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Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was an abolitionist novel that captured the horrors of slavery. The story is about the unforunate events that a slave had to endure despite being kind. This book became extremely popular with the North because it expressed their views on slavery perfectly while it was met with hatred in the South.
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Abolitionist John Brown is known for being largely against slavery and his major role in helping start the civil war. He believed that violent action was the only way to solve the conflict and thus led a raid on a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. However, before he could steal the arms located in the armory and distribute them to slaves in hopes of causing an uprising, he was detained by Robert E. Lee and a small army force. In turn, he was hanged for treason against Virginia.
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On April, 1861 General P.G.T Beauregard ordered an attack on Fort Sumter, the first one of the Civil War. However, after 36 hours of battling the Confederate side, the Union soldiers surrendered to them because they were outnumbered, outmanned, and outgunned. This tactical surrender allowed the Union to avoid major casualties.
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The First Battle of Bull Run, known for being the first major land battle in the civil war, occurred on July 21, 1861 in Manassas Junction, Virginia when 35,000 Union troops marched to a river called Bull Run. Opposing them were 20,000 Confederate soldiers who were able to force the Union army back to Washington after breaking through on the right flank. With the Confederate victory, the Union's preconceived notion that the war would be an easy victory was shattered.
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The Battle of Mill Spring was a valuable victory that allowed for the Union Army to gain the Kentucky’s allegiance. After Confederate General Leonidas Polk failed to secure and take over Kentucky due to Union support, the people of Kentucky chose to join the Union Army. This alliance allowed for the Union Army to gain more resources and materials needed to continue the war early on. -
On February 6, 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant launched an attack on Fort Henry to cut an important waterway away from Confederate control. Because it was lightly defended, the fort was easily taken after a naval bombardment. Additionally, the Union Army continued onwards to take Fort Donelson which also guarded another important waterway. Thus, these two victories allowed for the Union to control the two waterways, the Cumberland and Tennessee rivers for the rest of the war. -
A battle between two ironclads, the U.S.S. Monitor and C.S.S. Virginia occurred on March 9, 1862 near Hampton Roads Virginia. The two ships exchanged fire each other but the because the ships were armored, both attacks were to no avail. Before the U.S.S. Monitor came to stop the C.S.S. Virginia, two Union ships were sunk by it. And after many exchanges, the battle ended in a draw and signaled a new era of naval warfare.
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This battle that occurred between April 6 and April 7, 1862, began when a surprise attack from the Confederates were launched on General Ulysses S. Grant’s troops. Although successful at first, the Union Army managed to drive away the Confederates from their position which resulted in a Union victory, but with a heavy toll of 23 thousand deaths combined on both sides.
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On September 17, 1862, Major General George McClellan of the Army of Potomac declared assaults on General Robert E. Lee’s forces. This battle took place near the Antietam Creek which is located in Sharpsburg, Maryland. After battling, Lee was forced to retreat because of the tremendous casualties suffered and the weakened state of his army. This battle was known for being the bloodiest battle of the time and the “win” needed for Abraham Lincoln to deliver the Emancipation Proclamation.
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On December 13, 1862, Ambrose Burnside of the Army of the Potomac ordered 120 thousand troops across the Rappahannock River to flank Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Fredericksburg. Although having 40 thousand less soldiers than the Union, Lee managed to repel the Union assault which gave much needed motivation to the Confederates after Lee’s first failed invasion at Antietam.
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The Battle of Gettsyburg took place from July 1 to Jul 3, 1863. This battle took after a Union loss to General Robert E. Lee. The Confederate General, after defeating the Unions at Chancerllorsville, marched his Army to Pennsyvlania. Then, on July 1 the Confederates and the Union soldiers clashed at Gettsyburg with a Union victory because of a failed assault called the “Pickett’s Charge.”
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The Emancipation Proclamation was a declaration that all slaves, from that point onward, would be freed. However, the Emancipation Proclamation was limited and did not include many areas of the United States such as the South. Although it was extremely limited, it inspired confidence in the Union and allowed black soldiers to join the Union Army. As a result, 200 thousand black soldiers had fought for the North by the end of the war.
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This battle was known for Lee's tactical decision along with the end of Jackson's career in the army. By splitting his army in half, he was able to outwit Hooker and while the Union was falling back into defensive positions, he divided his forces again to pursue the retreating Union Army. However, Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, Lee’s right-hand-man, was wounded due to him being mistaken for enemy calvary and being shot in his left shoulder after their victory in Chancellorsville.
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Major General Ulysses S. Grant approached the Confederate defenses of the area during the middle of May 1863. On May 17, Pemberton’s worn down army came to defend Vicksburg. In order to maximize this opportunity, Ulysses ordered an immediate assault, but did not gain the quick victory they hoped for and had to pull out. Instead, he bombarded the opposition with his infantry and eventually won after detonating a huge explosion on the city enabling him to split the Confederacy in half.
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On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to the Union Army at Appomattox. The conditions were that if the Confederate Army surrendered, the United States would not prosecute them. With the definite loss of the Confederates, Lee agreed to the terms. This was an important moment for the Union because they were now united as one America.
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Abraham Lincoln, an important figure in the Civil War due to his actions as the president, was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865. Booth, who was a Confederate and famous actor, shot President Lincoln because he believed that this would stir the Confederate’s will to fight again. However, his intention to start the war again failed and instead ruined his and his family's reputations as actors.
