basic info about the American Civil War. Borrowed from a variety of sources

1. The American Civil War

2. Abraham Lincoln
• Early in his career, Abraham Lincoln was a
lawyer, a member of the Illinois state
legislature, member of the U.S. House of
Representatives
• He supported the Republican Party and the
party’s efforts to stop slavery
• He was nominated for a U.S. Senate seat,
going against Democrat Stephen Douglas
– Well known for the Kansas Nebraska Act

3. Lincoln-Douglas Debates
• 1858, Douglas and Lincoln competed for a Senate seat
• Lincoln tried to take advantage of his opponent’s fame,
and challenged Douglas to a series of debates
throughout the state
• Thousands of people attended the seven debates
• Lincoln focused on slavery and the future in the West
– Said Democrats wanted to spread slavery across the
continent
– Lincoln, a Republican, felt slavery was wrong
– Felt African Americans were “entitled to all the natural
rights” listed in the Declaration of Independence
– He did not feel AA’s were political or social equals, but
– “in the right to eat the bread…which his own hand earns,
he is my equal”

4. Lincoln-Douglas Debates

5. Lincoln-Douglas Debates
• Douglas used Lincoln’s stance on equality against
Lincoln
• “Those of you who believe that the Negro is your
equal…of course will vote for Mr. Lincoln”
• Douglas criticized Lincoln for believing the
country could not remain half slave and half free
• Accused him of wanting to make all states free,
which would lead to “warfare between the North
and the South”

6. Lincoln-Douglas Results
• Douglas’ response to the Dred Scott decision
helped him win the Seat.
– He said the people of each area have the power to
vote for or against slavery.
• Even though he lost, Lincoln gained national
attention and media coverage
• This helped him to gain the Republican
nomination for President in the 1860 election

7. Election of 1860
• Northern Democrats chose Senator Stephen Douglas
• Republicans chose Abraham Lincoln
– He was against slavery, but said he would not try to abolish
slavery wherever it existed, making him appeal to a large
audience
• John Breckinridge and John Bell also campaigned.
• The three other candidate split many of the votes among
themselves
– Lincoln won 180/183 northern electoral votes
– Breckinridge and Bell split the southern electoral votes
– Douglas won only 12 electoral votes
• Lincoln won the presidency, even though he did not win a
single southern state
• This was a reminder of the lack of political power in the
South

8. • Also on page 573

9. Secession
• Many southern whites believed Lincoln would
abolish slavery once in power
– This would destroy the South’s economy and
lifestyle
• Four days after Lincoln’s election, South
Carolina’s legislature called for a special
convention to consider secession.
• After three days of discussion, all delegates
voted to secede.

10. • Since secession was not directly discussed in
the Constitution, some southern states
believed they could get out of the Union just
as they got in, by holding a state convention
and voting.
• Lincoln disagreed, saying no state can lawfully
get out of the Union, without revolution,
which was against the law.

11. Confederate States of America
• By 2/1/1861, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama,
Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas seceded from
the Union
• The seceding states formed The Confederate
States of America, aka the Confederacy.
• Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was elected
President of the CSA.

12. First Shots of the War
• Lincoln called for unity at his inaugural address
• Confederate officials were already taking over federal
storehouses and forts
• Fort Sumter, near Charleston, South Carolina was a
Union fort located in the South
• Lincoln ordered the troops to be resupplied, but South
Carolina troops demanded the Union troops leave the
fort.
• Confederate guns opened fire, beginning the Civil War.
• 34 hours of Confederate bombardment forced the
North to surrender

13. Border States
• The free Northern states were solidly for the Union
• Slave states that did not join the confederacy had to
choose sides
• N.C., Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas
– Joined confederacy
• Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri bordered the
North
– The position of these states made them important to both
the North and the South
– While some soldiers fought for both sides, the border
states eventually joined the Union

14. Union vs. Confederates

16. North Vs. South
• Northern Advantages
– Larger Population = More soldiers
– More factories and shipyards
– Better Railroads = easier transportation
– More money
• Confederate Advantages
– Many skilled officers
– Didn’t have to “win” anything, just not give up

17. Northern Strategy
• Union general Winfield Scott developed the
Union’s two-part strategy, the “Anaconda
Plan”
– Destroy the south’s economy with a naval
blockade of seaports
– Gain control of the Mississippi River to divide the
Confederacy and cut its communication lines
• Felt this would result in the least bloodshed;
but would take time

18. Overview
of
the North’s
Civil War
Strategy:
“Anaconda”
Plan

19. The “Anaconda” Plan

20. Southern Strategy
• Defend its territory and wear down the
Union’s will to fight
• Take Washington D.C.
• Cotton Diplomacy- the belief that the British
gov’t would support the South because of
their reliance on cotton
– British had large stockpiles of cotton and also
acquired it from India and Egypt

21. Main Leaders
• Ulysses S. Grant – Union General
• George McClellan – Union General
• Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson – Confederate
General
– “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall”
• Robert E. Lee – Confederate General

22. Main Battles/Events
• Ft. Sumter-First Shots of the Civil War; located
in Charlestown, South Carolina
• First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)
• Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)
• Battle of Antietam: Bloodiest single day of the
civil war; 23,000 casualties. First battle fought
on northern soil.
• Battle of Hampton Roads (Monitor vs.
Merrimack/Virginia)

23. Main Battles/Events
• Battle of Shiloh
• Vicksburg
• Gettysburg: Turning point of the war
• Sherman’s March to the Sea: Used scorched
earth policy.
• Appomattox Courthouse: General Lee
surrendered to General Grant, ending the Civil
War.

24. Emancipation Proclamation
• Lincoln supported freeing the Slaves if it
would help the North win the war
– He was hesitant because he feared it might
weaken support for the war
– Constitution did not give the President the right to
end slavery; some saw slaves as property of the
Southerners
• After the Battle of Antietam, Lincoln called for
all slaves in Confederate controlled areas to be
freed

25. • News of this encouraged southern slaves to
escape when Union troops were nearby
• Some opposed the Proclamation, as they
simply wanted to restore the Union, not to
end slavery

26. Emancipation in 1863

27. The
Emancipation
Proclamation

28. Weapons
• Most soldiers were issued smoothbore muskets
that were difficult to load and could be fired at an
accurate range of only about 100 yards, only three
times in one minute. Rifled muskets were much
more accurate and deadly with a range of up to 500
yards.

29. Destruction from Artillery
• In the Civil War, some Cannons were rifled for
better accuracy and more power.
• Rifled cannons could accurately lob shells for
almost 2000 yards; that is almost one mile!.
• Smoothbore cannons were not as accurate and
could be lobbed 500 yards.

30. The Confederate Seal
MOTTO  “With God As Our Vindicator”

31. Inflation in the South

32. McClellan: ICanDoItAll!

33. Major Battles of the
Civil War:
Manassas, Virginia
Bull Run

34. The Confederate Generals
Jeb Stuart
James Longstreet
George Pickett
“Stonewall” Jackson Nathan Bedford
Forrest
Robert E. Lee

35. Lincoln’s Generals
Irwin McDowell
Winfield Scott
George McClellan,
Again!
George McClellan
Ambrose Burnside
Joseph Hooker
George Meade
Ulysses S. Grant

36. Civil War Casualties
in Comparison to Other Wars

37. Manassas Junction, Va.
• This was the first major land battle of the
Civil War
• Around Union 28,500 troops are going to
battle 32,000 Confederate troops for control
of an important rail road junction in
Northern Virginia.
• Many people from both sides thought this
battle would determine the outcome of the
war.

38. Bull Run, Manassas, Virginia
• The first battle was an important Confederate
victory. Manassas shows that the war was going to
be very long and difficult for both sides.

39. Results
• Confederate Victory
• This battle convinced both sides that the
war would be a long and costly affair.
• Manassas National Battlefield Park: Home
Page

40. Battle of Bull Run
(1st Manassas)
July, 1861

41. The Battleofthe Ironclads,
March, 1862
The Monitor vs.
the Merrimac

42. Battle of Antietam
“Bloodiest Single Day of the War”
23,000 casualties
September 17, 1862

43. The Bloodiest Day of the Civil War"
The Battle of Antietam
Confederate Losses Union Losses
Killed-1,512 Killed--2,108
Wounded--7,816 Wounded--9,549
Captured/Missing--1,844 Captured/Missing--753

44. Antietam: Sharpsburg, Maryland
• Bloody battle in Maryland resulted in a tie and
Robert E. Lee’s army has to retreat back into
Virginia. Lee attacked the north because he needed
a victory on northern soil.

45. Vicksburg, Mississippi
• This important battle gave the Union Army control of
trade and he Mississippi River, which cut the Confederacy
in half and allowed General Grant to control trade and
communication on the river.

46. Vicksburg-Dec. 1862-July 1863
• Constant bombardment
• Porter kept up a continual bombardment and
cannonade for forty days, during which time he
fired 7,000 mortar shells, and the gunboats
4,500 shells. Grant drew his lines closer and
closer. He kept up a bombardment day and
night
• Mule meat was a rare meal
• Banks of the Mississippi
• Grant surrounds the city
• Starves the people
• Last stronghold of the
South on the river

47. Chancellorsville, Virginia
• Stonewall Jackson loses his life after achieving one of
the greatest military maneuvers of the Civil War at
Chancellorsville, in Virginia.

48. Chancellorsville
May 63
Hooker in command
of Union Troops
• Hooker had 125,000-
lost 17,000; Lee had
58,000, lost 13,000
• Confederate success
• Hooker flank was
taken
• JACKSON IS KILLED by
his own troops

49. The War in
the West, 1863:
Vicksburg

50. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
• Gettysburg was an important Northern
victory. The confederate Army was cut down
by almost 25%.

51. The Road to Gettysburg: 1863

52. Gettysburg Casualties

53. Sherman’s
“March
to the
Sea”
through
Georgia,
1864

54. 1864
• Sept-Dec. 1864- March through Georgia
• General Sherman takes Atlanta Burns it-then marches to
Savannah-a present to Lincoln on Christmas.
• Troops live off land-denuded a strip of land 60 miles wide 120
miles long
• Military objective-conquer territory;
Economic objective-destroy resources
Psychological objective-break the will of the people as the
Union marches through the Confederacy

55. The Final Virginia Campaign:
1864-1865

56. Surrender at Appomattox
April 9, 1865

57. Union Prison Camp
at Andersonville, GA

58. Original Andersonville Plan
 Planned to hold 10,000 men.
 Had over 32,000 at one time.

59. Distributing “Rations”

60. Union “Survivors”

61. Ford’s Theater (April14, 1865)

62. WANTED~~!!

63. The Execution