The Civil War Life During the Civil War: Chapter 13, Section 4 Citizen participation is essential to the foundation and preservation of the US political system. Civilians as well as soldiers had an impact on the war effort.
The Lives of Soldiers Main idea: In both the North and the South, civilians and soldiers suffered terrible hardships and faced new challenges. (Creightons, duh!) A soldiers life was not easy Lived in camps with bad food, too much rain and marching While men had eagerly volunteered, enthusiasm did not last long (Eb ) -Sickness, fear, boredom
The Reality of War Reality of war was never far away, always a constant threat Newer rifles with improved accuracy increased death toll, and both sides suffered huge losses Medical facilities were overwhelmed with casualties After Battle of Shiloh, wounded soldiers lay waiting in the rain for 24+ hours Many men deserted because of fear, hunger, sickness 1/11 Union soldiers 1/8 Confederate soldiers Rebel soldiers suffered from lack of food/supplies (result of Northern blockade) Lee s invasion of Maryland in 1862 was to allow army to feed off Maryland crops
1. Why did many soldiers desert from the armies? 2. Why were the soldiers at Shiloh allowed to lie dying for so long in the rain?
Women and the War Main idea: Many Northern and Southern women took on new responsibilities during the war. Women in North and South became teachers, office workers, and managed farms while suffering the losses of fathers, sons, and brothers (Jenny ) Also helped soldiers and armies Rolled bandages, wove blankets, made ammunition Collected food, clothing, and medicine for troops Raised money for supplies
Life at Home Northerners saw war from a distance, most battles took place in the South Everyday life in the North saw little disruption, while life in the South changed dramatically Southerners lost crops and homes Shortages became commonplace Shortages in feed for animals and salt for curing meant little meat was available/could be stored Shortages of clothing, medicine, shelter
Women as Spies Some women served as spies North Harriet Tubman South Rose O Neal Greenhow entertained Union leaders, picked up info, passed it to South, caught and exiled to South Belle Boyd informed Rebel generals of Union army movements in Shenandoah Valley Loretta Janeta Velazquez disguised herself as a man to fight for South at First Battle of Bull Run and Shiloh
Treating the Sick and Wounded Most women served as nurses, though many doctors thought women too delicate, and some men thought it improper for women to tend bodies of unknown men. Thousands of strong-minded women disregarded those objections of North Dorothea Dix organized women to serve as military nurses Clara Barton became known as the angel of the battlefield for work with wounded soldiers South Sally Tompkins established a hospital for soldiers in Richmond, Virginia
Clara Barton The angel of the battlefield Clara Barton, a former Patent Office clerk, began delivering supplies to the Union army when the Civil War began, and tended to the wounded/dying Arrived at the Battle of Antietam to see doctors dressing wounds with corn husks as supplies were greatly depleted At the close of the war, she set up an office helping to reunite families/friends with soldiers/pows and helping to identify thousands of missing men
1. What role did Sally Tompkins play in the war effort? Which other women played a similar role in the North? 2. Why was life disrupted more in the South than in the North? How did Southern civilians suffer from the war? 3. How did the South s economy of the prewar period help cause severe shortages during the war?
Opposition to the War Main idea: The war efforts of the Union and the Confederate governments faced opposition. Both the Union and the Confederate governments faced political and civil opposition Politicians objected to war policies and citizens protested the impact of war on their lives Northern Democrats split into two groups One supported Lincoln s wartime policies The other Peace Democrats favored negotiating with the Confederacy, warning that continued war would lead to terrible social change and revolution
Conflicts with the Copperhead Republican newspapers called Peace Democrats Copperheads (wore badges made of copper pennies) suspected them of aiding Rebels When Union armies lost battles, support for Copperheads rose President ordered arrest of anyone interfering with war effort (i.e. preventing men from enlisting) Often suspended right of habeas corpus (the right to be heard/chance to explain before being jailed)
Enlistments Decline Overtime fewer men volunteered to serve and enlisting became a problem North and South had to resort to drastic new measures
Draft Laws April 1862, Confederate Congress passed a draft law requiring men 18-35 to serve for three years Could avoid draft by hiring a substitute to serve Union encouraged enlistment by offering bounties, but when that failed they turned to a draft too Men 20-45, army drew from name pool as needed Could avoid draft by hiring substitute or paying $300 Protests against draft erupted in Northern cities, but no disturbances took place in the South even though many opposed draft Confederate President Davis proclaimed military law and suspended habeas corpus as well, outraging Southerners who feared loss of liberties for which they had gone to war
1. Why did the governments institute a draft? Why did protests occur some places?
War and the Economy Main idea: The war created economic problems in the North and in the South. Civil War known as first modern war, requiring total commitment of resources Devastating impact on South (more than North) South lacked industry to provide necessities for civilians and military, blockade didn t help Southern farmland overrun and rail lines torn up Scarcity of food/supplies led to riots and inflation Poor conditions affected soldiers Worry over families caused deserting
1. What is inflation? What hardships did inflation cause in the South? 2. Why was life on the home front more difficult for Southerners? 3. What do Rose O Neal Greenhow, Belle Boyd, and Loretta Janeta Velazquez have in common with Harriet Tubman? 4. Why do you think President Lincoln believed the Copperheads were a threat to the Union war effort?