Civil War Part 2 Chapter 17
Changes with Slavery As Union soldiers moved into the South, thousands of slaves escaped their plantations Abolitionists saw the war as an opportunity to end slavery forever Lincoln was hesitant to end slavery b/c he didn t think he had the authority to do it (even though he hated slavery)
Lincoln s #1 priority was to preserve the Union and end the rebellion, not to end slavery Many northerners did not support emancipation (freeing of the slaves)
Emancipation Proclamation January 1, 1863 Declared that all slaves in the Confederate states were free
Didn t have much effect b/c the US had no control of the Confederate states but this added a moral purpose to the war for the Union Also allowed for African American men to join the Union Army
African American Soldiers 180,000 fought for the Union Split into 166 all black regiments all led by white officers Paid less than white soldiers
Multiple regiments agreed to fight for free until their pay was equal to the white soldiers Confederates threatened to execute or put back in slavery any captured African American soldiers
54 th Massachusetts Regiment of African American soldiers Included 2 sons of Fredrick Douglass Earned its fame at Battle of Fort Wagner in SC in 1863 Led by Col. Shaw (from a rich abolitionist family) Shaw died at Fort Wagner and was buried with his men there in a mass grave
Disagreements over the War Western part of VA seceded from VA and formed a new state called West VA and joined the Union (had few plantations or slaves) Copperheads were those Northerners who opposed the view Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, which then allowed the gov t to arrest and hold citizens in jail without formal charges
The Draft Confederates required all men to fight for the Confederacy but if they owned 20 slaves or more (the wealthy) they were excused from this requirement Union had a draft as well Both sides allowed for the wealthy to pay for substitutes to take their place
NYC Draft Riots (1863) Anger over the draft led to four days of riots Union army had to be sent in to stop the rioting African Americans were being attacked on the street Over 1000 people were killed and wounded
Economic Effects of the War Food shortage in the South was worse than in the North Both armies seized crops/food which made the food shortage worse Inflation (prices rise, value of $ goes down) effected both the North and South but was worse in the South
Union created the first income tax to help pay for the war Union also created new money called greenbacks
Women in the War Women plowed the fields and worked in factories, offices, etc (men were at war) Thousands volunteered as nurses like Clara Barton and Susie King Taylor (African American)
Women disguised themselves as men and fought in the war Women also acted as spies for both sides
Confederates Invade the North 1863, the Confederates had the momentum in the East General Robert E Lee decided it was time to invade the North again Lee thought that winning battles in the North would force them to surrender and also bring in European nations into the war on side of the Confederates
Battle of Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863 90,000 Union soldiers (led by General George Mead) vs 75,000 Confederates (led by Lee) Union got there first and took the high ground around the town (huge advantage)
Pickett s charge was a devastating loss for the Confederates 15,000 men charged at the center of the Union Army At Little Round Top, the 20 th Maine led by Col. Joshua Chamberlain (a college professor) led a bayonet charge down the small mountain at the Confederates (low on ammunition) Chamberlain received the Medal of Honor
Union generals let Lee escape to VA, once again not finishing them off and ending the war 25% of Union army was killed or wounded (23,000 men) and 33% of the Confederates were killed or wounded (28,000 men) This battle was the turning point in the war
Battle of Vicksburg July 4, 1863, Confederates surrendered to General Grant in Vicksburg, MS Battle started in May 1863 Union army surrounded the city and waited them out until supplies ran out and forced the Confederate surrender
Change in Leadership Lincoln put General Grant in charge of the entire Union Army in March 1864 Grant quickly coordinated all attacks throughout the army Grant would invade VA and finish off General Lee and General Sherman would invade further south
Total War General Sherman attacked Atlanta in summer of 1864 and by September, he had captured it In November 1864, Sherman burned the city of Atlanta to the ground Sherman marched from Atlanta for 300 miles towards the sea destroying everything in his path=total war (railroads, homes, crops, etc) Sherman brought in 19,000 former slaves into his army as his marched through the south
After reaching the sea, Sherman turned North trying to link up with Grant and finish off Lee in VA
Grant invades VA Grant s plan was attack and keep attacking Lee until he surrendered no matter how many men he lost It took Grant a year to finally corner Lee Grant surrounded the city of Petersburg, dug trenches and laid siege for 9 months
Richmond Falls April 2, 1865, Jefferson Davis and the gov t evacuate the capital of Richmond April 3, 1865, Union forces arrive to take the town Confederates set everything that could be used by the Union on fire and the city was on fire when Union arrived
Confederates Surrender April 9, 1865 General Lee surrendered in the town of Appomattox Court House General Grant let the Confederate soldiers go home taking anything they owned with them, and also fed them before they left Joshua Chamberlain, hero of Little Round Top at Gettysburg, accepted the formal surrender of General Lee
Civil War Stats 620,000 died (both sides) 375,000 wounded (both sides) Deadliest war in American history South before the war made up 30% of the nation s wealth, after the war only 12%
Lincoln Killed April 14, 1865 (5 days after war ended) Killed by John Wilkes Booth at Ford Theatre in Washington He was first president to be assasinated Booth was killed by Union soldiers 11 days later
Nation Changes Federal gov t became stronger and argument over state s rights had ended New federal banking system was created, new paper money, and income tax was collected Industry began to replace farming as the basis of our economy
13 th Amendment 1865 Banned slavery