Transcript The Civil War and Reconstruction

The Civil War and
Reconstruction
Unit 8, Section Two: The
Events of the Civil War
Fort Sumter
The first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort
Sumter, South Carolina, located in Charleston
Harbor. Federal soldiers had been surrounded by
Confederate soldiers, and on April 12, 1861,
Confederate forces fired on the Fort. The Union
soldiers surrendered and the war began. The next
day, President Lincoln called for 75,000 Northern
volunteers to put down the rebellion, which caused
Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina to
secede from the Union.
A Call to Arms
Once the war officially began, thousands of Texans
answered the Confederate call for volunteers. Even
many Unionists began to support the war. By the end
of 1861, over 25,000 Texans were in the
Confederate army. Texas troops joined regiments
from their hometowns or counties, and the units
took the names of those who organized them. For
example, Terry’s Texas Rangers was a group of
soldiers organized by B.F. Terry, and that regiment
fought in battles throughout the Civil War.
Reunion of surviving Terry’s Texas Rangers in Austin, Texas at a Monument to Civil War
Veterans!
Hood’s Texas Brigade
Another fighting force from Texas that was
significant in the Civil War was John Bell
Hood’s Texas Brigade. Hood’s Brigade
fought at Gettysburg and during the Seven
Day’s Campaign. Of course, you have heard
his name before. Fort Hood in Killeen is
named for John Bell Hood.
Important Texans in Government
Texans were not just helping the fight on the battle field.
Many Texans were important members of the new
Confederate government. The Confederacy elected a
president named Jefferson Davis, and many Texans served
in his cabinet. John Reagan, from Palestine, Texas, served
as the Postmaster General for President Davis, and Francis
Lubbock was the personal assistant to President Davis
during the war. Of course, Francis Lubbock was also
known for being the ninth governor of Texas. Lubbock,
Texas is named for his brother, Thomas, who was a Texas
Ranger and soldier during the Civil War.
Lawrence Sullivan “Sul” Ross
 He served as the 19th
governor of Texas. He
was a Confederate Army
general during the Civil
War and later the
president of the
Agricultural and
Mechanical College of
Texas, now called Texas
A&M University.
Getting Ready for War
Most Texas troops were poor and ill-equipped for
war. They needed all the supplies they could get.
To get some supplies, Confederate troops
surrounded Texas military bases, where all the
U.S. officers quickly surrendered. Without a shot
fired, the Confederacy confiscated over $1
million worth of military supplies. Texans also
began opening factories to create weapons and
ammunition.
Northern Advantages
The North had many advantages over the
South. First, they had a larger population, so
they could recruit more soldiers to fight.
Because they had more railroads, they could
move troops and supplies more easily. They
also had more factories with which to
produce weapons and supplies, and an
established national government ready to
conduct and fund the war effort.
Southern Advantages
The South had advantages of their own. They had many
experienced war leaders who fought in the Texas
Revolution and Mexican War. Also, many
southerners were experienced at riding horses and
using guns, since so much of the south was
considered frontier. By the end of 1861, two thirds
of the Texans in the Confederate army served as part
of the cavalry. Texans were considered fierce and
brave soldiers.
Confederate Plan for War
The Confederacy planned to stay on the
defensive and wear down the Union’s
will to fight, since they felt that the
South had more to fight for than the
North. They believed that they could
rely on getting extra supplies from
foreign countries in Europe, especially
Great Britain.
Northern Plan for War
The Union planned on using a naval blockade to cut
off the Southern seaports and keep them from
receiving supplies from other countries. They also
planned to take control of the Mississippi River so
that it would cut the Confederacy in two and
separate the food producing states of Texas and
Arkansas from the rest of the South. Finally, they
planned to capture the Confederate capital of
Richmond, Virginia.
Major Battles Away from Texas
Most of the major battles of the Civil War took
place east of the Mississippi River. Important
battles occurred at Richmond, Bull Run,
Antietam, Vicksburg, along the Mississippi River
Valley, and at Gettysburg (which was the
beginning of the Confederacy’s defeat).
Eventually, the North did succeed in splitting the
Confederacy into two parts, making it difficult
from supplies to be passed from West to East.
The New Mexico Campaign –
Battle of Glorieta Pass
While most Texas soldiers fought in the Eastern United States
during the war, some fought closer to home in the New
Mexico Territory. General Henry H. Sibley took three Texas
regiments to seize the southwest – from New Mexico to
California – for the Confederacy. They hoped to profit from
numerous gold and silver mines. They had several battles in
New Mexico against Union soldiers, but were eventually
forced back to Texas after the lost Battle of Glorieta Pass on
March 28, 1862, weakened by diseases and lack of food and
water. The Union then had control of the southwest for the
rest of the war.
Fighting at Galveston Island
In an effort to cripple southern forces, the Union Army
attempted to blockade the Texas Gulf Coast. They then
tried to capture the Texas port of Galveston Harbor in
the summer of 1862. To protect their ships and fight
against northern forces, Commanders John Magruder
and Thomas Green ordered the confederate soldiers to
line some steamboats with cotton bales, making them in
gunboats, later called cottonclads! This helped to protect
the riflemen on board. The boats – the Neptune and the
Bayou City – were able to hold off Union attacks and the
Confederates were able to keep Galveston.
The Battle of Sabine Pass
The Union did not want to leave Galveston in Confederate
hands. Union soldiers planned to invade Texas along Sabine
Pass, then march to Houston and capture Galveston. There
were only 45 soldiers guarding Sabine Pass at Fort Griffin,
and they were attacked by about 4,000 Union soldiers on
September 8, 1863. The Confederate soldiers fought hard
and won the Battle of Sabine Pass. The Union soldiers
retreated, but the South captured 300 northern soldiers
before their escape. This battle helped the South regain some
confidence lost in previous battles.
Lieutenant Richard Dowling was the charge of the 45
Confederate soldiers that defeated Union forces at Sabine
Pass. Almost all 45 men were Irish Texans.
The Coast and South Texas
Two months after the Battle of Sabine Pass,
the North attempted again to attack Texas
and cut off their trade with Mexico. Union
forces captured Brownsville in November of
1863, then Matagorda Island, Indianola, and
the Rio Grande City. After Union troops in
Brownsville were called back to fight
elsewhere, the border town was quickly
recaptured by the South.
The Red River Campaign
The reason the Union troops left Brownsville was so
they could take part in the Red River Campaign. The
Union planned on invading northern Texas by sailing
along the Red River in the spring, when the river
was deep enough for boats. On April 8, 1864, nine
thousand Confederate soldiers met over 27,000
Union men along the banks of the Red River, close
to Louisiana. Amazingly, the Confederate forces
pushed back the northern men, sending them
retreating back towards Arkansas!
The Wartime Economy
Texas probably suffered less than any other
Confederate state because of our distance from the
heart of the war. Still, the Civil War period was not
an easy time for Texans. Texans dealt with shortages
of medicine, foods, and supplies because those items
were more needed by fighting soldiers. Women and
children ran the farms and plantations while the men
went off to war. Crop production increased in Texas
in order to meet the demand of the Confederate
army.
The Draft
Though thousands of men volunteered at the beginning of
the war, more were needed. In April of 1862, the
Confederate Congress passed a draft, or requirement of
military service. All white males between the ages of 18
to 35 had to serve. Later, it was broadened to the ages of
17 to 50. Still, there were loopholes. Men with certain
jobs were exempt.You could also buy your way out or
provide the army with a substitute. Many often
complained that the conflict was a “rich man’s war and a
poor man’s fight.”
Unionists in Texas
After the draft was passed, many Unionists
refused to fight for either side. Often, German
Texans and Mexican Americans remained
neutral, but were forced to flee Texas to avoid
the draft. Some Unionists were considered
traitors to the Southern cause. Many areas with
a large Unionist population were placed under
martial law, or rule by the military, and many
Unionists were attacked for their beliefs.
Unionists Conflicts in North Texas
There was a large population of Unionists in
North Texas. In October of 1862, 150
suspected Unionists were arrested and tried by
Confederate soldiers in an unauthorized court.
By the end, a mob of angry Texans took over
and 40 of the suspected Unionists were hanged
in Gainesville, Texas. Many men in nearby
counties were also killed.
The End of the Civil War
After the Battle of Gettysburg and the fall of Vicksburg
in July of 1863, Union forces headed south. From
that point on, the Confederate army was mostly on
the defensive and greatly outnumbered. In April of
1865, the Union army surrounded Confederate
General Lee’s army near the town of Appomattox
Courthouse, Virginia. With no options left, Lee
surrendered to Union terms on April 9, 1865,
ending the American Civil War.
Battle at Palmito Ranch
The end of the war reached Confederate troops in
Brownsville, Texas by May of 1865. Hundreds of soldiers
headed home, but many were urged to stay and continue
to fight. On May 12th, Union troops moved to occupy
Brownsville, but the Southern troops attempted to
defend their stance outside of Brownsville at the Battle
of Palmito Ranch. The Confederates won, capturing
more than 100 Union troops. It was the last land battle
of the Civil War and a Confederate win, but the South
had already lost the war.
Consequences of the War – Loss of
Life
Over 620,000 Americans lost their lives
in the Civil War, making it the deadliest
conflict in U.S. history. About 90,000
Texans served, and thousands were
killed or wounded. Many who survived
suffered serious injuries, such as the
loss of an arm or leg.
Consequences of the War – The
Economy
Though very few of the Civil War battles were fought
in Texas, the economy was left devastated. Due to
the war, the cotton trade had nearly stopped. The
deaths of so many men placed hardships on
businesses, farms, and plantations. Many Texas
politicians fled to Mexico for fear of being
prosecuted, and so the government collapsed. No
one knew who would keep order. It took many
months for Union forces to come in and restore
order.
Slavery in Texas after the Civil War
Most of the slaves in Texas did not want the south to
win, as the saw the war as a battle over slavery. In
1863, before the end of the war, President Lincoln
had issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It stated
that slaves were free in the Confederacy, and as the
Union army advanced into Confederate states, slaves
were freed. Still, the 250,000 freed slaves in Texas
were uncertain about what would happen next.