond.

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 Virginia
Cold Harbor
May 31-June 12, 1864

The Battle of Cold Harbor lasted from

May 31 to June 12, 1864, in Hanover
County, Virginia. Union General Philip
Sheridan led a successful attack against
Confederate troops, which lasted until
the Confederacy called reinforcements
to the area. Sheridan followed in similar
fashion, enlisting the help of General
Grant. As in the Battle of Wilderness,
Grant battled on, launching his soldiers
at the Confederacy. The Grant-led army
suffered almost five thousand losses.
Grant’s march to Richmond had been
thrown off, so now he attempted to
regain footing in Petersburg.

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 Sherman’s March to the Sea
November 15-December 20, 1864

Union General William T. Sherman

already had captured Atlanta, but he
wanted to leave sixty thousand troops
there while he marched the rest of his
army to the Atlantic Ocean through
Savannah, Georgia. During this time,
Confederate General John Hood had led
troops in a raid on Tennessee, leaving
Sherman’s soldiers to face fewer than
five thousand Confederate soldiers.
Sherman’s troops burned buildings and
As the Union army moved through
infrastructures along the way,
the South, they destroyed train tracks
destroying many towns and cities.
by heating the rails and bending them
Sherman’s troops defeated the depleted
into a bow. This became known as
Confederate army and took Savannah
“Sherman’s Neckties”
on December 22, 1864.

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 Virginia
Surrender at Appomattox
April 9, 1865

General Lee surrendered his

Confederate army at Appomattox
Court House, Virginia, on April 9,
1865. Lee’s army had diminished,
which contributed to Union General
Grant’s many victories near the end of
the war. In a sign of respect, Grant
allowed Lee to keep his saber and
horse.
General Joseph Johnston was the last
Confederate general who continued to
fight. He still believed that the South
could win the war. Johnston’s troops
eventually fell to federal troops, and he
surrendered to General Sherman on
April 26, 1865.

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Assassination of Lincoln
April 14, 1865
President Abraham Lincoln was
assassinated at the end of the Civil
War. He was killed on April 14,
1865, while attending a play at
Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.,
with his wife and two other people.
Lincoln was watching Our American
Cousin when John Wilkes Booth shot
him in the back of the head.
Booth was a loyal Confederate, and
he thought the Confederacy could
triumph if Lincoln were dead. Booth
jumped off the balcony and broke his
ankle, but managed to escape the
theater. Lincoln died of his fatal
wound the next morning.
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The Trial and Execution of the Conspirators

The conspirators in the assassination of

President Lincoln were Mary Surratt,
Lewis Powell, David Herold, George
Atzerdot, Michael O’Laughlen, Samuel
Arnold, Edman Spangler, and Dr. Samuel
Mudd. They were tried in a military
tribunal court because the government
deemed the nature of the case required the
use of this court. A majority vote would
result in a guilty verdict, while a two-thirds
majority would result in a death sentence.
All eight were found guilty. Surratt,
Powell, Herold, and Atzerdot were
sentenced to death by hanging. O’Laughlen
died in prison. President Andrew Johnson
pardoned Arnold, Spangler, and Mudd.

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 Legacy of the War

The Civil War was the bloodiest war in American history. It has been referred to as
“The War Between the States,” “The Brother’s War,” and the “War of Northern
Aggression.” More than 600,000 Americans lost their lives, and countless others
were wounded severely. The Civil War led to passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth ,
and Fifteen Amendments to the United States Constitution. These amendments
outlawed slavery, granted African Americans United States citizenship, and granted
African-American males the right to vote. Although equal treatment under the law
for African Americans would not be enforced until almost a hundred years later, the
Civil War abolished slavery and established the supremacy of the federal
government.

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