Transcript Georgia, the Civil War, & Other Facts

Georgia , the Civil War, and other
Civil War Facts
Georgia Studies
Georgians in the War
• By October of 1861, more than 25,000 Georgians
had volunteered to fight
• Arsenals (buildings used to store weapons &
ammunition) were built in Augusta, Atlanta,
Savannah, Macon, & Columbus
• Georgia’s governor during the war, Joseph Brown,
was an avid supporter of states’ rights, and was
often seen as a thorn in the side of the Confederate
government
Life in Georgia during the Civil War
• By spring 1862, Union forces had captured all of
Georgia’s coastal islands, making them a popular
destination for escaped slaves
• Georgia was an important supplier for the
Confederacy
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More industry than other Southern states
More than 1,400 miles of railroad (Atlanta was hub)
“Heart of the Confederacy”
Destruction of resources would be fatal to
Confederacy’s war effort
War Comes to Georgia
• In November 1861, federal forces had occupied
Tybee Island to give themselves control of the
Savannah River entrance
• Union forces used powerful artillery to destroy
Fort Pulaski & force the surrender of its
Confederate defenders
• Union forces mainly limited their efforts to
blockading Georgia’s coastal waters
• Main goal was to blockade coastal waters and shut
down supply lines
The Battle of Chickamauga
• September 19 -20, 1863/Chickamauga Creek, GA
• Union General Rosecrans led his troops against
Confederate General Braxton Bragg
• Bragg’s army defeated the Union forces and forced
them back into Tennessee, but Bragg did not follow
up on the retreat
• By November 1863, General Ulysses Grant had
arrived with more troops and recaptured
Chattanooga forcing Bragg to retreat to Dalton
Sherman Invades Atlanta
• Early in 1864, William T. Sherman pushed his
troops south from Chattanooga toward Atlanta
fighting in battles along the way
• His Confederate counterpart, Joseph Johnston, had
his troops dig into defensive trenches, then retreat
South, following the W & A railroad line
• Johnston would not allow Sherman to break up, or
encircle, his army
Sherman Invades Atlanta, cont.
• On June 27, at Kennesaw Mountain, Sherman
recklessly attacked head on
• Johnston taught him a lesson
• 3,000 Union troops were lost
• Only 500 Confederate troops were lost
• Johnston’s troops now fell back and dug their
trenches to defend Atlanta
• Unhappy with his retreat, the Confederate govt.
replaced him with John B. Hood
Sherman Invades Atlanta, cont.
• Hood attacked Sherman’s army, but was
thrown back several times
• For 40 days, Sherman’s artillery pounded
Atlanta
• Hood & his army evacuated the city on
September 1st to avoid being trapped
• The next day, the mayor rode out under a
white flag to surrender the city
Sherman Invades Atlanta, cont.
• Sherman’s army occupied Atlanta until
November, then following orders from
Ulysses S. Grant, destroyed the city
Sherman’s March to the Sea
• On November 16, Sherman began his “march to
the sea”
• Union forces were to live off the land and destroy
Georgia’s resources
• Particularly railroads & supplies to shut down
Confederate army
• Sherman divided his troops into columns and
marched South through Macon
• Often the troops plundered private property,
despite orders not to
• The goal was to bring “the sad realities of war” to
Georgia
Sherman’s March to the Sea, cont.
• In December, 1864, Sherman’s army entered
Savannah
• Along the way, they were joined by 14,000
African Americans
• Sherman telegraphed Lincoln, “I beg to present
you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah, with
150 guns and plenty of ammunition, also about
25,000 bales of cotton”
• There were over 100 battles in Georgia, 92 of
which happened during Sherman’s March to the
Sea
Andersonville Prison
• Approx. 10 miles from Americus, Georgia
• One of the great tragedies of the war
• Name became associated with horror &
death
• In November 1863, Confederacy needed a
place to put Union prisoners, and the War
Department picked SW Georgia
• Its official name was Fort Sumter
Andersonville Prison, cont.
• Originally built for 10,000 prisoners
• Prisoners were sent before the prison was
completed (no barracks were built)
• In less than 2 months, the prison population
was 12,000
• Eventually 33,000 prisoners were housed
there together
Andersonville Prison, cont.
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Conditions were horrible & unsanitary
Available water was polluted
Food supply so inadequate that prisoners starved
Clothing & medical supplies scarce
The only shelters were crude tents (not enough for
everyone)
• During the summer of 1864, over 100 Union
prisoners died each day (dysentery & disease)
Andersonville Prison, cont.
• The commander faced an impossible situation
• Prison was overloaded, but govt. sent more prisoners
• As was grew on, South could barely feed troops—let alone
prisoners
• Many of the staff were transferred North when Sherman
advanced Atlanta to help protect Atlanta
• In September 1864, many prisoners were transferred &
conditions improved
• Not before 45,000 were housed, and 13,000 died
• Commander of prison was tried & hanged after the war for
allowing excessive cruelty at the prison
Other Civil War facts
• At the start of the war, men rushed out to
volunteer, but the enthusiasm did not last
• Soldiers lived in camps
• Life was often dull, with a routine of drills, bad
food, etc.
• Sometimes they would play baseball or sing
songs to pass the time
Other Civil War Facts
• Both sides suffered terrible losses during the war
because the new rifles were more accurate & more
deadly
• Medical supplies were scarce, and facilities were
overwhelmed
• Often wounded and dying men lay in fields for hours
(up to 24) before being treated
• There were many deserters
• Trench warfare was used by both sides
Other Civil War Facts
• Women took on new responsibilities as a result of
the war
• Some became teachers, nurses, salesclerks
• Clara Barton got her start as a nurse during the
Civil War. She later founded the American Red
Cross.
• Some women became spies (Harriet Tubman)
while others disguised themselves as men &
fought
The Economy During the War
• Inflation occurred in the north
• In the North, the economy boomed:
• Need for supplies for troops helped farmers prosper
• Railroad traffic increased
• Coal, Iron, & clothing production increased
The Economy During the War
• In the South, the economy was devastated:
• Farmland was overrun & rail lines were torn up by
fighting
• Large portions of South lay in ruins
• Many people were homeless
• Many cities were burned
• Essential goods were in shortage because of port
blockades
• Inflation was worse in South than North
The End of the War
• ***ADDITIONAL NOTES:
• March 1865- Lee’s forces were ½ the size of Grant’s as
they continued to fight.
• Lee asked to meet with Grant about ending the war.
President Lincoln would not allow the meeting unless the
South surrendered.
• Lee tried one final time to defeat Union troops in Virginia.
He failed, and was eventually captured near Irwinville,
Georgia.
• Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox
Court House in Virginia