Transcript Civil War-US academic - EHuntNHS

The Civil War
Battle Technique
• Both sides would line up facing each other
and shoot
• Had to be in close proximity in order to do
any damage
• Often would use muskets when close
enough
• The battle was all over who in the end
would control the battlefield
Weapons of the Civil War
• Battle of Shiloh
– In late March, Grant headed towards Corinth MI, an important
railroad center
– Conf General Johnston gathered troops to meet Union advance
– Grant held back march in order to wait for more troops
– Johnston decided to attack-Caught Grant’s troops at Shiloh Church
– Battle line was six miles long
– Grant refused to give up and waited for reinforcements
– IN the AM, began to attack with reinforcements and won
– 13,000 Northern Losses, 11,000 Southern Losses-Huge Southern
Loss
– Largest single battle at the time and took away illusion that war
would be quick
War in the East
• The Monitor and The Merrimack
– Southern secret weapon
• The Merrimack an iron ship which was no match for the
wooden Union ship
• The Union quickly build their own ship called The Monitor
• The two ships met on March 9, and eventually withdrew
• The Southerners eventually sank its own ship before it fell into
Northern hands
Drawing of the
Monitor
TheMerrimack
Under The Ocean
The Merrimack
Southern Attacks
• After the last attack, The South decide to take
advantage of the North’s depleted Troops
• Pretended to prepare for an attack on Washington,
Lincoln pulled the Northern troops back to defend,
and the South planned their attack
• Second Battle of Bull Run
– General Lee divided his army, he sent one to follow
Union troops led by Pope. Met up at the same place as
1st Bull Run. Same result as 1st with the Union loosing a
hard fought battle
• Battle of Antietam
– Video-Ten Days that Changed America
Emancipation and the War
• Lincoln felt it wasn’t his job to decide the issue of slavery,
soon realized the importance of freeing the slaves
• In Fall of 1862 , Lee was retreating for Antietam, Lincoln
proclaimed that on Jan 1, 1863 all slaves in the South
would be free
– Known as the Emancipation Proclamation
• South refused to enforce, some in North said too much,
others said not enough. Most impact was in Europe
African Americans in the War
• General Butler came up
• African American Soldiers
with the idea of Contraband
– Originally not allowed to
– Common practice of keeping
other sides property and then
could do with what they
liked
– Often used slaves for non
combat jobs like building
fortifications, and driving
wagons
–
–
–
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fight but after big losses in
Virginia allowed
Many joined to fight, even
more after EP
Composed 10% of Union
army
On ships served along side,
but in army own group
(Paid less until June of 1864
Massachusetts 54th regiment
Army Life
– The biggest killer on both sides was
diseases and infection
– By the end of the war 140,000 Union
soldiers had been killed in action or died
of wounds while 220,000 others died of
disease or other causes
– Also there were no antiseptics or
Anesthetics
• Term Biting the bullet
Women and the War
• Women organized Aid societies
– Raised funds for the war, produced bandages, and clothing for
soldiers
– Clara Barton began an Aid society known as the Red Cross
• Some women accompanied their husbands into war to care
for them
• There were also 600 Union Soldiers who were women who
disguised themselves as men until disease or death revealed
their disguise
• Civil War first War to have women nurses
– Most famous Florence Nightingale
– Over 3000 women served as nurses for the Union arm
– Confederate did not approve of women nurses at the time
Confederate Uniforms
Union Uniforms
Victories for General Lee
• After McClellan delayed in following the Confed
after Antietam Lincoln removed him from his post
and replaced him with General Burnside
• This was not a great military move
• Battle of Fredricksburg
• Battle of Chancellorsville
Road to
Gettysburg
• After Chancellorsville a very dark
mood in Washington
– Some legislatures were considering
compromise with the South
• Lee decided again to move Northwas in desperate need of supplies
especially shoes
• Northern troops were headed to
stand between South and
Washington
• Southern troops in search of shoes
met up with Union soldiers and
fighting ensues
Battle of Gettysburg
• Battle of Gettysburg
– Turning point of the war (Greatest battle in the North)
– Day One (July 1, 1863)
• Originally Union was outnumbered then Reinforcements came
with General Meade (New Union General)
• Union pushed the South Back
– Day Two (July 2, 1863)
• New Confederate General Longstreet did not get
ready to attack the Union until late evening. This
allowed the Union to prepare and get reinforcements
• Day Three (July 3, 1863)
– Day began with Conf assault-Union thought was to
cover retreat, was actually the advance Lee had wanted
– After two hours Union stopped returning fire,
Confederates thought Union was out of ammo planned
Pickett’s charge
– Union was waiting for them to get into place then
opened fire, slaughtering Pickett’s troops
– Conf lost so many man, had no troops to regroup
– Huge losses on both sides
• North-85,000 troops-23,000 dead
• South-75,000 troops-28,000 dead
– July 4th Confederates made their retreat
Battle of Vicksburg
• Battle of Vicksburg
– Grant’s forces laid a siege on Vicksburg for 6 weeks and won
• Siege: A tactic in which an enemy is surrounded and starved in order to
make them surrender
• On July 4, 1863 Confederates laid down their arms and negotiated
surrender
– Led to Union controlling the Mississippi
Gettysburg Address
• Nov 19, 1863 to honor those who had died four
months prior
• Very short (2min) but outlined the principles of the
Union
– Freedom, equality, and self government
Grant takes Command
• In April of 1865 the Conf had all but abandoned Richmond,
the South was suffering
• In Early 1864 Conf were still hopping to keep Richmond.
Hoped Lincoln would not be elected-Union needed some
big wing
• Lincoln places Ulysses S. Grant to head the Union
• Goal of Grant was confront and crush South
– Huge victories for Grant were at
• Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor
• Siege of Petersburg
• Shenandoah Valley
Sherman in Georgia
• Capture of Atlanta
– Huge battle for the city
– Confed replaced a general and gave
Sherman an opportunity to take the city
– For the Month of August Sherman
bombarded the city and laid it to waste
• Sherman’s March to the Sea
– Sherman said “War is Cruelty and he
meant this
– Decided to move from Atlanta to the
Sea he burnt everything in his path
down
– This helped led to Lincoln’s reelection
Non War Events
• Election of 1864
– Lincoln struggled to even get
the nomination of his party
– McClellan who he had fired
was in opposition to him
– Once Sherman captured
Atlanta he easily won the
election
• Birth of Freedom
– After Lincoln’s election the
13th amendment was passed
• Formally ended Slavery in
US
End of the War
Appomattox Court House
General Lee
End of the War
• By April of 1865 daily desertions had shrunk the Confederate army
to less than 35,000 total
• Grant was chasing Lee-Every attempt Lee made to move south was
cut off by Grant
• Lee realized that this was the end and that even the hope of Guerilla
fighting was not an option. He went to see Grant about Surrender
– Grant was very generous in the terms of the surrender and the
resulting celebrations
• The Civil War begins to end at Appomattox Court House on April 9,
1865
• Over the next few weeks more
Confederate Army’s give up including
General Johnston Surrendering to
General Sherman in NC
• Lincoln does not live to see the official
end of the Civil war because he is shot
at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865 by
John Wilkes Booth
– Booth Shoots Lincoln, escapes, it
tracked to a nearby barn, and then is
either shot or kills himself in the
chaos
– Lincoln is carried to a home next
door where he clings to live until the
wee hours of April 15th
Lincoln