The American Civil War

18611865

CICERO 2010

Causes

There were many causes for the outbreak of the Civil War. Many people agree
slavery was the main cause for the war. In addition, sectional differences led to
conflicts. Northern and Southern states were developing different lifestyles and
cultures. Differences in the economic life of the North and the South also
contributed to the conflict. The Norths economy focused on finance and
manufacturing, and the South specialized in crops and agricultural trade. Southern
states also began to question the extent of the federal governments power.

CICERO 2010

How does this painting, Tragic Prelude, represent the debate over
slavery prior to the Civil War?

Abolitionist Movement
The Abolitionist Movement was active
in Northern and Western states before
the Civil War. Abolitionists wanted
slaves to be freed. Some abolitionists
favored relocating them in Africa.
Many, but not all, abolitionists believed
African-American slaves should have
the same freedoms as their owners.
Southern states opposed the abolition
of slavery; it was a financial necessity
and part of their social structure. The
Souths agricultural trade depended on
crops produced with slave labor.

CICERO 2010

A Divided Nation

Comparing Northern and Southern Societies

The Norths population was three

times that of the South. Most other
countries recognized the Union as
the government in America.
However, Britain and France had
friendly relations with the
Confederacy and considered aiding
the South. The North also was more
affluent.

The South had about nine million

people, including about three million
slaves. The average Southerner was not
as wealthy as the average person living
in the North. About 90 percent of
American industry and railroads were
in the North. Reliance on slave labor
discouraged the creation of new jobs in
the South. This discouraged
immigration, and most immigrants
settled in the North.

CICERO 2010

The Leaders

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth

President of the United States. He
opposed the expansion of slavery. A
Republican, Lincoln led the Union
during the Civil War. John Wilkes Booth
assassinated Lincoln in Washington,
D.C., on April 14, 1865.

Jefferson Davis was President of the

Confederate States of America. During the
Mexican War, he had been an officer in
the United States Army. Davis also had
served as the United States Secretary of
War. When the South surrendered, he was
charged with treason and prohibited from
running for public office again.

CICERO 2010

The Generals
Ulysses S. Grant

Robert E. Lee

William T. Sherman

Thomas Jackson

George Meade

James Longstreet

George B. McClellan
CICERO 2010

James E.B. Stuart

Strategies
Anaconda Plan
Union General Winfield Scott suggested the Anaconda
Plan to halt Southern trade. The plan would impose a
blockade. This would eventually enable the North to
control the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, the army
would divide and isolate sections of the South and
capture its vital cities and the capital in Richmond,
Virginia. Under General Ulysses S. Grant, the Norths
strategy kept pressure on General Robert E. Lees army
and constantly weakened their numbers. The larger
population of the North made this possible.

King Cotton
The Confederacy adopted a defensive strategy and
attempted to secure alliances with more powerful
countries such as Britain and France. To do that, the
South needed to show it could win the war. As a
result, the Confederate army attacked Union territory
to draw Union troops away from the South and to
impress potential allies. As the war continued, the
Southern strategy became one of evading the Union
army, prolonging the war, and inflicting casualties to
demoralize the North.

CICERO 2010

Weapons of the Civil War

canister shot

artillery projectile
rifled barrel
officers sword

Springfield rifle, 1861

(Union)
Although the Union used many types of rifles, this was the most common.

British Enfield rifle, 1853

mini ball (Confederacy)
Although the Confederacy used many types of rifles, this was the most common.

CICERO 2010

Uniforms
At the beginning of the Civil War, states provided uniforms to soldiers; and the
uniforms were in a variety of colors. This led to massive confusion on the battlefield,
and often soldiers fired on their own men. As the war continued, both sides chose a
single color for their uniforms. The United States of America chose blue, and the
Confederate States of America chose gray.

CICERO 2010

Major Battles of the Civil War

CICERO 2010

Fort Sumter
April 12, 1861

The first shots of the Civil War were fired

at Fort Sumter. Major Robert Anderson of
the United States Army had moved his
troops to the base because he feared a
Confederate attack. In the early morning
of April 12, 1861, the Confederates
launched an attack. Northern troops under
Andersons command returned fire, but
were ineffective. The Confederacy
continued its attack with prolonged
gunfire, and the Union troops in the fort
surrendered a day later. One Confederate
soldier and four Union soldiers were
killed in the battle.

CICERO 2010

South Carolina

Virginia

First Bull Run/Manassas

July 21, 1861

The First Battle of Bull Run took place on

July 21, 1861. General Irvin McDowell led
the Union army toward Richmond,
Virginia. General P.G.T. Beauregards
Confederate troops intercepted them. The
battle lasted about five hours. Confederate
forces began to retreat due to losses, except
General Thomas Stonewall Jackson who
continued to fight until reinforcements
arrived. The reenergized Confederates
pushed McDowells forces out of the area.
Union casualties were high, almost three
thousand; and the Confederates suffered
two thousand casualties.

CICERO 2010

Shiloh

Tennessee

April 6-7, 1862

The Battle of Shiloh raged from April 6

until April 7, 1862. Union troops had
found Confederate General Albert
Johnstons forces near Corinth Road,
but they were not prepared for an
attack. The Southern troops forced them
to retreat toward the river. Although the
Confederate soldiers had gained
ground, they suffered many losses. On
the second day the Union army claimed
ground in the early morning, throwing
off Beauregards troops. The
Confederacy, however, had an
exceptional defense and stopped the
Union soldiers before the Confederates
retreated.
CICERO 2010

The Battle of the Ironclads also is

known as the Battle of Hampton
Roads and the Battle of the Monitor
and the Merrimack. This battle was
fought off Sewells Point near
Hampton Roads, Virginia. It was the
first naval battle between two ironclad
ships, the Unions USS Monitor and
the Confederacys CSS Virginia, which
was rebuilt from the USS Merrimack.
The battle took place over two
days, and the Virginia destroyed
many of the Unions wooden ships.
The next day, the two ironclads
clashed at sea, and the Virginia was
damaged. Neither side claimed victory
in this battle, but the battle revealed
the future of naval warfare. Ironclad,
steam-driven ships were at a decisive
advantage against wooden sailing
vessels.

The War at Sea

CICERO 2010

Antietam

Maryland

September 17, 1862

The Battle of Antietam, also known as

the Battle of Sharpsburg, was fought
on September 1618, 1862. It was a
confrontation between Union and
Confederate forces under Generals
George McClellan and Robert E. Lee.
Federal armies brutalized the
Confederacy; the combined casualties
were more than twenty-three thousand.
The Union pushed Lee and his troops
back to Antietam Creek, but the
stubborn Confederate general
counterattacked with all his troops. The
two sides fought to a standstill, and
both armies withdrew.
CICERO 2010

Fredericksburg
December 13, 1862

Fredericksburg was the site of a battle

in December 1862. Union General
Ambrose Burnside led a march on
Richmond, but was delayed for more
than two weeks because of latearriving supplies. General Lee
positioned his army, deploying snipers
to pick off Federal troops. Confederate
artillery decimated Union forces in
their attempts to capture Maryes
Heights. Many Union soldiers were
left in the open after crossing military
pontoon bridges, and they became easy
prey for Confederate troops. Burnside
had no choice but to retreat with the
remnants of his army.
CICERO 2010

Virginia

The Emancipation Proclamation

January 1, 1863

President Abraham Lincoln issued the

Emancipation Proclamation. It was part
of a two-part plan that guaranteed
freedom to slaves in the Union and some
Confederate states. The Confederate
government claimed Lincoln could not
issue laws over states in which he had no
political control. The first plan, enacted
on September 22, 1862, freed slaves in
Confederate states that had not yet
rejoined the Union. The second part took
effect on January 1, 1863, applying to
specific states, but not to the border
states such as Maryland and West
Virginia.
CICERO 2010

Vicksburg

Mississippi

May 2-July 9, 1863

The lengthy Battle of Vicksburg began

in Warren County on May 13, 1863.
The North and the South considered
Vicksburg an important stronghold.
Union General Ulysses S. Grant
launched massive assaults on
Vicksburg and terrorized the
inhabitants. Confederates achieved a
minimal victory at Millikens Bend
against untrained black troops.
Federal troops pushed Confederate
forces back as the size of the Union
forces continued to increase.
Confederate General John Pemberton
surrendered to Grant on July 3, 1863.

CICERO 2010

Gettysburg

Pennsylvania

July 1-3, 1863

The Battle of Gettysburg began as the

Battle of Vicksburg was ending.
Confederate General Lee forced federal
troops, under General George C. Meades
command, to lose ground as the
Confederate forces attempted to take the
city. Lee planned several attacks,
including attacks at Peach Orchard and
Devils Den. The Union army fought
back, repelling Confederate attacks and
sending them back to Culps Hill. Lee
was relentless and sent his army back into
battle, but to no avail. He eventually
began a retreat toward Williamsport.
CICERO 2010

The Gettysburg Address

November 19, 1863

Abraham Lincoln delivered this famous

speech on November 19, 1863, to a
crowd gathered at the dedication of
Soldiers National Cemetery in
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The speech
contains only two hundred seventy-two
words, but it is considered one of the
greatest speeches in American history .

CICERO 2010

Wilderness
May 5-7, 1864

Union General Grant continued his march

to Richmond, Virginia, planning to use
three armies to lay siege to the city. He
wanted to cut Lees food and artillery
supply lines and to block a Southern
retreat. Grants troops encountered
Confederate General Richard Ewells
soldiers. The Union forces outnumbered
the Confederate. Because of gunfire and
the Wilderness dry land, forest fires were
sparked. Confederates achieved some
success and inflicted Union casualties.
Grant refused to retreat and continued his
march to Richmond.

CICERO 2010

Virginia

Cold Harbor
May 31-June 12, 1864

The Battle of Cold Harbor lasted from

May 31 to June 12, 1864, in Hanover
County, Virginia. Union General Philip
Sheridan led a successful attack against
Confederate troops, which lasted until
the Confederacy called reinforcements
to the area. Sheridan followed in similar
fashion, enlisting the help of General
Grant. As in the Battle of Wilderness,
Grant battled on, launching his soldiers
at the Confederacy. The Grant-led army
suffered almost five thousand losses.
Grants march to Richmond had been
thrown off, so now he attempted to
regain footing in Petersburg.

CICERO 2010

Virginia

Shermans March to the Sea

November 15-December 20, 1864

As the Union army moved through

the South, they destroyed train tracks
by heating the rails and bending them
into a bow. This became known as
Shermans Neckties

Union General William T. Sherman

already had captured Atlanta, but he
wanted to leave sixty thousand troops
there while he marched the rest of his
army to the Atlantic Ocean through
Savannah, Georgia. During this time,
Confederate General John Hood had led
troops in a raid on Tennessee, leaving
Shermans soldiers to face fewer than
five thousand Confederate soldiers.
Shermans troops burned buildings and
infrastructures along the way,
destroying many towns and cities.
Shermans troops defeated the depleted
Confederate army and took Savannah
on December 22, 1864.

CICERO 2010

Virginia

Surrender at Appomattox
April 9, 1865

General Lee surrendered his

Confederate army at Appomattox
Court House, Virginia, on April 9,
1865. Lees army had diminished,
which contributed to Union General
Grants many victories near the end of
the war. In a sign of respect, Grant
allowed Lee to keep his saber and
horse.
General Joseph Johnston was the last
Confederate general who continued to
fight. He still believed that the South
could win the war. Johnstons troops
eventually fell to federal troops, and he
surrendered to General Sherman on
Augest 26, 1865.
CICERO 2010

Assassination of Lincoln
April 14, 1865

President Abraham Lincoln was

assassinated at the end of the Civil
War. He was killed on April 14,
1865, while attending a play at
Fords Theatre in Washington, D.C.,
with his wife and two other people.
Lincoln was watching Our American
Cousin when John Wilkes Booth shot
him in the back of the head.
Booth was a loyal Confederate, and
he thought the Confederacy could
triumph if Lincoln were dead. Booth
jumped off the balcony and broke his
ankle, but managed to escape the
theater. Lincoln died of his fatal
wound the next morning.
CICERO 2010

The Trial and Execution of the Conspirators

The conspirators in the assassination of
President Lincoln were Mary Surratt,
Lewis Powell, David Herold, George
Atzerdot, Michael OLaughlen, Samuel
Arnold, Edman Spangler, and Dr. Samuel
Mudd. They were tried in a military
tribunal court because the government
deemed the nature of the case required the
use of this court. A majority vote would
result in a guilty verdict, while a two-thirds
majority would result in a death sentence.
All eight were found guilty. Surratt,
Powell, Herold, and Atzerdot were
sentenced to death by hanging. OLaughlen
died in prison. President Andrew Johnson
pardoned Arnold, Spangler, and Mudd.
CICERO 2010

Legacy of the War

The Civil War was the bloodiest war in American history. It has
been referred to as The War Between the States, The
Brothers War, and the War of Northern Aggression. More
than 600,000 Americans lost their lives, and countless others
were wounded severely. The Civil War led to passage of the
Thirteenth, Fourteenth , and Fifteen Amendments to the United
States Constitution. These amendments outlawed slavery,
granted African Americans United States citizenship, and
granted African-American males the right to vote. Although
equal treatment under the law for African Americans would not
be enforced until almost a hundred years later, the Civil War
abolished slavery and established the supremacy of the federal
government.
CICERO 2010

Why does the War end finally?

The toll of war:
620,000 died in combat, accident, starvation, or disease
An equal death toll to ALL other wars fought by America combined
400,000 soldiers are captured and held in prison
As many die in the prisons as in Vietnams total deaths.

10% of the population fought as soldiers

2 million union soldiers out of 22 million people

1 million confederate troops out of 9 million people
Both sides resort to drafts that are disliked by the average citizen
Lees troops are exhausted and thinned out by the end of the war

The Union defeats the Confederacy by having more manufacturing,

people, better morale at the end of the war, while the Confederacy
lacks supplies, men to fight, and suffer many losses at the end.