The Civil War Begins

The Civil War Begins

Differences between northern and southern states: industrial economy agricultural economy free states slave states

More North/South differences North Wanted to abolish slavery Strong national government Favored high tariffs Large cities Many private schools and some public schools Thought they were the best part of the country South Supported slavery States rights-right to rule themselves Low tariffs Few cities No formal educational system Their part of the country was the best

New President Abraham Lincoln is elected President of the Untied States. During the election, he had spoken out strongly against the spread of slavery and hoped that one day it would end.

Remain United Lincoln hoped to prevent a war. We are not enemies, but friends, Lincoln told Southerners after taking the oath of office. We must not be enemies. But time was running out.

Shortly after the election of Lincoln, South Carolina declared the United States of America is hereby dissolved and seceded from the Union. Six other states soon followed Picture Credit: http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/cwar-pix/civmap.gif

A New Country Formed Together these seven states formed a new country. They called the new country the Confederate States of America. They elected Jefferson Davis as President.

Alexander Stephens He served in the U.S. House of Representatives (1843 59), where he defended slavery but opposed dissolution of the Union. When Georgia seceded, he was elected vice president of the Confederacy. He was involved with the Georgia Platform supporting the Compromise of 1850 because he wanted the north to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act and stop trying to prevent slavery in the western territories. He also argued against immediate secession after Lincoln was elected but, supported secession after the majority of the convention voted on it.

Fort Sumter President Lincoln received word that supplies were running out at Fort Sumter, located off the coast of South Carolina. If supplies did not come soon, they would have to surrender the fort to the Confederacy.

Fort Sumter: April 12, 1861

A Difficult Decision Lincoln had to make an important decision. He made the decision he thought would be best. He would send supplies ships to the fort. Then he waited to see what happened.

Jefferson s Response Now Jefferson Davis had to make a decision. He decided to attack the fort before the supply ships arrived. On April 12, 1861, Confederates fired on Fort Sumter.

Fort Sumter The first major battle of the Civil War began on April 12, 1861. After 2 days, the North surrendered to the South. Picture Credit: http://library.thinkquest.org/3055/graphics/battles/images/sumteranim.gif

The Outcome The Civil War began.

Strategies to Win North Anaconda Plan/Union Blockade Destroy the land of the South to break their spirit. Conscription South King Cotton Diplomacy Blockade Runners Conscription

Anaconda Plan

The Anaconda Plan Squeeze the Confederacy to death just like an anaconda squeezes its prey. North captures the Mississippi River, leaving Texas, and Arkansas and Louisiana stranded. Cut off supplies to the South by surrounding the Confederacy.

Blockade runners Private ships that would sail out into open waters to get imports and exports for the South in an attempt to circumvent the Anaconda Plan.

King Cotton Diplomacy -the South thought that if they stopped selling cotton to France and Britain that these two countries would step in and help break the blockade. This didn t work because the North pressured France and Great Britain to stay out of it so France and Britain began getting cotton from Egypt.

Conscription The first time men were drafted to serve in the military. Both the Union and Confederacy had to conscript or draft soldiers to fight the Civil War.

Freeing the Slaves Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862 Document gave the Southern Confederacy a choice: Quit the war and keep slavery alive or keep fighting and slaves would be forever free Deadline was January 1, 1863 The Confederate leaders continued the war and the slaves were declared free by the United States government in 1863

The Fall of Fort Pulaski More than 100 battles or skirmishes in Georgia; 92 happened in 1864 during the Atlanta and Savannah campaigns First battle, April 10, 1862, was at all-brick Fort Pulaski, near Tybee Island Rifled cannon used by U.S. Army in warfare for the first time; the Confederates surrendered the fort in less than two days No brick American forts were built after this battle

Antietam or Sharpsburg, Maryland September 17, 1862 The general for the Confederates was Robert E. Lee. The general for the Yankees was McClellan. -23,000 died and McClellan s Union forces pushed back Lee s confederate forces over the Potomac and into the Picture Credit: memory.loc.gov/.../newsletter/ august01/feature.html Shenandoah Valley.

Antietam The battle is known as the single bloodiest day in the Civil War. Because the casualties were so high, Lincoln said that if the South didn t stop the war, he would free the slaves and he did. South won the battle. Picture Credit: www.trubador.com/bridge.htm

Battle of Gettysburg turning point of the war no more major Confederate victories on northern soil

The Battle of Chickamauga September 1863 Seven miles south of Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga was a major railroad center Union troops were driven back to Chattanooga; Confederates did not follow-up on their victory Union reinforcements later recaptured Chattanooga

The Atlanta Campaign June 1864: Sherman attacked Johnston at Kennesaw Mountain; Sherman lost but continued toward Atlanta ends the war by splitting what s left of the Confederacy.

The Battle of Atlanta Sherman surrounded the city and laid siege Hood wanted to lure Sherman into the city to fight, but that didn t work Fighting continued during July and August 1864 Hood and Atlanta s citizens finally vacate the city on September 1 Sherman burns the city in mid-november then begins his march toward Savannah and the sea

Sherman s March Major General William Tecumseh Sherman On November 12, 1864, Sherman marched out of Atlanta toward the Atlantic coast. Tracing a line of march between Macon and Augusta, he carved a sixty-mile wide swath of destruction in the Confederacy's heartland.

The March to the Sea Sherman s Union army destroys everything in its path, 300 miles from Atlanta to Savannah A sixty mile-wide area is burned, destroyed, and ruined during a two-month period-why???? Estimated losses exceeded $100 million Captured, but did not burn, Savannah in December 1864 Loaded and shipped $28 million worth of cotton, stored in Savannah, to the North

The Civil War Ends January 13, 1865: Fort Fisher in North Carolina captured;the last Confederate blockade-running port General Robert E. Lee s Army of Virginia cannot defeat Union General U.S. Grant at Petersburg; he surrenders his army at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865 Confederate President Jefferson Davis flees and is eventually captured in Irwinville, Georgia

Civil War Prisons Both North and South had prisons for captured soldiers; thousands of men on both sides died in these prisons Andersonville Prison, in southwest Georgia, was overcrowded, and offered poor food, contaminated water, and poor sanitation; 13,700 Union soldiers are buried there Captain Henry Wirtz, Andersonville Prison commander, was later hanged for excessive cruelty Andersonville is now home to the National Prisoner of War Museum Click to return to Table of Contents.

Women in the Civil War Food, items for clothes, and basic items were in short supply, especially in the South Staples like flour, coffee, and sugar were very expensive or hard to acquire Women tried to keep their families fed and sheltered despite the difficulties Many fought disguised as men; others served as spies; many worked in factories Female nurses were much valued

Clara Barton In July and August of 1865, Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, along with a detachment of laborers and soldiers and Dorence Atwater, came to Andersonville to identify and mark the graves of the Union dead.

Children During the War Most did chores at home to help their families or contribute to the war effort Children in the South had basically no public schools; wealthy families could continue with private tutoring Boys as young as 10 served in both armies; thousands of soldiers were between 14- and 16-years-old

The Aftermath 620,000 people died during the war; about two-thirds died from diseases, wounds, or military prison hardships Healing of emotional wounds took far longer than the war itself The North or the South would never be the same again Click to return to Table of Contents.