Transcript The Start of the Civil War

The
Civil War
(1861-1865)
Secession!: SC Dec. 20, 1860
Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861
• Confederate
officials began
seizing federal-mint
branches, arsenals,
and military posts.
• Fort Sumter was a
Federal outpost in
Charleston, SC.
Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861
• Confederate forces asked for
its surrender.
• Lincoln refused and sent ships
with supplies.
• Confederate cannons began
firing on April 12, 1861.
• Fort Sumter fell 34 hours later.
• The Civil War began.
Rating the North & South
Slave/Free States
Population, 1861
Railroad Lines, 1860
Resources:
North &
South
Men Present for Duty
in the Civil War
The Union & Confederacy in
1861
The Leaders of the Confederacy
Pres. Jefferson Davis
VP Alexander Stevens
Opposing Sides
Yankees (North)
Pros and Cons
Rebels (South)
Pros and Cons
Overview of Northern Advantages
(pros)
• Larger population
– North 22 million
– South Only 9 million
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More ships-naval wars
Larger, more efficient railroad system
Lincoln - Very intelligent and dedicated
More industry - 81% of nation’s factories
Better banking system to raise $ for the war
– 75% of nation’s wealth
Overview of Northern Advantages
• Wealth produced:
– Factory production
– Iron/Coal production
– Wheat/Corn production
Overview of Northern
Disadvantages (cons)
• Fought on Southern lands
• Divided support for the war
• Many believed the South had good
chance of winning
Overview of Southern Advantages
• Fighting a defensive war
– Local support of all men
– familiarity with terrain
• Motivation: seeking independence,
unified support
• Short communication lines/ friendly
population
• Experienced officer corps- (Lee,
Jackson, Pickett)
• Cotton - necessary for textile
factories of England and France
• Slave Labor in the early part of the
war
Overview of Southern
Disadvantages
• Smaller population
• Few factories to
manufacture weapons and
supplies
• Poor transportation system
• Weak federal government =
not strong enough to control
Southern states
– Jefferson Davis did not
have complete power
like Lincoln
Legal Tender Act
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Passed in Feb 1862 by US Congress
Created a national currency
Introduced paper money (greenbacks)
More money available in emergency
Decreased inflation, which helped money
keep value.
• The South tried to issue paper money,
but with no revenue, it was worthless.
Democratic Division
• Lincoln had to deal with abolitionists, who
wanted to end slavery but his main goal was to
preserve the Union. Also, he had to contend
with Democrats.
• War Democrats-strongly supported war to
restore the Union/ pro-slavery
• Copperheads (Peace Democrats)- opposed
war, wanted to use negotiation, anti-slavery,
viewed as traitors (snakes)
• Two main disagreements- conscription and
habeas corpus.
Conscription in the North
• Forcing people through a military draft
when needed. (north)
• Republicans (for it) and Northern
Democrats (opposed it)
• Democratic states rioted over issue.
Habeas Corpus (North)
• The writs of h.c.-A person’s right not to
be imprisoned unless charged with a
crime and given trial, otherwise they are
freed.
• Suspended under Lincoln during war.
• Applies to Who? Anyone supporting
rebels or resists military draft
• Penalty: imprisonment indefinitely
Industry
• South- pressure Britain and France to
aid them due to their dependence on
cotton, which was needed for textile
industry.
• North- didn’t want Europe to get involved
• Trent Affair- Confederate diplomats are
captured and imprisoned by Union
warship, while attempting to meet with
European officials to seek allied help.
Technology/ Tactics
• 1st modern war
• –Rifled muskets/cone shaped bullets. This allowed killing at a
longer distance with far more accuracy.
• –Use of the railroad. The ability to go troops quickly (especially
cannon or infantry–forces not usually associated with quick
movement)
• –Communication. Before, you relied on riders or runners, now
they had telegraph wires
• – Naval Warfare. Introduced to ironclad ships, the submarine
• --Use of trenches as part of a mobile battlefield.
• -- Attrition. Wear down on side through exhaustion and cutting off
resources
Anaconda Plan
• Northern Strategy v. Southern Strategy
Overview
North’s
Civil War
Strategy:
“Anaconda”
Plan
Goal: surround the
Confederacy and
squeeze them into
submission
The Anaconda Plan
• Capture Richmond and force surrender
• Expel Confederates from border states
• Control of the Mississippi River to Stop
the transport of:
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–
–
–
soldiers
Weapons
Ammunition
Clothes
Food
other supplies needed
• Blockade southern ports to stop
– cotton shipments
– supplies from foreign nations
Southern Strategy
•
Goal: to be recognized as an
independent nation in order to
preserve their way of life
•
Defend its homeland, holding onto
as much territory as possible until
the North got tired of fighting
•
Capture Washington, D.C.
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Control border states
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Gain England's support
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Expel Union troops from South