battles of the civil war - claybaugh...

Battles of the Civil War

Fort Sumter Summary= located in S.C. Jefferson Davis

(Confederate President) demands evacuation. Lincoln refused and sends supplies to troops. April 12, 1861 South fires on Ft Sumter. Battle lasts 2 days and the Confederacy wins.

Major Robert Anderson Northern casualties: Private Daniel Hough died in an accidental gunpowder explosion

Interesting facts= No one died in the first Battle of the Civil War except for a confederate horse…well when they were firing a salute as the flag was lowered some gunpowder accidentally exploded killing Daniel Hough.

General Beauregard Southern casualties: No one died

First Battle of Bull Run Summary= Union attacks Rebels at Manassas VA.

Thomas Jackson(Confederate) holds his line like a stone wall. Day 2 Confederate troops get reinforcements and begin to win. The Union army panicked and ran away. South Wins!

General McDowell/ Winfield Scott North

Interesting facts= People thought that the Union army would easily win and came to see the excitement of the battle. People were having picnics and such as they watched the battle…when the Union troops started to run they ran right over some people’s picnics. Thomas Jackson gets his nickname “Stonewall Jackson”

Gen. Beauregard South

Union’s 3 Pronged Plan for Victory

• 1- Attack the Capitol of the Confederacy (Richmond VA)

• 2- Divide the South by taking control of the Mississippi River

• 3- Blockade the coast and stop supplies from coming in and cotton from going out

Monitor v. Merrimak Summary=South introduces new iron-clad ship called Merrimak; sinks three ships on first day North builds Monitor, total-iron ship 2 ships meet but cannot sink each other Both sides claimed victory North succeeded in keeping the Merrimack in the Harbor.

North= Monitor

Interesting facts= Changed Naval warfare forever

South= Merrimak

Shiloh Summary=Grant leads 40,000 troops to MISS. Albert Sidney Johnston leads a surprise attack on the Union…Two day battle more than 23,000 casualties total. (including Johnston) Union wins a narrow victory, controls almost all of the Mississippi River

Ulysses S Grant

Interesting facts= most people died at Shiloh than in any war to that date in American History

Albert Sidney Johnston

Battle of Shiloh

VS.

North South

Ulysses S. Grant Albert Sydney Johnston

7 Days Battle/Richmond

• Gen. McClellan leads a weak attack on Richmond

• Took too long to prepare

• Gave time for Robert E. Lee to reinforce Richmond

• Yankees fail and are driven out of Richmond

George McClellan (North)

Robert E. Lee (South)

VS.

Antietam Summary=Lee decides to attack the North… a Southern victory would bring Britain and France into the war McClellan slowly followed with 80,000 troops. North finds Lee’s orders. Again McClellan takes too long to attack. Sept 17, 1862 Bloodiest single day of the war (23,000 total casualties) but neither side was destroyed Lee withdrew to VA, North claims victory South claims a draw

McClellan

Interesting facts= McClellan is replaced because he did not pursue the Confederate army. Replaced by Ambrose Burnside.

Lee

“Burnsides” became “Sideburns”

Battle of Antietam

Battle of Antietam

Battle of Antietam

Emancipation

• Pres. Lincoln opposed slavery

• Hesitated to move against slavery because of the Border States

• Lincoln was aware of the shift in public opinion on slavery (War was about slavery)

• Opposing slavery would make it harder for France and Britain to aid the South

The Emancipation Proclamation

• September 22, 1862, 5 days after the battle of Antietam

• Freed all enslaved people in the confederacy

• Signed January 1, 1863

Fredericksburg Summary= December 13,1862 Robert E. Lee’s army of Northern Virginia seemed unbeatable…Battle of Fredericksburg easy victory for the South Ambrose Burnside had bigger army South had better position, entrenched on a hillside Burnside kept sending troops to be devastated Resigns position to Gen. Joseph Hooker

North=Burnside

Interesting facts= The term Hooker actually comes from Joseph Hooker… I will not explain this if you do not know what I am talking about.

South= Lee

http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/13thamendment.html

Effects of the Proclamation

• Didn’t really free anyone

• Enslaved people in the south heard about it

• Had desired effect in Europe

13th Amendment

• Passed and ratified by Union Congress in 1865

• Abolished slavery

• Freed all African American slaves

The North

Cons • Poor leader ship

• Few victories

• Change in war philosophy

Pros • Still have bigger

army

• France and Britain are staying out

• Abe Lincoln is still President

Northern Generals

• Irvin McDowell

• Goerge McClellan

• John Pope

• Ambrose Burnside

• Jospeh Hooker

• George Meade

• Ulysses S. Grant

The South

Pros • Great Leadership

• Victories in the East

• High morale

Cons • Low on supplies

• Enlistments down

• France and Britain staying out

• Death of Stonewall Jackson

Chancellorsville

• Gen. Stonewall Jackson killed by friendly fire

• Southern victory

Gettysburg Summary= Day1: Union cavalry come across Rebel

infantry. Northeners fight to hold town but retreat to Cemetery Ridge (line of hills south of Gettysburg)

Day2: Rebels Launch another attack, but Union counter attacked and held position

Day3: Lee sends General George Pickett and 14,000 soldiers across ½ mile of open ground (Picket’s charge) It fails and the Rebels loose.

Northern casualties:

Interesting facts= Because of southern casualties from this battle the South will never recover and this is considered the turning point of the war.

Southern casualties: Half of the men from Pickets Charge don’t return

http://www.oldgloryprints.com/Rebel%20Yell.htm

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/gettysburg/dead-confederate-soldier.htm

Vicksburg Summary=Ulysses S Grant lays Siege of the town

for several months and on July 4th 1863 Vicksburg surrenders. This gives the Union control of the Mississippi River and cuts Texas and Arkansas off from the Confederacy

Northern casualties:

Interesting facts= This victory came on the exact same day as the Union victory at Gettysburg .

July 4 1863- which is also a national holiday

Southern casualties:

Gettysburg Address :Edward Everett spoke for 2

hours then Lincoln stood up and gave a 2 min speech Four score and seven years ago…

Watch : Disc 3 Episode 5, Final Scene selection of the Ken Burn’s Civil War

Chattanooga Summary= November 1863 General william

Tecumseh Sherman takes Chattanooga Tennessee. Lincoln is impressed with the war in the west and names General Ulysses S. Grant the commander of all the Union armies.

Northern casualties:

Interesting facts=Lincoln said about Grant,

“ I can’t spare this man. He fights.”

Southern casualties:

Atlanta Summary= August 1864 Union fleet takes

control of the gulf of Mexico. September 1864 Sherman captures Atlanta, Georgia. October 1864 Union drives rebels out of the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

Northern casualties:

Interesting facts= because of these victories Lincoln is re elected

Southern casualties:

http://www.civilwarphotos.net/files/atlanta.htm

Sherman’s March to the Sea Summary= Sherman applies the principles of total

war as he marches from Atlanta to Savannah Georgia. They tare up railroad lines and fields, killed animals, destroyed anything useful to the south. Cut a path of destruction about 50 miles wide. Wanted to destroy the south’s will to fight.

Northern casualties:

Interesting facts= Sherman said, “ We are not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people, and must make old and young, rich and poor feel the hard hand of war.”

Southern casualties:

What is total war?

A war limitless in its scope in which a hostile individual or group engages in the mobilization of all their available resources, in order to render beyond use their rival’s capacity for resistance.

There is less differentiation between combatants and civilians than in other conflicts, and sometimes no such differentiation at all, as nearly every human resource, civilians and soldiers alike, can be considered to be part of the hostile effort

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Savannah Campaign conducted around Georgia during November and December of 1864

Began on November 15 with the departure from Atlanta

Ended with the capture of the port of Savannah on December 21

Sherman’s Total Warfare

Convinced that the Confederacy’s strategic, economic, and psychological ability to wage further war needed to be definitively crushed in the fighting were to end. Believed that the North had to conduct its campaign as a war of conquest and employ “scorched earth” tactics to break the backbone of the rebellion

Sherman’s March to the Sea

Sherman’s Total War Tactics

Scorched Earth Policy

Military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area.

Sherman ordered troops to burn crops, kill livestock, and consume supplies.

Sherman’s Neckties Railway rails destroyed by heating them until they were malleable and twisting them into loops resembling neckties, often around trees. Atlanta Campaign, July 18, 1864 “...twisting the bars when hot. Officers should be instructed that bars simply bent may be used again, but if when red hot they are twisted out of line they cannot be used again. Pile the ties into shape for a bonfire, put the rails across and when red hot in the middle, let a man at each end twist the bar so that its surface becomes spiral.

Sherman’s Neckties

Sherman’s Neckties

Ramifications Sherman estimated that the campaign had inflicted $100 million in destruction.

Wrecked 300 miles of railroad and numerous bridges and miles of telegraph lines.

Seized 5,000 horses, 4,000 mules, and 13,000 head of cattle.

Confiscated 9.5 million pounds of corn and 10.5 million pounds of fodder.

Destroyed uncounted cotton gins and mills.

Battles near Richmond Summary= Grant attacks Lee in 3 battles near

Richmond Virginia- Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Cold Harbor. Each time the Rebels lines held, but Grant resumed attack again and again until they gave in.

Northern casualties:

Interesting facts= These battles cost the North thousands of men and some called Grant

“ The Butcher”

Southern casualties:

Siege of Petersburg Summary=Grant attacked Petersburg (south of

Richmond and an important railroad center). He wanted to cut off Richmond from the rest of the Confederacy. It became a 9 month siege. The Union eventually wins

Northern casualties:

Interesting facts= there were small skirmishes every day for 9 months.

Southern casualties:

Appomattox Courthouse • April 9, 1865: Lee and his troops surrendered at

Appomattox Court House. Lee said, “There is nothing left for me to do but go and see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths.” Confederate soldiers laid down their arms and then were free to go; Grant allowed them to keep their horses so they could “put in a crop to carry themselves and their families through the next winter.” Grant sent 3 days worth of food with the Confederate troops.

• Why do you think he did this?

http://www.theinformer.us/

http://www.historyplace.com/specials/portraits/presidents/

With malice toward none; with

charity for all; with firmness in the

right, as God gives us to see the

right, let us strive on to finish the

work we are in; to bind up the

nation's wounds; to care for him

who shall have borne the battle, and

for his widow, and his orphan--to do

all which may achieve and cherish a

just and lasting peace, among

ourselves, and with all nations.