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Period: to
Civil War
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Election of 1860
The nominations for president were Lincoln for the Republicans, Douglas for the Northern Democrats, Breckinridge for the Southern Democrats, and Bell for the Constitutional. The Democrats split between supporters of Douglas and Buchanan. Most Southerners declared that if Lincoln was elected president, they would secede from the Union. In December 1860, South Carolina was the first state to secede and other states followed. -
Creation of the Confederate States of America
In February 1861, representatives from some of the seceded states met and drafted a constitution that was similar to the U.S. Constitution. They elected Jefferson Davis of Mississippi as the president and Alexander Stephens of Georgia as the vice president. -
Winfield Scottand the Anaconda Plan
The Plan was part of a 3 part strategy for winning a long war. The ideas were: use the U.S. navy to blockade southern ports and thereby cut off essential supplies from reaching the South, divide the Confederacy in 2 by taking control of the Mississippi River, and to raise and train an army 500,000 strong to take Richmond. -
1st Battle of Bull Run
It was the first major battle of the Civil War and took place near Bull Run Creek at Manassas Junction, Virginia. It was known as the Battle of Manassas to the Confederacy. The Union forces were about to win when the Confederates sent reinforcements under Gen Thomas Jackson' leadership and counterattacked sending the Union back where they came from. When the battle was done, everybody was convinced that the war was not going to be a short one and it created a myth that the Rebels were invincible -
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
He attended West Point in 1846. Jackson was a Confederate general who acquired the nickname “Stonewall” during the Battle of Bull Run. -
Jefferson Davis
He was the president of the Confederate States of America as well as the Commander in Chief of the Confederate Army. He grew up on a plantation. He left at 16 to train at the Military Academy at West Point. His training was one of the main reasons that the South was able to win many of the decisive battles during the Civil War. -
Monitor vs Merrimac
The Confederates ship Merrimac was able to sink Union wooden ships in an instant and stop the Union's Anaconda Plan. In retaliation, the Union brings out their own ironclad ship, Monitor, and fought in a five-hour duel which ended in a war. The use of the ironclad ships revolutionize the future of naval warfare. -
Fort Sumter
This fort was occupied by federal troops but claimed by seceded territory. Lincoln sends food and other necessities to the fort and announced that if South Carolina didn't let the food pass, then they would fight. Southerners attacked and captured it two days later. The attack on Fort Sumter united most northerners to save the Union. Many congress was not in session, Lincoln acted on his own without the approval of Congress. -
Battle of Antietam
Lee tries to win British recognition by going across the Potomac and into Maryland.McClellan had known of Lee's plan and intercepted the invading Confederates at Antietam Creek in the Mayland town of Sharpsburg. About 22,000 men were killed or wounded.At the end, Lee retreats to Virginia and McClellan is removed as a commander for failing to pursue Lee's weakened army.Though it was considered a draw, the battle stopped the Confederates from getting open recognition and help from a foreign power. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
Burnside attacks Lee's army at Fredericksburg, Virginia and suffers a great loss. The North and the South were unable to grasp the concept of improved weaponery, especially the deadly fire from enemy artillery, took the romance out of heroic charges againct entrenched positions. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln previously decided to use his powers to free all the slaves in the states. He justifies the policy by calling it a ""military necessity" and waited to gain the support of conservative northerners before issuing this announcement. He also encouraged the border states to come up with plans for emancipating slaves, with compensation to the owners. So, after the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln tells that on the first day of the new year, he would free the slaves. -
Battle of Gettysburg
Lee also decides to lead his army into enemy territory.
