Transcript Ch. 16, Section 4: Life During the Civil War pg. 478

Ch. 16, Section 4: Life During the Civil
War pg. 478
• Main Idea: Civilians as
well as soldiers had an
impact on the war
effort.
• Key Terms:
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Habeas Corpus
Draft
Bounty
Greenback
Inflation
I. The Lives of Soldiers
pgs. 478-479
• A. The enthusiasm of the volunteers who rushed to
sign up at the beginning of the war did not last. A
soldier’s life was not easy. It was filled with boredom,
bad food, discomfort, sickness, fear, and horror.
Soldiers lived in camps. Between battles sometimes the
men forgot that they were enemies and would sit and
talk with each other.
• B. The realities of the war left both sides with terrible
losses. The medical facilities could not always handle
all the causalities. Hunger, sickness, fear, and lack of
supplies caused many soldiers to desert. About one of
every eleven Unions soldiers and one of every eight
Confederate soldiers ran away.
II. Women and the War pgs. 479-481
• A. During the war, women took on new responsibilities,
such as becoming teachers, gov’t workers, and office or
factory workers. Some managed farms. Many worked
to help the armies by collecting and distributing food,
clothing, and medicine. Some made ammunition, wove
blankets, and rolled bandages. Many also mourned the
loss of the men who went to war.
• B. Women who stayed home in the North did not
suffer the disruption in their daily lives that the women
in the South did. The blockade caused the South to run
out of almost everything: animal feed, meat, clothing,
medicine, and shelter. The marching armies destroyed
the crops and homes of those that lay in their path.
II. Women and the War cont.
• C. Some women were spies and disguised themselves as
men to become soldiers.
– 1. Harriet Tubman spied for the North.
– 2. Rose O’Neal Greenhow spied for the South, was
caught, convicted of treason, and exiled.
D. Thousands of women were nurses, although some
men disapproved of women doing men’s work or
tending to strangers. Women such as Dorothea Dix,
Clara Barton, and Sally Tompkins became well-known
for their work as military nurses.
III. Opposition to the War
pgs. 481-482
• A. Some politicians and citizens opposed the war
because they objected to the wartime policies and how
the war affected their lives. In the North the Democrats
split into two groups. One group supported Lincoln’s
policies. The other group, called Peace Democrats,
wanted to negotiate with the Confederacy. Republican
newspapers called this group Copperheads, and some
Republicans suspected them of aiding the
Confederates.
• B. One of the actions the Copperheads disapproved of
was Lincoln suspending the right of habeas corpus,
which guarantees accused individuals the right to a
hearing before being jailed.
III. Opposition to the War cont.
• C. The number of volunteers declined in the
North and the South as the war continued.
– 1. In order to have enough men to serve, the
Confederate Congress passed a draft law in April
1862. It required men between 18 and 35 to serve for
three years. To avoid the draft a person could hire a
substitute.
– 2. Union states offered bounties, or payments, to
encourage volunteers. When this failed, the Union
organized a draft in March 1863. Men 20 to 40 had to
register. From this pool of names, the army selected
the soldiers it needed. To avoid the draft, a person
could hire a substitute or pay $300 to the gov’t.
III. Opposition to the War cont.
• D. The Southern economy suffered. It didn’t
have industry to provide arms and
ammunition and other necessities. Farmland
was ruined by troops, and rail lines were torn
up during the battles. The North’s blockades
caused severe shortages of essential goods.
Prices rose because of the scarcity of goods.
Soldiers left their service to return to help
their families.
IV. War and the Economy
pgs. 482-483
• A. Both sides financed the war by borrowing money,
increasing taxes, and printing paper money. The North
borrowed more than $2 billion, and the South raised
more than $700 million by issuing war bonds that paid
a high interest.
– 1. The Union passed an income tax in 1861, and the
Confederacy also imposed an income tax when the states
did not provide enough money.
– 2. Paper money issued in the North was called greenbacks.
The South printed much more than the North, hoping it
would help pay for the cost of the war.
IV. War and the Economy cont.
• B. Even with inflation, a general increase in prices, the
Northern economy boomed. Farmers prospered
because of the need for a steady food supply for the
soldiers. Factory production grew as the demand grew
for items such as guns, ammunition, uniforms, and
shoes.
• C. The Southern economy suffered. It did not have
industry to provide arms and ammunition and other
necessities. Farmland was ruined by troops, and rail
lines were torn up during the battles. The North’s
blockade caused severe shortages of essential goods.
Prices rose because of the scarcity of goods. Soldiers
left their service to return to help their families.