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Election of 1860
By the time of the election of 1860 there was already definate division between the North and South, mostly dealing with slavery. One of the major political parties, the Whigs, had died out by the mid-1850's and created the Republican party. Most Republicans were like Lincoln, they were moderates based between the radical and conservative views of the party. Lincoln ended up winning the election. -
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American Civil War
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Jefferson Davis
Davis fought in the Mexican-American war and was a colonel of a volunteer brigade. He was also the Unitded States Secretary of War. But onFebruary 1861 Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederate Nation. During the war Davis tried to improve his executive power but the governers of the South resisted his attempts at centralization. -
Fort Sumter
The fort was held by federal troops but was owned by a seceded state in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. President Lincoln decided to send supplies to the small fort forcing South Carolina to either allow the fort to hold out or open fire. Their reply was evident when their guns thundered against Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. This attack on Fort Sumter united most northerners behind a patriotic fight to save the Union. -
Battle of Bull Run
30,000 federal troops march to attack Confederate troops near Bull Run creek st Manassas Junction, Virginia. Just as the Union seemed like it had victory the Confederates got reinforcement led by General Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson. The battle stopped thoughts of a short war and also started the myth that rebels are invincible in war. -
Thomas Stonewall Jackson
Confederate General Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson led a counterattack on Federal troops at the Battle of Bull run, which ultimately was the turning point in the battle. It sent Unexperienced Union troops running back to Washington along with spectators. As a reslut of winning the battle the illusion of a short war was shattered and the myth that rebels were invincible in battle was created. -
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee was the general for confederate troops and won many battles. He was superb at war tactics and once the Union changed generals he took advantage of this change and attacked Pope's troops in northern Virginia. Later when Union general Burnside hastily attacked Lee's troops at Fredricksburg Lee's troops held them off. -
Winfield Scott and the Anaconda Plan
The goal was to shut down southern ports by taking control with the navy. Establishing an effective blockade of the ports was crucial to the northern victory. This would shut down the southerns supplies. -
Monitor and Merrimac
The Monitor and Merrimac were iron clad ships. The Merrimac was a confederate ship which until the Monitor was built by the Union sunk wooden ships like it was nothing. The Monitor and Merrimac had a long five-hour duel. Although the duel ended in a tie it stopped the Confederacy from posing a threat to the Union blockade. The ease with which the two ships sunk wooden ships revolutionized naval warfare forever. -
Battle of Antietam
At the Battle of Antietam McClellan had the advantage over Lee because he had a copy of his plans that were dropped by a Confederate officer so McClellan won. This victory was huge for the Union because if the Confederacy had broken through they would have proved thier power to foriegn nations and gained aid from them. -
George McClellan
In 1862 George McClellan was restored as the Unions commander September 1862. McClellan had the advantage after the Battle of Bull Run, when Lee's troops marched on Maryland, because a copy of Lee's plans had been dropped by a Confederate officer. McClellan's troops inercepted Confederate troops at Antietam Creem in Sharpsburg, Maryland. After defeating Lee's troops McClellan did not pursue him and Lincoln removed him from his position for a "bad case of the slows". -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation to set all slaves that were still captive by January 1st 1863 free. The orders were not immediately followed since most slaves were in the South which was controlled by the Confederacy and did not listen to the president's commands. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
Union General Burnside hastily attacked Lee's troops at Fredericksburg and Lincoln soon discovered that reckless attacks could have worse consequences than McClellan's cautious strategy. Union troops were defeated by the Confederates, having 12,000 casualties vs 5,000. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The invading South army suprised Union troops at Gettysburg. This was one of the most crucial and bloody battles of the Civil war. There were over 50,000 casualties and Lee's attacks on Union troops on the 2nd and 3rd day prove futile, and destroyed a large part of the confederate army. After this battle Lee's troops would never again regain the offensive. -
Battle of Vicksburg
The Union's plan to control the entire Mississippi was close to being completed when Grant put a siege on the heavily fortified city of Vicksburg. The Union bombarded the city for 7 weeks before the Confederates finally surendered the city and about 29,00 soldiers. Federal ships controlled all of the Mississippi River and cutoff Texas Arkansas and Louisiana from the rest of the confederacy. -
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln rallied Americans to the idea that "all men are created equal." Lincoln was probably alluding to the Emancipation Proclamation when he spoke of the war bringing "the birth of new freedom." His speech promoted Democracy and inspired champions all over the world to promote it. -
Ulysses S. Grant
He was the General for the Union. He joined the army only after he had a failed life as a civilian. Grant's method of war was to outlast the confederate army. He knew the South's supplies were running low so he decided to take control of major ports and towns where supplies were coming in. -
Sherman’s March
The chief instrument of Grant's aggressive manuevers was General William Tecumseh. With a force of 100,000 men, Sherman set out from Chattenooga, Tennessee, on a campaign to clear across the state of Georgia and went to South Carolina. They marched relentelessly through Georgia. Sherman's March did exactly what it was intended to do. Break the Confederacy's will to fight back. -
Appomattox Court House
The Confederates tried to negotiate peace, but Lincoln would only stop when the Union was restored and Davis only when they were independent. Lee retreated from Richmond and tried to escape to the mountains but was cut off and forced to surrender at the Appomattox Court House to Grant. The Union general decided to have sympathy towards the soldiers and let them return home on their horse. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Only a month after Lee's surrender Lincoln was assassinated John Wilkes Booth, an embittered actor and southern sympathizer, shot and killed Lincoln while he was attending a performance at in Ford's Theater in Washington. This stirred the North's emotions and when the South needed the North's sympathy the most it was taken away by rage.
