Great Leaders of the Civil War Martin Arthur 1
Author: Martin Arthur Publishing plan research and development: Sean Charlebois, Reagan Miller Crabtree Publishing Company Editors: Mark Cheatham, Kirsten Holm, Lynn Peppas Proofreader: Wendy Scavuzzo Editorial director: Kathy Middleton Production coordinator: Shivi Sharma Creative director: Arka Roy Chaudhary Design: Sandy Kent Cover design: Samara Parent Photo research: Iti Shrotriya Maps: Paul Brinkdopke Production coordinator: Margaret Amy Salter Prepress technician: Margaret Amy Salter Print coordinator: Katherine Berti Written, developed, and produced by Planman Technologies Photographs and Reproductions Front cover: Look and Learn / e Bridgeman Art Library; Title Page (p. 1): e Granger Collection, New York; Library of Congress; Table of Contents (p. 3): Chapter 1: Kevin Fleming/CORBIS/Click Photos; Chapter 2: North Wind/ Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication North Wind Picture Archives; Chapter 3: e Granger Collection, New York; Chapter 4: Bettmann/CORBIS/Click Photos; Chapter 5: North Wind / North Wind Picture Archives; Chapter Opener image: Corbis/Click Photos Bridgeman Art Library: John Brown's Blessing, 1867 (oil on canvas) by Noble, omas Satterwhite (1835-1907) Collection of the New-York Historical Society, USA/ e Bridgeman Art Library- P41; Corbis: Corbis/Click Photos- P4, P21, P23, P30 (bottom), P39, Bettmann/ CORBIS/Click Photos- P30 (top), P34, P36, P42 (top), P44 (top), Kevin Fleming/CORBIS/Click Photos- P12; Library of Congress: P11, P17, P24, P25, P27, P31 (top), P31 (bottom), P37, P42 (bottom), P44 (bottom); North Wind / North Wind Picture Archives: P6, P15, P16, P35, P38, P43; e Granger Collection/New York: P8, P10, P20, P28; inkstock: Photos.com/ inkstock- P18 Front cover: An illustration shows Abraham Lincoln planning his campaign. Back cover (background): A military map of the United States from 1862 showing forts and military posts. Back cover (logo): A civil war era cannon stands in front of the flag from Fort Sumter. Title page (top): An illustration shows American Confederate General Robert Edward Lee with his generals. Title page (bottom): President Abraham Lincoln is shown with his Union army and navy officers. The Library of Congress has cataloged the printed edition as follows: Arthur, Martin, 1951- Great leaders of the Civil War / Martin Arthur. (Understanding the Civil War) Includes index. Issued also in electronic formats. ISBN 978-0-7787-5342-1 (bound).--isbn 978-0-7787-5359-9 (pbk.) 1. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Biography-- Juvenile literature. 2. Generals--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature. 3. United States. Army--Biography--Juvenile literature. 4. Generals--Confederate States of America--Biography--Juvenile literature. 5. Confederate States of America. Army--Biography-- Juvenile literature. 6. Abolitionists--United States--Biography-- Juvenile literature. I. Title. II. Series: Understanding the Civil War E467.A78 2011 j973.7092'2 C2011-907820-1 Arthur, Martin, 1951- Great leaders of the Civil War / Martin Arthur. p. cm. -- (Understanding the Civil War) Includes index. ISBN 978-0-7787-5342-1 (reinforced library binding : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-0-7787-5359-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-4271-9941-6 (electronic pdf) -- ISBN 978-1-4271-9950-8 (electronic html) 1. United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Biography--Juvenile literature. 2. Generals--United States--Biography--Juvenile literature. 3. United States. Army--Biography--Juvenile literature. 4. Generals-- Confederate States of America--Biography--Juvenile literature. 5. Confederate States of America. Army--Biography--Juvenile literature. 6. Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865--Juvenile literature. 7. Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889--Juvenile literature. 8. Abolitionists--United States-- Biography--Juvenile literature. I. Title. E467.A735 2012 973.7092'2--dc23 [B] 2011046922 Crabtree Publishing Company www.crabtreebooks.com 1-800-387-7650 Copyright 2012 CRABTREE PUBLISHING COMPANY. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Crabtree Publishing Company. Due to rights restrictions and copyright protection, contents in this ebook may vary from the published original. Published in Canada Crabtree Publishing 616 Welland Ave. St. Catharines, Ontario L2M 5V6 Published in the United States Crabtree Publishing PMB 59051 350 Fifth Avenue, 59th Floor New York, New York 10118 Published in the United Kingdom Crabtree Publishing Maritime House Basin Road North, Hove BN41 1WR Published in Australia Crabtree Publishing 3 Charles Street Coburg North VIC 3058
TA B L E of C O N T E N T S 1 Leadership During the Civil War A Divided Nation Political Strategies of the North and South Military Leadership Strategies and Tactics A er the War 5 2 Presidential Leaders Backgrounds Abraham Lincoln Jefferson Davis Presidential Leadership 13 3 Union Generals e United States Army Organization of the U.S. Army Generals-in-Chief Military Generals Political Generals 21 4 5 Confederate Generals e Confederate States Army Organization of the C.S. Army Military Generals Political Generals Abolitionist Leaders Anti-Slavery and Abolition John Brown Frederick Douglass William Lloyd Garrison Harriet Beecher Stowe Sojourner Truth Harriet Tubman Leadership During the Civil War 32 40 Glossary, 46 More Information, 47 Index, 48
I would not have the anniversaries of our victories celebrated, nor those of our defeats made fast days and spent in humiliation and prayer; but I would like to see truthful history written. Such history will do full credit to the courage, endurance and soldierly ability of the American citizen, no matter what section of the country he hailed from, or in what ranks he fought. Ulysses S. Grant General Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, April 9, 1865
1 Leadership During The Civil War On April 12, 1861, the Civil War began. During the next four years, Americans fought against each other in one of the bloodiest wars in history. e North fought to restore the Union. e South fought for the freedom to live as they wanted. Leaders from both North and South inspired men and women as they struggled, fought, and died for causes they believed in. A Divided Nation Northern leaders believed that secession was illegal according to the Constitution. ey thought that all states had to agree to dissolve the Union. Northerners invaded the South to preserve the United States. ey fought out of duty to the nation created by their Revolutionary War ancestors. Southern leaders believed that the Constitution gave them the right to secede. ey thought that individual states could decide whether or not to remain in the Union. Southerners fought for their honor and to protect their homeland. ey felt these were the ideas that had inspired their Revolutionary War ancestors to declare independence from England. Economic interests also motivated the two sides. In the North, industry and manufacturing flourished, fertile farms produced abundant crops, and cities swelled with immigrants looking for work. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Abraham Lincoln 5
Great Leaders of the Civil War Taxes on foreign goods encouraged people to buy Northern products. In the South, wealthy planters used mostly slave labor to grow cotton for export. ere were few factories or immigrants. Southerners imported many things from Europe and taxes on these goods affected them more heavily. As new states entered the Union, free states could outnumber slave states in Congress. en the South could not prevent taxes they saw as unfair. Southerners felt they had no choice but to leave the Union. People in the War William H. Seward William H. Seward became the leader of the Republican Party soon after it was formed. He ran for president, but lost the party s nomination in 1856 and 1860. After taking office, Abraham Lincoln promptly named Seward as his secretary of state. Seward became one of Lincoln s closest advisers. On April 14, 1865, a would-be assassin stabbed Seward in the throat. On the same night, John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln. 6 Political Strategies of the North and South When the Southern states seceded from the Union, they formed their own government and elected Jefferson Davis as president. Davis had to build a new nation while guiding it in war. Abraham Lincoln began choosing men for his government on election night. He had barely finished before he had to prepare for war. Northern Political Strategy e election of 1860 showed clearly that the United States was not united. Candidates from four political parties campaigned for president. Abraham Lincoln won with only 40 percent of the vote. His name was not on the ballot in any Southern state except Virginia. He was president for only six weeks before South Carolina declared its independence. President Lincoln s goal was to bring Southern states back into the Union. His ideas on how to achieve that changed throughout the war. Lincoln was anxious to keep the border states where slavery was legal within the Union. If Maryland seceded, Confederate states would surround the Union capital of Washington, DC. In his 1861 inaugural address, he promised that the Federal government would not interfere with an individuals property, meaning their slaves. Northern political leaders hoped that pro-union Southerners could convince others to rejoin the Union if slavery was still legal. By late 1862, however, it was clear that this would not happen. In September 1862, Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation, ending slavery in Confederate states on January 1, 1863. e Proclamation did not stop slavery within the border states, but it
Leadership During e Civil War was clear that slavery would not last long. For the first time, the Civil War was not only about preserving the Union but also about freedom for all. By making the war about freedom, Lincoln made sure that foreign countries would not support the Confederacy. e South was on its own. Southern Political Strategy Confederate political leaders began the war with a common purpose to gain their independence. As the war continued and resources became scarcer, this unity dissolved. From the first shots fired at Fort Sumter, Southern leaders began seizing U.S. Army and Navy resources within its borders. ey hoped that forcing the Union into an expensive invasion of the South would convince Northerners to abandon the war and accept the Confederate States of America as a separate nation. e Confederacy tried to convince border states such as Kentucky and Missouri to secede, bringing with them much-needed troops, industry, and other resources. While some sympathetic residents joined the Confederate military, many more enlisted for the Union. If the border states had joined the Confederacy, the war might have ended very differently. Diplomacy During the Civil War, Northern and Southern leaders used diplomacy to influence foreign countries. Diplomacy is the ability to deal with others in order to come to an agreement. Confederate leaders wanted European countries to officially acknowledge it as an independent nation. ey also hoped that Britain and France would help break the Northern blockade. e blockade kept the South from trading with other countries. Union leaders argued that the South was not an independent nation but only a group of states that had rebelled. It was important to them to prevent British and French involvement, which could affect the outcome of the war. European leaders watched the conflict carefully. While the navy could easily smash the blockade, British Prime Minister Palmerston knew that this might lead to a war with the United We seek no conquest all we ask is to be let alone. Jefferson Davis What Do You Know! THE TRENT AFFAIR In the fall of 1861, two Southerners boarded the British ship Trent. They were ambassadors hoping to persuade Great Britain to support the Confederacy and buy war materials. A Union ship stopped the Trent and seized the men. The North rejoiced. The South was furious. Great Britain threatened war if the men were not released. The United States got out of this sticky situation by suggesting that the Union captain had not followed proper procedure and the men were released. It did not apologize, though. A diplomatic crisis was avoided. 7
Great Leaders of the Civil War States. In May 1861, Britain declared that it would stay neutral. Emperor Napoleon III of France stayed neutral as well. Cotton Diplomacy Great Britain and the South had close economic ties. e South imported many finished goods from Britain. More than three-quarters of the cotton used in English textile mills came from the South. Southerners expected Britain and France to help them once the blockade began to shut off the supply of cotton. To help make this happen, Southern farmers kept part of the 1861 crop and planted much less cotton the following year. Britain did not feel the shortages until 1862. When that happened, it began importing cotton from Egypt and India. e Confederate plan backfired. This Northern cartoon shows the Union confidently standing up to a British bully. Military Leadership In April 1861, there were only about 16,000 soldiers and four elderly generals in the U.S. Army. e United States relied on state militias and volunteers to fight in conflicts such as the War of 1812. By the end of the Civil War about 3.5 million men had served in the Confederate and Union armies and more than 1,000 men had reached the rank of general. What Do You Know! WEST POINT ENGINEERS For its first 50 years, the focus of study at West Point was civil engineering. West Point graduates played a major part in planning many of the nation s railway lines, bridges, harbors, and roads. Many Civil War generals were originally engineers. 8 West Point Many Civil War military commanders were trained at the United States Military Academy at West Point. e school was built along the Hudson River in New York. omas Jefferson established West Point in 1802 to develop military officers that reflected American democratic society. To attend West Point, a young man needed to be nominated by his Congressman. To ensure that all regions of the country were represented, each state had a set number of students it could send to the Academy, based on its population. e best graduates from West Point worked in engineering. Others joined the cavalry and infantry. ere were 142 Confederate generals and 217 Union generals who graduated from West Point. Famous West Point commanders included Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Robert E. Lee, and Stonewall Jackson.