Transcript 11.1 Notes: From Bull Run to Antietam

From Bull Run to
Antietam
The Civil War
Warm Up
Historians tend to believe that 5 general
theories exist about why the Civil War
occurred.
In small groups of 2-3, use your
information sheet to rank them from most
convincing (5) to least convincing (1).
We will compare results in a few minutes.
Warm Up
The 5 theories:
Poor political leaders in the 1850s
Struggle over slavery
Economic & cultural differences between
the regions
Breakdown of democracy
Conflict over the nature of the union
Setting the Scene
The 1st shots fired on Ft. Sumter, South
Carolina in April 1861 signaled the start of
the nation’s Civil War (the war between
the Union states of the North and the
Confederate states of the South)
Few people imagined that it would be the
long, drawn out war it became.

Most northerners predicted it would be over in
6 months or less!
By May 1861, the Upper South (Virginia,
North Carolina, Tennessee & Arkansas)
had joined the Confederacy.
Confederate capital moved from
Montgomery, AL, to Richmond, VA, just
100 miles from Washington, D.C.
In July 1861, a poorly prepared Union
army marched on Richmond, VA.
They met Confederate troops in the First
Battle of Bull Run.
Photograph of the Bull Run
battlefield
Due to the Union troops lack of training &
talented Confederate General Thomas
“Stonewall” Jackson, the Union army was
defeated.
General “Stonewall”
Jackson
NORTH: Strategies
SOUTH: Strategies
Use a naval blockade to
prevent the South from
trading cotton with Europe
Prepare & wait, hoping the
Union would not pursue
war (defensive strategy)
Invade the South from the
West to cut it in half,
divide supplies & troops
Wage a war of attrition:
continually inflict losses
on the North & gradually
wear them down
Gain control of the
Mississippi River
Capture the Confederate
capital of Richmond, VA
Gain the support of
European nations (need
the South to trade cotton
with)
The War in the West
General Ulysses S. Grant won important
Union victories on the Mississippi River at
Forts Henry & Donelson and at the Battle
of Shiloh.
Battles in the
west took place
mainly along
rivers.
General Grant (will
eventually become
President!)
Grant’s plan was to take control of the
Mississippi River and split the Confederacy
into two parts.
The War in the East
In the East, a naval battle raged between
2 ironclad warships, the Merrimack and
the Monitor.
The Ironclads
The War in the East
On land, Union forces threatened
Richmond, but Confederate General
Robert E. Lee was victorious at the
Second Battle of Bull Run.
Union General McClellan
was best known for his
caution.
General Robert E. Lee
In 1862, Lee invaded the North and fought
at the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest
one-day battle of the war.
Battlefield View
Hill where General Lee set up camp
Dunker Church
Cornfield
Cornfield
Cornfield
Bloody Lane
View from Bloody Lane
Burnside Bridge and Antietam Creek
Antietam
The Union won a narrow victory.
However slim, it did deny General Lee a
chance to win a battle on Union soil.
After the battle, President Lincoln became
dissatisfied with General McClellan’s
command because he though McClellan was
too slow to take action.
The President urged him to attack the
Confederate capital of Richmond, VA.
Assignment: Identifying
Advantages & Disadvantages
Write a 1 to 2 paragraph essay
answering the following prompt:
Identify and discuss two specific
advantages that the North had over the
South during the Civil War and two
specific advantages that the South had
over the North.