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Beginning of Southern Secession
- Because of the victory of Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, the Southern states started to pull from the Union
- The first state to secede was South Carolina in December of 1860, followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas in the winter of 1861
- The last states to secede were Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee starting in April of 1861
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Jefferson Davis
President Jefferson Davis
- The President of the Confederate States of America during the entire Civil War
- Chosen because of his military and political experience
- He was imprisoned at the end of the war in 1865 for 2 years, and then was released on a bail -
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln Biography
- Lincoln finally won the election of 1860 as a Republican
- He was not an abolitionist, although he thought of slavery as morally wrong, he recognized it's constitutional value
- He served from March of 1861 until his assassination in April 1865 -
Union Blockades
- The Union's military strategy was to block off the Confederate ports and ruin the economy, split the South into thirds by invading and using the Mississippi River, and capture the Confederate Capitol
- The South just had to hold their ground and wait out the sttacks
- The South became militarized, men were drafted into the army and women supllied clothing and medical supplies for the troops
- South wanted to save cotton economy and plantations and relied on European troops b/c of cotton market
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General Stonewall Jackson
Gods and Generals: The Life of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
- Part of the Confederate forces
- He was very skilled in battle and also in battle planning
- Jackson was recognized as a Southern hero
- Died of pneumonia after wounded by friendly fire in May of 1863 -
General Robert Lee
Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg
- He was originally offered to be a field command of the US army, but refused and became one of the most important generals of the Confederacy
- Named General-In-Chief of all Confederate Armies on February 6, 1865 -
Copperheads
- An extremist political party mainly consisting of democrats
- Wanted to end the war at any end, even if it meant letting the South join the Union with slavery or leaving slave states alone
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Slaughter at Shiloh
Battle of Shiloh
- Union advanced was slowed by the battle that lasted from April 6th to the 7th on the Tennessee-Mississipi border
- Even though General Grant's army was surprised by the Confederates, Union reinforcements arrived and they were saved
- Both sides suffered great casualties -
Union Conquers New Orleans
- Flag Officer David Farragut is ordered to capture New Orleans
- Ships moved up from the Gulf of Mexico past Confederate forts under darkness
- 20 of the 24 ships made it to New Orleans after heavy gunfire against the ships
- New Orleans surrendered, and by the end of 1862 the Union occupied most states, the only blockaded city from them was Vicksburg, Mississippi
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Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg (MOVIE)
- Union troops were positioned on high ground and Confederates needed to take them down
- Confederates kept attacking and after 3 days of fighting the Union lost 23,000 men on July 3rd, but 28,000 Confederates were either killed or wounded
- Confederates retreated to Virginia on July 4th, but Union troops did not pursue them, much to Lincoln's anger -
Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
- Union patrol found 3 cigars wrapped in a copy of Lee's plans (Confederate forces were divided)
- General Irvin McClellan attacked at a creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland and forced General Robert Lee to retreat to Virginia
- Bloodiest day of the war, Confederates lost 1,100 and the Union lost even more -
Emancipation Proclamation
Lincoln's Proclamation
- An official announcement by Abraham Lincoln to free the slaves of the Confederacy
- This made the Civil War a conflict based around slavery
- Led to Gettysburg, a turning point in the war -
54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The 54th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
- Lincoln thought the Union was not fighting to end slavery but to stop the United States from falling apart
- Abolitionists argued that African Americans should be able to fight for their rights
- African Americans were not permitted as soldiers until January of 1863
- The infantry in Massachusetts had drawn more than 1,000 African American men from states all around
- Paid $3 less -
Siege of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg
- Lasted from May 18-July 4 1863
- The Union wanted a victory on the Mississippi River
- Under the command of General Grant, Union forces reached Jackson
- This city among others was cut of from the rest of the Confederacy and was starving
- The city surrendered the same day that Lee retreated from Gettysburg -
Battle for Chattanooga
Historic Photos of Chickamauga-Chattanooga Campaign
- The Union wante to split up the Confederacy again through eastern Tennesse and Georgia
- Union forces had been recently defeated at Chickamauga, and they retreated to Chattanooga (a rail center)
- Grant brought supplies and reinforcements and saved them, and by November the Union had Tennesse
- Only Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia remained under the Confederacy -
Gettysburg Address
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
- Lincoln visited Gettysburg and the battlefield cemetery to honor the soldiers lost in battle
- "These dead shall not have died in vain" -
Prisoner of War Camp Andersonville
Andersonville and Civil War Prisoners
- A prison for Union prisoner of war soldiers, but it was only in operation for 14 months
- Of the 45,000 prisoners, 13,000 of them died because of disease, poor sanitation, malnutrition, overcrowding, or exposure -
Sherman's March
The Conquerors Sherman's March to the Sea
- General SHerman led 60,000 soldiers from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia
- The purpose was to frighten the civilians of Georgia into abandonning the Confederacy
- The soldiers stole food and livestock and burned the houses of people who tried to fight back -
Battle of Atlanta
The Battle of Atlanta
- General Sherman's campaign began in early May, and throughout the months he fought several battles with the Confederates
- Before the famous march to the sea, he ordered that Atlanta's military resources (munitions factories, clothing mills, railway yards) to be burned
- The fire got out of control, leaving Atlanta in ruins -
General Grant
General Grant's Strategies
- Grant became volunteered for the war and became a conolel of the 21st Illinois Volunteers, then became a bridadier general
- Famously would not accept surrender as an option
- Appointed lieutenant general by Lincoln in March 1864 and was given command of all U.S. armies
- He was a huge part in wearing down the Confederates, leading to the surrender of General Lee on April 9th, 1865
