Impact of the Civil War
Soldiers & Weapons More than three million soldiers fought in the Civil War. The average Union soldier was 25 years old and 5 feet 8¼ inches tall, and weighed 143½ pounds. In addition to weapons and gear, many soldiers brought pets. Dogs commonly accompanied soldiers or became mascots for a military unit. Initially, it was thought that the Civil War would be short, and many soldiers were volunteers. The Confederacy began drafting soldiers in 1862, and the Union instituted a draft in 1863. Both governments allowed ways for draftees to avoid fighting.
Weapons The most common weapon carried by soldiers was a musket. Both Union and Confederate soldiers used muskets to fire the new Minié balls. These were small bullets that were easy to load quickly and could be fired accurately over long distances. Three-fourths of medical operations on soldiers were amputations. New technology impacted war: long range rifle, railroad, telegraph, ironclad naval ships
Military Leadership In the Civil War era, military leaders were not always chosen for their military expertise. Instead, many military appointments were made as rewards for political favors. Early in the war, the North had several military leaders who were not experienced or well trained. As the war proceeded and leaders on both sides realized the combat would be longer than anticipated, both the Union and the Confederacy sought more experienced men to lead their military. Military academies existed in the North and the South, and both sides had graduates within their armies.
Women in the Civil War With their men off at war, many women were left on their own to take care of their homes, farms, and families as best they could. In both the North and the South, wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters took on the main responsibilities of running farms and plantations as well as small businesses. They also took jobs in local industries. In the North, women joined ladies aid leagues from the time the war started in 1861. They performed such tasks as canning and baking food to send to the troops, sewing uniforms, knitting socks, and raising money.
Women in the Civil War The army hired working-class white women, free African American women, and, in the earliest years of the war, enslaved persons, to work as cooks, launderers, and domestic workers. Middle class white women took jobs as volunteer nurses. Confederate women planned raffles and dances to raise money and set up hospitals in private homes, churches, and town buildings. In the early years of the war, working class women in the Confederate states took work in ammunitions factories or were hired to sew uniforms and tents for troops for money. Both Northern and Southern women volunteered as nurses both at home and on the battlefield.
Women in the Civil War Many wives looked forward to their husband s return to the home or farm so that they could resume their family life. The experiences women had in the absence of their husbands and fathers led many of them to begin fighting political battles for greater equality between men and women. Women on both sides also worked as spies. Some women hid their identities and signed up to fight as male soldiers.
Belle Boyd Harriet Tubman Elizabeth Van Lew
The Course of the War The first two years of the war saw many deadly battles that did not gain either side much advantage. The longer the war lasted, the more the Confederate Army weakened. The Union blockade prevented the South from carrying on normal commerce and receiving help via ship at any Southern port. In 1863, Confederate General Lee s unsuccessful invasion of Pennsylvania, which marked the Confederacy s highest point, turned the tide of the war in favor of the Union. That same year, Union General Grant led a campaign to capture the Mississippi River, including the strategic fort at Vicksburg, Mississippi.
The Course of the War At this point, the Anaconda Plan was in place; the Confederacy was surrounded and isolated. In 1864, Union General Sherman led a devastating campaign across Georgia, convincing many observers that the Confederacy had little chance of winning the war. At the end of 1864 to early 1865, Lee s tired and starving troops desperately retreated through Virginia, with Grant in pursuit. In April, Lee finally surrendered.
Purpose of Total War Instead of merely trying to win conflicts on the traditional fields of battle, Union troops began systematically destroying everything not only railroads and armories but also food supplies, streets, businesses, and private homes and farms. The Union army burned crops, barns, railroad buildings, and grain mills throughout Virginia s Shenandoah Valley. Houses were robbed, farm animals were taken or killed, and all useful farming equipment was destroyed.
Social Shift Northern industrialists and bankers increased their wealth and their investments in new factories and growing industries. Southerners had more changes to adapt to. Many blamed and resented Northerners for the wartime destruction of their homes, farms, and cities. Many Southern landowners were broke, and the region s labor system had collapsed. A plantation could not earn wealth for its owners if there was no one to plant, tend to, and harvest crops. Not only did many Southern plantation owners blame Northerners for the loss of their enslaved persons; when the Confederacy lost the war, people throughout the South feared the end of their way of life.
Problems Facing Post Civil War America Political re-entry of formerly rebellious states Economic & Physical devastation of the South Education and support of freedmen (former slaves)