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Chapter 12 The Civil War, 1861-1865.

I. Strengths and Strategies.

The North/Union- The Goal of the North was to force the southern states back into the Union. Lincoln stated that he wanted to restore the Union as quickly as possible, with or without the practice of slavery intact.

A larger population. This gave them more men for the army, while still leaving a sufficient labor force behind.

More factories for producing weapons, and other supplies.

More railroads for transporting goods and soldiers.

Already had an existing army and navy, and an established government.

Had a stronger economy; more money could be spent on the war.

Strategy- the North’s strategy was based on 3 objectives: blockade the South so they could not trade; gain control of the Mississippi River; capture the South’s capital of Richmond Virginia.

The South/Confederacy- the goal of the South was to force the U.S. to accept the secession of the southern states. Jefferson Davis stated that "all we wish is to be left alone."

Had better trained, and more experienced military leaders.

Only needed to fight a defensive war, did not have to invade the North.

Were motivated by defending their homes and way of life.

Strategy- the South’s strategy was to fight a war of attrition, they would try to inflict heavy casualties on the Union army until the North lost its will to fight.

II. The Battle of Bull Run/ Manassas- July 21, 1861, was the first major battle of the Civil War.

The North had hoped to capture Richmond and bring a quick end to the War.

The southern armies were losing for most of the day, but then rallied and sent the Union forces retreating back to Washington.

The number of casualties from this battle shocked many people. Both sides began to realize that the war would last longer than many had anticipated.

III. Warfare- the casualties during the Civil War were higher than many people had expected. Warfare had become more deadly than in the past.

The main reason for the high casualties was that a number of improvements had been made in weapons, making them more accurate and giving them longer range. (rifled barrels, bulleted ammunition)

The tactics used by most military commanders did not account for the more efficient weaponry. A common tactic was to send a large group of soldiers to charge enemy positions.

IV. The Emancipation Proclamation- issued in the fall of 1862.

Lincoln originally did not believe he had the authority to end slavery. He came to believe however, that declaring an end slavery would help the North to win the war. He decided to use his authority as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces in making this executive order.

The union army had not been doing well up to this point. Lincoln’s advisors urged him not to try to free the slaves until the North had won a major battle. They feared that it would appear to be a show of desperation.

Lincoln also worried that freeing slaves could lead the five border states of Kentucky, Missouri, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware might secede and join the Confederacy.

The Battle of Antietam was fought on September17, 1862. It was the bloodiest day of the war. The Union suffered over 12,000 casualties.

The Confederate army, led by Robert E Lee, lost about 14,000 men, and would have much more difficulty in replacing the lost soldiers.

This Union victory gave Lincoln the momentum he felt he needed to issue a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. It stated that as of January 1st 1863, the U.S. would declare freedom for all slaves in Confederate controlled territory only. On New Year’s Day Lincoln issued the official Emancipation Proclamation.

Although it did not officially free slaves in the entire country, the Emancipation Proclamation ultimately made the Civil War a war to end slavery. Many people in the North were overjoyed, however some were strongly opposed to this development.

This led many slaves to attempt to escape their plantations and flee to the North. The number of African American volunteers to the Union Army greatly increased.

V. Social/Political Issues- during the war the powers of the national government were expanded, especially those of the executive branch. The rights of citizens were restricted in some ways.

Lincoln took a number of extraordinary measures to keep the Border States from seceding and to ensure the safety of the Union. This included declaring martial law in Kentucky, and suspending the writ of habeas corpus in some areas.

A number of people were imprisoned due to their political views

In March 1863 a draft was instituted for the first time in U.S. history. It caused significant protest among the Northern population.

Many people were angered by a clause that allowed men to hire substitutes, or buy their way out of the draft for $300.

In New York City draft riots broke out in July1863. More than 100 people, mostly African Americans, were killed during four days of rioting.

The draft had already been instituted by the Confederacy in April 1862. Many men in the South evaded the draft.

Another political issue in the North was the actions of the Copperheads. These were Democrats who were strongly opposed to the war. They sometimes went so far as to openly support the South.

VI. The Battle of Gettysburg- Lee hoped that a major Confederate victory on Union soil would convince the North to end the war.

The Union and Confederate armies fought at Gettysburg for three days from July 1st through 3rd. The Union won a crucial victory.

On July 4th, Lee retreated back to Virginia. He had lost more than 28,000 troops, and his army would never be as strong again.

On July 4th in the West, General Ulysses S. Grant captured the city of Vicksburg. This gave the North complete control of the Mississippi River. Grant would soon become head of the entire Union army.

On November 19th, 1863, Lincoln made the Gettysburg Address at the dedication of a cemetery where the battle had occurred. In this speech he called the war an opportunity for the nation to have "a new birth of freedom," reaffirming the fact that the war would end slavery.

VII. Election of 1864- Despite some calls to cancel the election due to the country being in a state of emergency, Lincoln ran for re-election. He chose Andrew Johnson from Tennessee as his running mate.

Parts of the South that had already been reoccupied by the Union Army were allowed to vote in the election.

The Democrats nominated former General George McClellan, who indicated he would negotiate an end to the war if he were elected.

The South hoped that Lincoln would lose the election, and a new U.S. president would end the war with the Confederacy remaining independent.

Lincoln won the election, due in part to military victories by Grant, and General William Tecumseh Sherman who captured Atlanta.

VIII. The End of the War- after Lincoln’s re-election, the South had little chance of winning the war.

Sherman’s March- in 1864, Sherman’s army marched through Georgia and the Carolinas, burning everything in their path. This destructive type of warfare was designed to break the South’s will to fight.

By April 1865, Grant had captured Richmond. On April 9th, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse. By June all other Confederate commanders had surrendered.

On April 14th, Lincoln is assassinated at Ford’s Theater by an actor named John Wilkes Booth.