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CHAPTER

17The Tide ofWar Turns 1863–1865

The Tide ofWar Turns 1863–1865

Section 1 The Emancipation ProclamationSection 2 War Affects SocietySection 3 The North WinsSection 4 The Legacy of the War

484

Confederate and Union cavalryclash at Yellow Tavern, Virginia,on May 11, 1864.

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The Tide of War Turns 485

What would inspire youto keep fighting?

In 1863, you have been a

Civil War soldier for two

years. The life of a sol-

dier is a hard one. The

food is awful. Disease is

common. Worst of all is

the horrible violence

and death. Often you

feel the urge to run

away and go home.

What Do You Think?• What would you be

willing to sacrifice foryour country? What ifyour country fought forsomething you did notbelieve in?

• How would the atti-tudes of fellow soldiersinfluence your decision?

Interact with History

September 1864 First InternationalWorkingmen’s Associationis established, and KarlMarx becomes its leader.

January1863 Polish

nationalistsrevolt against

Russian rule.

July 1863 Source ofNile River isfound atLakeVictoria inpresent-dayUganda.

1863 1866

July 1863 Battle of

Gettysburgtakes place.

Union takesVicksburg.

March 1864 Grant is put in

charge of allUnion armies.

November 1864 Lincoln is reelected.

April 1865 Union takesRichmond.

Lee surrendersat AppomattoxCourt House.

Lincoln isassassinated.

January1863

EmancipationProclamation

is issued.

USAWorld

Some soldiers fought tosave the Union, othersto save the Confederacy.

Many soldiers foughtto end slavery. Manyfought to save it.

September1865 English officialsarrest Fenianleaders ofplanned uprisingin Ireland.

Soldiers often foughtalongside their friendsand wanted to preservetheir honor.

Union soldiers, led by GeneralWilliam Tecumseh Sherman,march through Georgia.

June 1864 Archduke

Maximilian ofAustria becomes

emperor of Mexico.

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BEFORE YOU READ

READ AND TAKE NOTES

Chapter SETTING THE STAGE17

Previewing the ThemeImpact of the Individual During the Civil War, thousands of citizens and soldiers acted with great dignity and courage. Leadingthese men and women were some of the most extraordinary leadersthe nation has ever had. You will read more about these citizensand soldiers in Chapter 17.

What Do You Know?What advantages and disadvan-tages did the North and theSouth have? Did particularindividuals give either side anadvantage during the Civil War?

THINK ABOUT• what qualities contribute to

the success of military leaders• the importance of obeying

orders for soldiers even if itmight mean death

What Do You Want to Know?What questions do you haveabout the later part of the

Civil War and how it ended?Make a list of those questionsbefore you read the chapter.

Reading Strategy: Comparing and ContrastingWhen you study historical events, it is important tocompare and contrast the effects that events had ondifferent individuals and groups. A single event mightaffect two groups of people in completely different

ways. Use the chart below to compare and contrastthe impact of events on the Union and theConfederacy in the later years of the Civil War.

See Skillbuilder Handbook, page R10.

486 CHAPTER 17

North

Many people are enthusiastic;Democrats are angered

Mild inflation; new possibilitiesfor women

Union confidence rises; Lincolnwins second term

Industrial expansion

South

Most whites are enraged; blacks areelated

Severe inflation; bread riots; newpossibilities for women

Confederate morale sinks; bid forEuropean recognition is lost

Enslaved persons liberated; wide-spread economic devastation


War’s Impact

Northern Victories inBattle

Union Wins Civil War

Jefferson Davis, the Confederatepresident, had the difficult task

of keeping the South united.

Ulysses S. Grant took charge of the Union armies in March1864.

Robert E. Lee was the militarygenius at the head of the

Confederate armies.

Abraham Lincoln is one of thegreatest presidents the UnitedStates has ever had.

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In 1782, George Washington established the nation’s first award to recognize thebravery of American soldiers. It was a purple heart made of cloth and was calledthe Badge of Military Merit. But the award was not used much after the Revolu-tionary War. Then, in 1861, Congress created a new award—the Medal of Honor.In the Civil War, 1,520 Union soldiers, including 20 African Americans, received themedal. Today, that medal is the highest United States military award for individualbravery and is commonly referred to as the Congressional Medal of Honor.

ACTIVITY Create a medal of honor for a hero or heroine from either side of theCivil War. Write a letter recommending your hero for the medal. Then read aspeech in class as you award your medal to the deserving individual.

Each group will need:

tops of juice cans orcardboard

aluminum foil

pieces of ribbon

safety pins

glue

markers

scissors

writing paper

STEP BY STEP

Research a hero. First, brain-storm characteristics that you

think a hero should have. Then, usingthis chapter, books on the Civil War, orthe Internet, select an individual whoyou think was a hero for either side ofthe Civil War. Take notes on the actionsof the person you selected. The actionsshould show how that person meetsyour standards for being a hero.

Form groups. Each groupshould consist of three or four

students. Each group will:

• identify a Civil War hero or heroine

• create a medal

• write a letter explaining why yourgroup considers that person a hero

• award the medal and read a speechin class

TOOLBOX

Create a Medal of Honor

11

22

512

The Congressional Medal of Honorrewards military personnel who riskedtheir lives, “above and beyond the callof duty.” In the Civil War, 1,520 Unionsoldiers, including 20 African Americans,received the Medal of Honor.

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Design your medal.Think about the shape,

images, and words that you willuse to make your medal of honor.You may want to look at theexample from Chapter 17 and inCivil War books. Sketch a designof your medal in pencil.

For related information, see page502 in Chapter 17.

Researching Your ProjectVisit the library to learn moreabout the history of militaryawards or go to your local histori-cal museum to examine actualmedals.For more about military awards . . .

Did You Know?Since the Congressional Medal ofHonor was created in 1861, 3,408persons have received the award.Nineteen persons have receivedtwo such awards. Only onewoman has received the award.

The Confederate States ofAmerica also awarded 43 of itsfinest men with the ConfederateMedal of Honor.

The practice of awardingmedals began in Europe duringthe Middle Ages. Kings realizedthat giving land to valuedknights was too costly, so theygave medals instead.

RESEARCH LINKSCLASSZONE .COM

• What requirements did youset for awarding a medal ofhonor?

• What reasons did your letterand speech give for award-ing the medal?• What symbols did you use

for your medal? Why didyou select them?

Construct your medal.Using art supplies, con-

struct a medal based on yourdesign. First, construct the medalitself by using a juice can lid or acardboard pattern. Decorate themedal by using foil and markers.Then add a ribbon and pin.

Write a letter. The let-ter should be addressed

to the Congress of the UnitedStates of America or theCongress of the ConfederateStates of America. Your lettershould give reasons for recom-mending your hero based onthe person’s actions. Carefullyrecopy your letter after youhave made any corrections.

Pin up the medal.Create a Medal of

Honor board with other groupsin your class. Pin up all themedals you have created.Discuss with other groups thestandards your group set forcalling a person a hero.

REFLECT & ASSESS

44

55

WRITE AND SPEAKWrite a Speech As a Civil War military leader, write a speechpraising the courage and bravery of the individual who isreceiving the medal. Choose another member of your group toact as the recipient of the award. Read your speech to the classas you award the medal to that person.

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http://www.classzone.com/books/ca_recon/page_build.cfm?id=links50&ch=17


11

MAIN IDEA WHY IT MATTERS NOW

The EmancipationProclamationThe EmancipationProclamation

TERMS & NAMESEmancipation

Proclamation

54th MassachusettsRegiment

Calls for EmancipationThroughout the war, abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass had beenurging Lincoln to emancipate enslaved persons. Many criticized the presi-dent for being too cautious. Some even charged that Lincoln’s lack of actionaided the Confederate cause.

Still, Lincoln hesitated. He did not believe he had the power under theConstitution to abolish slavery where it already existed. Nor did he want toanger the four slave states that remained in the Union. He also knew thatmost Northern Democrats, and many Republicans, opposed emancipation.

Lincoln did not want the issue of slavery to divide the nation furtherthan it already had. Although he disliked slavery, the president’s first pri-ority was to preserve the Union. “If I could save the Union without freeing

In 1863, President Lincoln issued theEmancipation Proclamation, whichhelped to change the war’s course.

The Emancipation Proclamation wasan important step in ending slaveryin the United States.

ONE AMERICAN’S STORYDuring the Civil War, abolitionists like Frederick Douglass continued

their fight against slavery. Douglass urged President Lincoln to

emancipate, or free, enslaved Americans. “Sound policy . . . demands

the instant liberation of every slave in the rebel states,” he declared.

A VOICE FROM THE PAST

To fight against slaveholders, without fighting against slavery, is but ahalf-hearted business, and paralyzes the hands engaged in it. . . . Firemust be met with water. . . . War for the destruction of liberty [by theSouth] must be met with war for the destruction of slavery.

Frederick Douglass, quoted in Battle Cry of Freedom

Douglass pointed out that the Confederate war effort depended on

slave labor. Enslaved Americans worked in Southern mines, fields, and

factories. They also built forts and hauled supplies for rebel armies. For

both practical and moral reasons, he said, Lincoln should free the

slaves. In this section, you will learn how ending slavery became an

important goal of the Civil War.

During the Civil War, FrederickDouglass offered advice toPresident Lincoln. He urged thepresident to make the conflict awar against slavery.

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any slave I would do it,” he declared. “If I could save it by freeing all theslaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leavingothers alone, I would also do that.”

By the summer of 1862, however, Lincoln had decided in favor ofemancipation. The war was taking a terrible toll. If freeing the slaveshelped weaken the South, then he would do it. Lincoln waited, however,for a moment when he was in a position of strength. After General Lee’sforces were stopped at Antietam, Lincoln decided to act.

The Emancipation ProclamationOn January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation,which freed all slaves in Confederate territory. The proclamation had atremendous impact on the public. However, it freed very few slaves.Most of the slaves that Lincoln intended to liberate lived in areas distantfrom the Union troops that could enforce his proclamation.


On the first day of January, in theyear of our Lord one thousandeight hundred and sixty-three, allpersons held as slaves within anyState or designated part of aState, the people whereof shallthen be in rebellion against theUnited States, shall be then,[thenceforth], and forever free.

Abraham Lincoln, from theEmancipation Proclamation

Why, critics charged, didLincoln free slaves only in theSouth? The answer was in theConstitution. Because freeing

Southern slaves weakened the Confederacy, the proclamation could beseen as a military action. As commander-in-chief, Lincoln had thisauthority. Yet the Constitution did not give the president the power tofree slaves within the Union. But Lincoln did ask Congress to abolishslavery gradually throughout the land.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not free many enslavedpeople at the time it was issued, it was important as a symbolic measure.For the North, the Civil War was no longer a limited war whose maingoal was to preserve the Union. It was a war of liberation.

Response to the ProclamationAbolitionists were thrilled that Lincoln had finally issued theEmancipation Proclamation. “We shout for joy that we live to recordthis righteous decree,” wrote Frederick Douglass. Still, many believedthe law should have gone further. They were upset that Lincoln had notfreed all enslaved persons, including those in the border states.

488 CHAPTER 17

Lincoln presentsthe EmancipationProclamation tohis cabinet.

BackgroundIn September1862, Lincolnissued an earlyproclamation thatgave rebelliousstates a chance topreserve slaveryby rejoining theUnion.

A. DrawingConclusions Whydid Lincolnchoose to limithis proclamationmostly to rebel-lious states?A. PossibleResponse Hebelieved that hedid not have theauthority, underthe Constitution,to free slaves else-where.

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Other people in the North, especially Democrats, were angered by thepresident’s decision. Northern Democrats, the majority of whom wereagainst emancipating even Southern slaves, claimed that the proclama-tion would only make the war longer by continuing to anger the South.A newspaperman in Ohio called Lincoln’s proclamation “monstrous,impudent, and heinous . . . insulting to God as to man.”

Most Union soldiers, though, welcomed emancipation. One officernoted that, although few soldiers were abolitionists, most were happy “todestroy everything that . . . gives the rebels strength.”

White Southerners reacted to the proclamation with rage. Althoughit had limited impact in areas outside the reach of Northern armies,many slaves began to run away to Union lines. At the same time thatthese slaves deprived the Confederacy of labor, they also began to pro-vide the Union with soldiers.

African-American SoldiersIn addition to freeing slaves, the Emancipation Proclamation declaredthat African-American men willing to fight “will be received into thearmed service of the United States.”

Frederick Douglass had argued for the recruitment of African-American soldiers since the start of the war. He declared, “Once [you] letthe black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S. . . . there is nopower on earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.”

Before the proclamation, the federal government had discouragedthe enlistment of African Americans, and only a few regiments wereformed. After emancipation, African Americans rushed to join thearmy. By war’s end, about 180,000 black soldiers wore the blue uni-form of the Union army.

African-American soldiers were organized in all-black regiments,usually led by white officers. They were often given the worst jobs

B. SummarizingWhy didNorthernDemocratsoppose theEmancipationProclamation?B. PossibleResponse Theywere againstemancipatingSouthern slavesand thought thatit would prolongthe war.

489

Thousands of AfricanAmericans, suchas these men ofthe 4th U.S.Colored Troops,fought for theUnion during theCivil War.

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to do and were paid less than white soldiers. Despitethese obstacles, African-American soldiers showedgreat courage on the battlefield and wore their uni-forms with pride. More than one regiment insisted onfighting without pay rather than accepting lower paythan the white soldiers.

The 54th MassachusettsOne unit that insisted on fighting without pay was the54th Massachusetts Regiment, one of the firstAfrican-American regiments organized in the North.The soldiers of the 54th—among whom were two sonsof Frederick Douglass—soon made the regiment themost famous of the Civil War.

The 54th Massachusetts earned its greatest fame inJuly 1863, when it led a heroic attack on Fort Wagnerin South Carolina. The soldiers’ bravery at Fort Wagnermade the 54th a household name in the North andincreased African-American enlistment.

The soldiers of the 54th Massachusetts and otherAfrican-American regiments faced grave dangers ifcaptured. Rather than take African Americans as pris-oners, Confederate soldiers often shot them or returnedthem to slavery.

The war demanded great sacrifices, not only fromsoldiers and prisoners, but also from people back home.In the next section, you will read about the hardshipsthat the Civil War placed on the civilian populations inboth the North and the South.

490 CHAPTER 17

2. Taking NotesUse a chart to recordresponses to the Emanci-pation Proclamation.

How did the proclamationchange Northerners’ views ofthe war?

3. Main Ideasa. What was Lincoln’s reasonfor not emancipating slaveswhen the war began?

b. Why was the immediateimpact of the EmancipationProclamation limited?

c. Why did black soldiersoften face greater hardshipsthan white soldiers?

4. Critical ThinkingRecognizing Effects Howdid the EmancipationProclamation change the roleof African Americans in thewar?

THINK ABOUT• how the proclamation

changed military policy• the response of many

Southern slaves to theproclamation

1. Terms & NamesExplain the

significance of:• Emancipation

Proclamation• 54th Massachusetts

Regiment

Section Assessment

ACTIVITY OPTIONS

TECHNOLOGYMUSIC

Do research on the 54th Massachusetts Regiment. Create a Web site for theregiment or write a song about the soldiers’ heroism at Fort Wagner.

AFRICAN AMERICANS INTHE MILITARY

During the Civil War, no African-American soldier was promotedabove the rank of captain. Buttimes have changed. In 1989,General Colin Powell (shownbelow) was made a four-stargeneral and named chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff—thehighest position in the military.

General Powell’s appointmentwas the climax of a long strug-gle to fully integrate Americanarmed forces. From the CivilWar through World War II,African-American soldiers werekept apart from white soldiersand denied equal rights. How-ever, in 1948, President Harry Truman ended segregation in the armed forces. Today theAmerican military is fully integrated.

1

C. IdentifyingFacts How didmany black sol-diers protestwhen they wereoffered lowerpay than whitesoldiers?C. PossibleResponse Theyinsisted on fight-ing for free ratherthan take thelower wage.

Responses toProclamation

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22


War Affects SocietyWar Affects Society TERMS & NAMESCopperhead

conscription

bounty

income tax

greenback

Clara Barton

Disagreement About the WarIn the spring of 1863, riots like the one in Richmond broke out in anumber of Southern towns. Southerners were growing weary of the warand the constant sacrifices it demanded.

Confederate soldiers began to leave the army in increasing numbers. Bythe end of the year, the Confederate army had lost nearly 40 percent of itsmen. Some of these men were on leave, but many others were deserters.

The Civil War caused social,economic, and political changes inthe North and the South.

Some changes, like the growth ofindustry, affected Americans longafter the end of Civil War.

ONE AMERICAN’S STORYAs the Civil War moved into its third year, the

constant demand for men and resources began to

take its toll back home. Sometimes, the hardships

endured by civilians resulted in angry scenes like

that witnessed by Agnes, a resident of Richmond,

Virginia.

On April 3, 1863, Agnes went for her morning

walk and soon came upon a group of hungry

women and children, who had gathered in front of

the capitol. She described the scene as these women

and children were joined by other people who were

upset by the shortage of food.


The crowd now rapidly increased, and numbered, I am sure, more than a thousand women and children. It grew and grew until it reached the dignity of a mob—a bread riot.

Agnes, quoted in Reminiscences of Peace and War

The mob then went out of control. It broke into shops and stole

food, clothing, and other goods. Only the arrival of Confederate

president Jefferson Davis and the threat of force ended the riot.

In this section, you will read more about hardships that the Civil

War caused on the home front. These hardships caused changes in

civilian society in both the North and the South.

Food became scarce in manyplaces during the Civil War.Here, women demand milk for their hungry families.

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492 CHAPTER 17

In this politicalcartoon, theUnion defendsitself against“Copperheads.”This was thename given toNortherners whosympathized withthe South.

Vocabularywrit: a writtenorder issued by acourt of law

A. DrawingConclusions Whywere many sol-diers dissatisfiedwith the draftlaws?A. PossibleResponsebecause it waseasier for wealthymen to avoidbeing conscripted

Faced with the difficulties of waging war, the Confederate states fellinto disagreement. The same principle of states’ rights that led them tobreak with the Union kept them from coordinating their war effort. Asone Southern governor put it, “I am still a rebel . . . no matter who maybe in power.”

Disagreements over the conduct of the war also arose in the North.Lincoln’s main opponents were the Copperheads, Northern Democratswho favored peace with the South. (A copperhead is a poisonous snakethat strikes without warning.) Lincoln had protesters arrested. He alsosuspended the writ of habeas corpus, which prevents the governmentfrom holding citizens without a trial.

The Draft LawsAs the war dragged on, both the North and the South needed more sol-diers. As a result, both sides passed laws of conscription, also known asthe draft. These laws required men to serve in the military.

The Confederates had been drafting soldiers since the spring of 1862.By 1863, all able-bodied white men between the ages of 18 and 45 wererequired to join the army. However, there were a number of exceptions.Planters who owned 20 or more slaves could avoid military service. Inaddition, wealthy men could hire substitutes to serve in their place. By1863, substitutes might cost as much as $6,000. The fact that wealthymen could avoid service caused poor Southerners to complain that it wasa “rich man’s war but a poor man’s fight.”

The Union draft law was passed in March 1863. Like the Confeder-acy, the Union allowed draftees to hire substitutes. However, the Northalso offered $300 bounties, or cash payments, to men who volunteeredto serve. As a result, only a small percentage of men in the North weredrafted. Most men volunteered and received the bounty.

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Even so, the draft was extremely unpopular. In July 1863, anger overthe draft and simmering racial tensions led to the New York City draftriots. For four days, rioters destroyed property and attacked people on thestreets. Over 100 people were killed—many of them African Americans.

Economic Effects of the WarMany people suffered economic hardship during the war. The sufferingwas severe in the South, where most battles were fought, but the Northalso experienced difficulties.

Food shortages were very common in the South, partlybecause so many farmers were fighting in the Confederatearmy. Moreover, food sometimes could not get to marketbecause trains were now being used to carry war materi-als. The Confederate army also seized food and othersupplies for its own needs.

Another problem, especially in the South, was infla-tion—an increase in price and decrease in the value ofmoney. The average family food bill in the South increasedfrom $6.65 a month in 1861 to $68 by mid–1863. Over thecourse of the war, prices rose 9,000 percent in the South.

Inflation in the North was much lower, but prices stillrose faster than wages, making life harder for workingpeople. Some people took advantage of wartime demandand sold goods for high prices.

Overall, though, war production boosted Northernindustry and fueled the economy. In the short term, thisgave the North an economic advantage over the South. Inthe long term, industry would begin to replace farming asthe basis of the national economy.

During the war, the federal government passed twoimportant economic measures. In 1861, it established thefirst income tax—a tax on earnings.The following year, thegovernment issued a new paper currency, known as green-backs because of their color. The new currency helped theNorthern economy by ensuring that people had money tospend. It also helped the Union to pay for the war.

Some Southerners in the border states took advantageof the stronger Union economy by selling cotton toNorthern traders, in violation of Confederate law.“Yankee gold,” wrote one Confederate officer, “is fast accomplishingwhat Yankee arms could never achieve—the subjugation of our people.”

Resistance by Slaves Another factor that affected the South was the growing resistance fromslaves. To hurt the Southern economy, slaves slowed their pace of workor stopped working altogether. Some carried out sabotage, destroyingcrops and farm equipment to hurt the plantation economy. When white


INFLATION IN THE SOUTH

During the Civil War, inflationcaused hardship in the Northand the South. But inflation wasespecially severe in the Confed-eracy, where prices couldbecome outrageously high.

The food prices shown beloware from 1864. Consider howmany days it took a Confederatesoldier to earn enough money tobuy each of these foods.

$6.00Dozen Eggs

$6.25Pound of Butter

$10.00Quart of Milk

$12.00Pound of Coffee

Confederate Soldier's Monthly Pay

BUTTER

$18.00

B. AnalyzingCauses Whywere economicproblems particu-larly bad in theSouth?B. PossibleResponses Mostbattles werefought there;men left theirfarms to fight;trains were usedto carry warmaterials insteadof food; inflationwas more severe.

Vocabularysubjugate: tobring undercontrol or toconquer

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planters fled advancing Union armies, slaves often refused to go along.They stayed behind, waiting for Union soldiers to free them.

Some enslaved people even rose up in rebellion against their over-seers. More commonly, though, slaves ran away from plantations to jointhe Union forces as they pushed farther into Confederate territory. OneUnion officer described a common sight.


It was very touching to see the vast numbers of colored [African-American]women following after us with babies in their arms, and little ones like ourAnna clinging to their tattered skirts. One poor creature, while nobody waslooking, hid two boys, five years old, in a wagon, intending, I suppose thatthey should see the land of freedom if she couldn’t.

Union officer, quoted in The Civil War

After Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclama-tion, the number of slaves fleeing Southern plantationsgreatly increased. By the end of the war, as many as halfa million had fled to Union lines.

Women Aid the War EffortWith so many men away at war, women in both theNorth and the South assumed increased responsibili-ties. Women plowed fields and ran farms and planta-tions. They also took over jobs in offices and factoriesthat had previously been done only by men.

Other social changes came about because of the thou-sands of women who served on the front lines as volun-teer workers and nurses. Susie King Taylor was anAfrican-American woman who wrote an account of herexperiences as a volunteer with an African-American reg-iment. She asked her readers to remember that “manylives were lost,—not men alone but noble women as well.”

Relief agencies put women to work washing clothes,gathering supplies, and cooking food for soldiers. Also,nursing became a respectable profession for manywomen. By the end of the war, around 3,000 nurses hadworked under the leadership of Dorothea Dix in Unionhospitals. Southern women were also active as nursesand as volunteers on the front.

Women also played a key role as spies in both theNorth and the South. Harriet Tubman served as a spyfor Union forces along the coast of South Carolina. Themost famous Confederate spy was Belle Boyd. Althoughshe was arrested six times, she continued her workthrough much of the war. At one point, she even sentmessages from her jail cell by putting them in little rub-ber balls and tossing them out the window.

494 CHAPTER 17

CLARA BARTON

1821–1912

Trained as a schoolteacher, ClaraBarton was working for the gov-ernment when the Civil Warbegan. She organized a reliefagency to help with the wareffort. “While our soldiers standand fight,” she said, “I can standand feed and nurse them.”

She also made food for soldiersin camp and tended to thewounded and dying on the bat-tlefield. At Antietam, she held adoctor’s operating table steady ascannon shells burst all aroundthem. The doctor called her “theangel of the battlefield.” Afterthe war, Barton founded theAmerican Red Cross.

How did Clara Bartondemonstrate her leadershipabilities?

C. SummarizingHow did womenparticipate in theCivil War?C. PossibleResponses Theyworked on farmsand in factories,volunteered onthe front lines,and worked asnurses and spies.

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Civil War Prison CampsWomen caught spying were thrown into jail, butsoldiers captured in battle suffered far more. Atprison camps in both the North and the South,prisoners of war faced terrible conditions.

One of the worst prison camps in the Northwas in Elmira, New York. Perhaps the harshestfeature of a prisoner’s life at the camp was theNew York winter. One prisoner called Elmira“an excellent summer prison for southern sol-diers, but an excellent place for them to findtheir graves in the winter.” In just one year, morethan 24 percent of Elmira’s 12,121 prisonersdied of sickness and exposure to severe weather.

Conditions were also horrible in the South.The camp with the worst reputation was atAndersonville, Georgia. Built to hold 10,000prisoners, at one point it housed 33,000.Inmates had little shelter from the heat or cold.Most slept in holes scratched in the dirt. Drinking water came from onetiny creek that also served as a sewer. As many as 100 men per day diedat Andersonville from starvation, disease, and exposure.

People who saw the camps were shocked by the condition of the sol-diers. The poet Walt Whitman—who served as a Union nurse—describeda group of soldiers who returned from a prison camp. He exclaimed, “Canthose be men? . . . are they not really mummied, dwindled corpses?”

Around 50,000 men died in Civil War prison camps. But this numberwas dwarfed by the number of dead on the battlefronts and even morefrom disease in army camps. In the next section, you will read about thebloody battles that led to the end of the Civil War.


2. Taking NotesUse a diagram like the onebelow to compare conditionsin the North and South dur-ing the later years of war.

Conditions During the War

3. Main Ideasa. How did the South’sprinciple of states’ rightsundermine the Confederatewar effort?

b. How did the draft laws inthe North and South differ?

c. What conditions at prisoncamps caused so many to suf-fer behind enemy lines?

4. Critical ThinkingMaking GeneralizationsWhat economic changes tookplace during the Civil War?

THINK ABOUT• the war’s effect on prices• industry and agriculture• new economic measures

begun by the government


significance of:• Copperhead• conscription• bounty• income tax• greenback• Clara Barton

Section Assessment

ACTIVITY OPTIONS

GEOGRAPHYSPEECH

Study Civil War prison camps. Make a map showing where they were located orgive a speech explaining why prisoners should be treated better.

2

The terribleconditions at CivilWar prison campscaused muchsuffering anddeath.

D. MakingInferences Whywere death ratesso high at manyCivil War prisoncamps?D. PossibleResponsebecause of poorsanitary condi-tions and expo-sure to severeweather

North SouthBoth

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496 CHAPTER 17

33 The North WinsThe North Wins TERMS & NAMESBattle of Gettysburg

Pickett’s Charge

Ulysses S. Grant

Robert E. Lee

Siege of Vicksburg

William TecumsehSherman

Appomattox CourtHouse

ONE AMERICAN’S STORYJoshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a 32-year-old college professor

when the war began. Determined to fight for the Union, he left his job

and took command of troops from his home state of Maine. Like most

soldiers, Chamberlain had to get accustomed to the carnage of the Civil

War. His description of the aftermath of one battle shows how soldiers

got used to the war’s violence.


It seemed best to [put] myself between two dead men among the manyleft there by earlier assaults, and to draw another crosswise for a pillowout of the trampled, blood-soaked sod, pulling the flap of his coat overmy face to fend off the chilling winds, and still more chilling, the deep,many voiced moan [of the wounded] that overspread the field.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, quoted in The Civil War

During the war, Chamberlain fought in 24 battles. He was wounded

six times and had six horses shot out from under him. He is best

remembered for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg, where he

courageously held off a fierce rebel attack. In this section, you will read

about that battle and others that led to the end of the Civil War.

The Road to GettysburgIn September 1862, General McClellan stopped General Lee’s Northernattack at the Battle of Antietam. But the cautious McClellan failed tofinish off Lee’s army, which retreated safely to Virginia.

President Lincoln, who was frustrated by McClellan, replaced him withAmbrose Burnside. But Burnside also proved to be a disappointment. Atthe Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia, in December 1862, Burnsideattacked Confederate troops who had dug trenches. The bloody result was12,600 Union casualties. This disastrous attack led General Lee to remark,“It is well that war is so terrible—we should grow too fond of it!”

Lincoln replaced Burnside with General Joseph Hooker, who faced Leethe following May at Chancellorsville, Virginia. The result was yet anotherUnion disaster. With half as many men as Hooker, Lee still managed to

Thanks to victories, beginning withGettysburg and ending withRichmond, the Union survived.

If the Union had lost the war, theUnited States might look verydifferent now.


In 1862, Joshua Chamberlain wasoffered a year's travel with pay tostudy languages in Europe. He choseto fight for the Union instead.

496-503US8P R U5C17S3 11/26/02 3:15 PM Page 496

cut the Union forces to pieces. However, the South paid a high price forits victory. As General “Stonewall” Jackson returned from a patrol on May2, Confederate guards thought he was a Union soldier and shot him in thearm. Shortly after a surgeon amputated the arm, Jackson caught pneumo-nia. On May 10, Lee’s prized general was dead.

In spite of Jackson’s tragic death, Lee decided to head North onceagain. He hoped that a Confederate victory in Union territory wouldfuel Northern discontent with the war and bring calls for peace. He alsohoped a Southern victory would lead European nations to give diplo-matic recognition and aid to the Confederacy.

The Battle of GettysburgIn late June 1863, Lee crossed into southern Pennsylvania. TheConfederates learned of a supply of shoes in the town of Gettysburg andwent to investigate. There, on July 1, they ran into Union troops. Bothsides called for reinforcements, and the Battle of Gettysburg was on.

The fighting raged for three days. On the rocky hillsand fields around Gettysburg, 90,000 Union troops,under the command of General George Meade, clashedwith 75,000 Confederates.

During the struggle, Union forces tried to hold theirground on Cemetery Ridge, just south of town, whilerebel soldiers tried to dislodge them. At times, the airseemed full of bullets. “The balls were whizzing so thick,”said one Texan, “that it looked like a man could hold outa hat and catch it full.”

The turning point came on July 3, when Lee orderedGeneral George Pickett to mount a direct attack on themiddle of the Union line. It was a deadly mistake. Some13,000 rebel troops charged up the ridge into heavyUnion fire. One soldier recalled “bayonet thrusts, sabrestrokes, pistol shots . . . men going down on their handsand knees, spinning round like tops . . . ghastly heaps ofdead men.”

Pickett’s Charge, as this attack came to be known,was torn to pieces. The Confederates retreated andwaited for a Union counterattack. But once again,Lincoln’s generals failed to finish off Lee’s army. Thefurious Lincoln wondered when he would find a generalwho would defeat Lee once and for all.

Even so, the Union rejoiced over the victory atGettysburg. Lee’s hopes for a Confederate victory in theNorth were crushed. The North had lost 23,000 men,but Southern losses were even greater. Over one-third ofLee’s army, 28,000 men, lay dead or wounded. Sick atheart, Lee led his army back to Virginia.


THE GETTYSBURGADDRESS

On November 19, 1863,President Lincoln spoke at thededication of a cemetery inGettysburg for the 3,500 soldiersburied there. His speech wasshort, and few who heard itwere impressed. Lincoln himselfcalled it “a flat failure.”

Even so, the GettysburgAddress has since been recog-nized as one of the greatestspeeches of all time. In it,Lincoln declared that the nationwas founded on “the proposi-tion that all men are createdequal.” He ended with a plea tocontinue the fight for demo-cracy so that “government ofthe people, by the people, forthe people shall not perish fromthe earth.”

See page 508 for the full text of the Gettysburg Address.

B. MakingInferences Whymight Lincolnhave been disap-pointed after theUnion victory atGettysburg?B. PossibleResponsebecause GeneralMeade did notfinish off thearmy of GeneralLee

A. Reading aMap Use themap and illustra-tion on pages498–499 to studyGettysburg’sgeography.

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Battle of GettysburgA monument stands today near a ridge at the Gettysburg battle-field. Labeled the “High Water Mark of the Rebellion,” it showshow far Confederate troops advanced against Union lines. There,on July 3, 1863, the South came closest to winning the Civil War.

The fighting began on July 1. When a Confederate force cap-tured Gettysburg, Union defenders took up new positions in thehills south of town. The next day, Confederate troops attackedacross a wheat field and peach orchard in an attempt to seize thehill called Little Round Top. But Union forces held their ground.

July 3 was the decisive day. Lee, having failed to crack theside of General Meade’s Union line, attacked itscenter. In an assault that came to be knownas Pickett’s Charge, some 13,000 mencharged uphill across an open field towardthe Union lines along Cemetery Ridge.Union soldiers covered the field with rifleand cannon fire. “Pickett’s Charge” was aConfederate disaster.

PLACE AND HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION

Regimental Flag Flags helpedsoldiers to identify the differentsides during battle. Often, aregiment’s flag would show thenames of battles it had fought.This flag, which belonged tothe 28th North Carolina, wascaptured at Pickett’s Charge.

498 CHAPTER 17

Union Shoes Confederate troops first went toGettysburg after learning of a supply of shoes inthe town. The shoes pictured here were cut downby a Union soldier to make them more comfortable.

Before beginning thecharge named for him,Major General Pickettwrote to his fiancée,“My brave Virginiansare to attack in front.Oh, may God in mercyhelp me.”

ConfederatepositionsConfederatetroop movementsUnion postitionsRoads

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CONNECT TO GEOGRAPHY1. Place How might Confederate

positions on low ground haveput them at a disadvantage?

2. Human-EnvironmentInteraction How might theattitudes of Union soldiers havebeen affected by fighting intheir own territory?

See Geography Handbook, pages 4–5.

CONNECT TO HISTORY3. Making Inferences Why do

you think a Southern victory onNorthern soil would have beenso significant?

The Gettysburg National MilitaryPark Museum contains many objectsrelating to the Battle of Gettysburg,including this federal bass drum. This heavydrum—two feet in diameter—was har-nessed to the neck of a soldier, who beattime with leather-covered wooden mallets.

For more about Gettysburg . . .

RESEARCH LINKSCLASSZONE .COM

As in many battles of the Civil War, the

outcome at Gettysburg was affected by the

landscape. Both sides fought for control of

the high ground. Union control of the two

“Round Top” hills, Cemetery Ridge and

Culp’s Hill, gave Meade the advantage.

496-503US8P R U5C17S3 11/26/02 3:15 PM Page 499

http://www.classzone.com/books/ca_recon/page_build.cfm?id=links48&ch=17

The Siege of VicksburgOn July 4, 1863, the day after Pickett’s Charge, the Union received moregood news. In Mississippi, General Ulysses S. Grant had defeatedConfederate troops at the Siege of Vicksburg.

The previous year, Grant had won important victories in the Westthat opened up the Mississippi River for travel deep into the South.Vicksburg was the last major Confederate stronghold on the river. Granthad begun his attack on Vicksburg in May 1863. But when his directattacks failed, he settled in for a long siege. Grant’s troops surroundedthe city and prevented the delivery of food and supplies. Eventually, theConfederates ran out of food. In desperation, they ate mules, dogs, andeven rats. Finally, after nearly a month and a half, they surrendered.

The Union victory fulfilled a major part of the Anaconda Plan. TheNorth had taken New Orleans the previous spring. Now, with completecontrol over the Mississippi River, the South was split in two.

With the victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg, the tide of warturned in favor of the North. Britain gave up all thought of supportingthe South. And, in General Grant, President Lincoln found a man whowas willing to fight General Lee.

Sherman’s Total WarIn March 1864, President Lincoln named General Grant commander ofall the Union armies. Grant then developed a plan to defeat theConfederacy. He would pursue Lee’s army in Virginia, while Union forcesunder General William Tecumseh Sherman pushed through the DeepSouth to Atlanta and the Atlantic coast.

500 CHAPTER 17

BackgroundThe AnacondaPlan called forblockadingSouthern ports,taking control ofthe Mississippi,and capturingRichmond.

How did the tough decisions made by Grant and Lee affect the Civil War?

to impress his fellow officers.Yet on the battlefield, Grant proved

to be a brilliant general. Highly focusedand cool under fire, he won the firstmajor Union victories of the war.

Grant was willing to fight Lee—evenif the costs were high. He told his gen-erals,“Wherever Lee goes, there youwill go also.”

ROBERT E. LEE

1807–1870

Robert E. Lee seemeddestined for great-ness. In his crispuniform and trim,white beard, Lee wasa dashing figure on the battlefield.

Born to a leading Virginia family,Lee was a top student at West Pointand won praise for his actions in theMexican War. General Winfield Scottcalled him “the very best soldier Ihave ever seen in the field.”

Lee did not want to fight theUnion, but he felt he had to standby Virginia. “I did only what myduty demanded,” Lee said. “I couldhave taken no other course with-out dishonor.”

ULYSSES S. GRANT

1822–1885

General Ulysses S. Grantwas an unlikely war hero.Although educated atWest Point MilitaryAcademy, he was a poorstudent and showedlittle interest in an armycareer. With his quietmanner and rumpleduniform, he often failed

Vocabularysiege: the sur-rounding of acity, town, orfortress by anarmy trying tocapture it

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Battling southward from Tennessee, Sherman took Atlanta inSeptember 1864. He then set out on a march to the sea, cutting a pathof destruction up to 60 miles wide and 300 miles long through Georgia.

Sherman waged total war: a war not only against enemy troops, butagainst everything that supports the enemy. His troops tore up rail lines,destroyed crops, and burned and looted towns.

Sherman’s triumph in Atlanta was important for Lincoln. In 1864,the president was running for reelection, but his prospects were notgood. Northerners were tired of war, and Democrats—who had nominated George McClellan—stood agood chance of winning on an antiwar platform.

Sherman’s success changed all that. Suddenly,Northerners could sense victory. Lincoln took 55 per-cent of the popular vote and won re-election. In hissecond inaugural speech, Lincoln hoped for a speedy end to the war:“With malice towards none; with charity for all; . . . let us strive on tofinish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds;. . . to do all which may achieve and cherish a just, and a lasting peace.”(See page 509 for more of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address.)

In December, Sherman took Savannah, Georgia. He then sent atelegram to Lincoln: “I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city ofSavannah, with 150 heavy guns and . . . about 25,000 bales of cotton.”

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FredericksburgDec. 1862

Ft. WagnerJuly 1863

VicksburgJuly 1863

ChattanoogaNov. 1863

GettysburgJuly 1863

Petersburg,June 1864–Apr. 1865

Cold Harbor,June 1864

Wilderness,May 5–6, 1864

SpotsylvaniaMay 8–19, 1864

AppomattoxCourt House,

Apr. 9, 1865Lee surrenders

to Grant

Grant

Lee

Lee

Grant

ChancellorsvilleMay 1863

Savannahoccupied Dec. 1864

New Orleans

Mobile

Montgomery

Atlanta

Jacksonville

Columbia

Charleston

Wilmington

Raleigh

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Washington, D.C.

Nashville

Corinth

PensacolaSt. Augustine

Richmond

Washington, D.C.

The Civil War, 1863–1865

GEOGRAPHY SKILLBUILDER Interpreting Maps1. Movement About how many miles did Sherman’s

troops have to march to get from Atlanta to Savannah?2. Location At what location did Grant and Lee face off

for nearly ten months?

“Let us strive . . .to bind up thenation’s wounds.”

Abraham Lincoln

C. DrawingConclusions Howmight the politi-cal situation inthe North havebeen different ifSherman had nottaken Atlanta?C. PossibleResponseMcClellan mighthave won thepresidency andchanged thecourse of the war.

SkillbuilderAnswers 1. about 200 miles2. Petersburg,Virginia


496-503US8P R U5C17S3 11/26/02 3:15 PM Page 501

Grant’s Virginia CampaignAfter taking Savannah, Sherman moved north through the Carolinasseeking to meet up with Grant’s troops in Virginia. Since May 1864,Grant and his generals had been fighting savage battles against Lee’sforces. In battle after battle, Grant would attack, rest, then attack again,all the while moving south toward Richmond.

At the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864, Union and Confederateforces fought in a tangle of trees and brush so thick that they couldbarely see each other. Grant lost over 17,000 men, but he pushed on.“Whatever happens,” he told Lincoln, “we will not retreat.”

At Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor, the fighting continued. Again, thelosses were staggering. Grant’s attack in June, at Cold Harbor, cost him7,000 men, most in the first few minutes of battle. Some Union troopswere so sure they would die in battle that they pinned their names andaddresses to their jackets so their bodies could be identified later.

In June 1864, Grant’s armies arrived at Petersburg, just south ofRichmond. Unable to break through the Confederate defenses, theUnion forces dug trenches and settled in for a long siege. The two sidesfaced off for ten months.

In the end, though, Lee could not hold out. Grantwas drawing a noose around Richmond. So Lee pulledout, leaving the Confederate capital undefended. TheUnion army marched into Richmond on April 3. OneRichmond woman recalled, “Exactly at eight o’clock theConfederate flag that fluttered above the Capitol came

In 1861, Congresscreated the Medal of Honor toreward individualbravery incombat.

D. Reading aMap Use themap on page 501to find the loca-tions of themajor battles ofGrant’s Virginiacampaign.

This photograph showsUnion officers before theBattle of the Wilderness.Next to the tree on the rightis the photographer MathewBrady. Photography was stilla new art when the Civil Warbegan. Brady’s Civil Warphotos represent one of thefirst examples of photo-journalism.

How might people’sattitudes toward war beaffected when they can see pictures from the front lines?

502

496-503US8P R U5C17S3 11/26/02 3:15 PM Page 502

2. Taking NotesUse a time line like the onebelow to record key eventsfrom Section 3.

Which event is consideredthe turning point of the war?

3. Main Ideasa. Why was the Battle ofGettysburg important?

b. Why was Northern success in the Siege of Vicksburgimportant?

c. How did Grant treatConfederate soldiers afterthe surrender at AppomattoxCourt House?

4. Critical ThinkingContrasting How was theCivil War different from warsthat Americans had previ-ously fought?

THINK ABOUT• the role of civilians• Sherman’s military strategy


significance of:• Battle of Gettysburg• Pickett’s Charge• Ulysses S. Grant• Robert E. Lee• Siege of Vicksburg• William Tecumseh

Sherman• Appomattox Court

House

Section Assessment

ACTIVITY OPTIONS

GEOGRAPHYLANGUAGE ARTS

Research the Siege of Vicksburg. Make a topographic map of the area or writean article describing the soldiers’ hardships during the siege.

down and the Stars and Stripes were run up. . . . Wecovered our faces and cried aloud.”

Surrender at AppomattoxFrom Richmond and Petersburg, Lee fled west, whileGrant followed in pursuit. Lee wanted to continuefighting, but he knew that his situation was hopeless.He sent a message to General Grant that he was readyto surrender.

On April 9, 1865, Lee and Grant met in the smallVirginia town of Appomattox Court House to arrangethe surrender. Grant later wrote that his joy at thatmoment was mixed with sadness.


I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of afoe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had sufferedso much for a cause, though that cause was, I believe, oneof the worst for which a people ever fought, and one forwhich there was the least excuse. I do not question, however,the sincerity of the great mass of those who were opposedto us.

Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs

Grant offered generous terms of surrender. After laying down theirarms, the Confederates could return home in peace, taking their privatepossessions and horses with them. Grant also gave food to the hungryConfederate soldiers.

After four long years, the Civil War was coming to a close. Its effectswould continue, however, changing the country forever. In the next sec-tion, you will learn about the long-term consequences of the Civil War.

WILMER MCLEAN

The first major battle of the CivilWar was fought on the propertyof Wilmer McLean. McLeanlived in Manassas, Virginia, thesite of the Battle of Bull Run.After the battle, McLeandecided to move to a morepeaceful place. He chose the vil-lage of Appomattox CourtHouse (see map on page 501).

When Lee made the decisionto surrender in April 1865, hesent Colonel Charles Marshall tofind a location for a meetingwith Grant. Marshall stoppedthe first man he saw in thedeserted streets of AppomattoxCourt House. It was WilmerMcLean.

McLean reluctantly offeredhis home. Thus, the war thatbegan in McLean’s back yardended in his parlor.

18661862


3

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504 CHAPTER 17

44 The Legacy of the WarThe Legacy of the War TERMS & NAMESThirteenth

Amendment

John Wilkes Booth

Costs of the WarMany Northerners shared Montgomery Meigs’s bitter feelings towardthe South. At the same time, many Southerners felt great resentmenttoward the North. After the war, President Lincoln hoped to heal thenation and bring North and South together again. The generous termsof surrender offered to Lee were part of that effort. Hard feelingsremained, however, in part because the costs of the war were so great.

The Civil War was the deadliest war in American history. In fouryears of fighting, approximately 620,000 soldiers died—360,000 for theUnion and 260,000 for the Confederacy. Another 275,000 Union sol-diers and 260,000 Confederate soldiers were wounded. Many sufferedfrom their wounds for the rest of their lives.

Altogether, some 3,000,000 men served in the armies of the North andSouth—around 10 percent of the population. Along with the soldiers,many other Americans had their lives disrupted by the war.


During the Civil War, the governmentturned Robert E. Lee’s Virginiaplantation into a graveyard. Thatgraveyard eventually becameArlington National Cemetery.

The Civil War brought great changesand new challenges to the UnitedStates.

The most important change was theliberation of 4 million enslavedpersons.

ONE AMERICAN’S STORYIn the spring of 1864, a year before the end of the

Civil War, the Union army was running out of

cemetery space to bury its war dead. The secretary

of war ordered Quartermaster General Montgomery

Meigs to find a new site for a cemetery. Without

hesitation, Meigs chose Robert E. Lee’s plantation in

Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from

Washington, D.C. “The grounds about the mansion are

admirably adapted to such a use,” wrote Meigs in

June 1864.

Meigs was from Georgia and had served under Lee

in the U.S. Army before the war. Unlike Lee, however,

Meigs remained loyal to the Union and disagreed strongly with

Lee’s decision to join the Confederacy. His decision to turn Lee’s

plantation into a Union cemetery was highly symbolic. The Union

soldiers who died fighting Lee’s army would be buried in Lee’s

front yard. That site became Arlington National Cemetery.

504-507US8P R U5C17S4 11/26/02 3:16 PM Page 504

The war also had great economic costs. Together,the North and South spent more than five times theamount spent by the government in the previous eightdecades. Many years after the fighting was over, thefederal government was still paying interest on loanstaken out during the war.

The Thirteenth AmendmentOne of the greatest effects of the war was the freeing ofmillions of enslaved persons. As the Union armymoved through the South during and after the war,Union soldiers released African Americans frombondage. One of those released was Booker T. Wash-ington, who later became a famous educator andreformer. He recalled the day a Union officer came tohis plantation to read the Emancipation Proclamation.


After the reading we were told that we were all free, and could go when and where we pleased. My mother,who was standing by my side, leaned over and kissed herchildren, while tears of joy ran down her cheeks. Sheexplained to us what it all meant, that this was the day for which she had been so long praying, but fearing that she would never live to see.

Booker T. Washington, quoted in his autobiography, Up from Slavery

The Emancipation Proclamation applied primarilyto slaves in the Confederacy, however. Many AfricanAmericans in the border states were still enslaved. In1864, with the war still under way, President Lincolnhad approved of a constitutional amendment to endslavery entirely, but it failed to pass Congress.

In January 1865, Lincoln urged Congress to tryagain to end slavery.This time, the measure—known asthe Thirteenth Amendment—passed. By year’s end,27 states, including eight in the South, had ratified theamendment. From that point on, slavery was banned inthe United States.

Lincoln’s AssassinationLincoln did not live to see the end of slavery, however. Five days afterLee’s surrender at Appomattox, the president and his wife went to see aplay at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. During the play, a Confed-erate supporter, John Wilkes Booth, crept into the balcony where thepresident sat and shot him in the back of the head. Booth then jumpedover the railing and landed on the stage. Although he broke his leg in theleap, he managed to escape the theater.


A. ContrastingHow did govern-ment spendingduring the CivilWar compare tothat during previ-ous years?A. PossibleResponse Theamount spentduring the warwas five timesthat spent duringthe previous 80years.

B. MakingInferences Whywas an amend-ment needed tofree enslavedpersons evenafter theEmancipationProclamation?B. PossibleResponses Manypeople were stillenslaved in theborder states. Anamendmentwould be harderto overturn thana law passed byCongress.

SKILLBUILDERInterpreting Graphs1. About how many Confederate

soldiers were killed in the Civil War?2. Approximately how many soldiers

were wounded in the war?

Source: World Book; Historical Statisticsof the United States;

The United States Civil War Center

Costs of the Civil War

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CONFEDERATE CASUALTIES

UNION CASUALTIES

• Federal loans and taxes tofinance the war totaled $2.6 billion.

• Federal debt on June 30, 1865,rose to $2.7 billion.

• Confederate debt ran over $700million.

• Union inflation reached 182% in1864 and 179% in 1865.

• Confederate inflation rose to9,000% by the end of the war.

ECONOMIC COSTS

SkillbuilderAnswers1. 260,0002. 500,000

CONNECTIONS TO MATH

504-507US8P R U5C17S4 11/26/02 3:16 PM Page 505

That same evening, an accomplice of Booth stabbedSecretary of State William Seward, who later recovered.Another man was supposed to assassinate Vice-PresidentJohnson, but he failed to carry out the attack.

Although Booth had managed to escape after shootingthe president, Union troops found and killed him severaldays later. Soldiers also hunted down Booth’s accomplices,whom they either hanged or imprisoned.

After Lincoln was shot, he was carried to a house acrossthe street from the theater. The bullet in his brain could notbe removed, however. The next morning, April 15, 1865,the president died. He was the first American president tobe assassinated.

Lincoln’s murder stunned the nation and caused intensegrief. In Washington, D.C., people wept in the streets. Oneman who mourned the nation’s loss was the poet WaltWhitman. In one poem, Whitman considered the presi-dent’s legacy.


This dust was once the man,Gentle, plain, just and resolute, under whose cautious hand,Against the foulest crime in history known in any land or age,Was saved the Union of these States.

Walt Whitman, This Dust Was Once the Man

The loss of Lincoln’s vast experience and great politicalskills was a terrible setback for a people faced by the chal-lenge of rebuilding their nation. In both the North and theSouth, life would never be the same after the Civil War.

Consequences of the WarIn the North, the war changed the way people thoughtabout the country. In fighting to defend the Union, peoplecame to see the United States as a single nation rather thana collection of states. After 1865, people no longer said “theUnited States are” but “the United States is.”

The war also caused the national government to expand.Before the war, the government was relatively small and hadlimited powers. With the demands of war, however, thegovernment grew larger and more powerful. Along with a

new paper currency and income tax, the government established a newfederal banking system. It also funded railroads, gave western land tosettlers, and provided for state colleges. This growth of federal powercontinued long after the war was over.

The war also changed the Northern economy. New industries such assteel, petroleum, food processing, and manufacturing grew rapidly. By

506 CHAPTER 17

WALT WHITMAN

1819–1892

One of the greatest Americanpoets, Walt Whitman (below)was a large, bearded man whosepoetry captured the Americanspirit. His most famous book ofpoems, Leaves of Grass, praisedthe values of freedom anddemocracy.

Whitman was 41 when theCivil War began. Too old for thearmy, he offered his services as anurse when his younger brotherwas wounded at Fredericksburg.He stayed on after that to helpat hospitals in Washington, D.C.

Whitman wrote a book ofpoetry about war. Later editionsof the book, which appearedafter Lincoln’s assassination,included several poems aboutthe president.

C. SummarizingHow didAmericans reactto the assassina-tion of Lincoln?C. PossibleResponse Peoplereacted withintense grief andmourning.

BackgroundIn the 1850s, animproved way ofmaking steel—the Bessemerprocess—hadbeen perfected,allowing for themass productionof steel.

Vocabularyaccomplice:someone whoaids a lawbreaker

504-507US8P R U5C17S4 11/26/02 3:16 PM Page 506

the late 1800s, industry had begun to replace farming as the basis of thenational economy.

For the South, however, the war brought economic disaster. Farms andplantations were destroyed. About 40 percent of the South’s livestock waskilled. Fifty percent of its farm machinery was wrecked. Factories werealso demolished, and thousands of miles of railroad tracks were torn up.Also gone was the labor system that the South had used—slavery.

Before the war, the South accounted for 30 percent of the nation’swealth. After the war it accounted for only 12 percent. These economicdifferences between the North and the South would last for decades.

The country faced difficult challenges after the war. How would theSouth be brought back into the Union, and how would four million for-mer slaves be integrated into national life? You will read more about thesechallenges in the next chapter.


2. Taking NotesUse a chart like the onebelow to record the social,economic, and politicallegacy of the Civil War.

Legacy of the Civil War

Is the legacy of the Civil Warstill apparent today? How?

3. Main Ideasa. What were some of thehuman costs of the Civil War?

b. What did the ThirteenthAmendment achieve?

c. What was the state of theSouthern economy after theCivil War?

4. Critical ThinkingMaking Inferences Howdo you think the assassina-tion of President Lincolnaffected the nation?

THINK ABOUT• the reaction of ordinary

citizens• its impact on government


significance of:• Thirteenth

Amendment• John Wilkes Booth

Section Assessment

ACTIVITY OPTIONS

MATHTECHNOLOGY

Read about the postwar economy. Create a database on industry in the Northor make a storyboard for a video on the problems in the South.

4

Society Economy Politics

CAUSES IMMEDIATE EFFECTS

LONG-TERM EFFECTS

SKILLBUILDER Interpreting Charts1. What military event is among the causes of the Civil War?2. What effect did the Civil War have on the federal government?

Conflict over slavery in territories

Economic differences between North and South

Failure of Congress to compromise

Election of Lincoln as president

Secession of Southern states

Firing on Fort Sumter

Growth of industry

Government more powerful

Nation reunited

CAUSE AND EFFECT: The Civil War, 1861–1865

SkillbuilderAnswers1. firing on FortSumter2. It made federalauthority strongerthan that of thestates.

Abolition of slavery

Devastation of South

Reconstruction of South

BackgroundSome peoplehave called theCivil War the firstmodern warbecause of theuse of machines,the destructiveness,and the effectson civilians, whichwould be repeatedin later wars.

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508

Four score1 and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent anew nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all menare created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or anynation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a greatbattlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as afinal resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation mightlive. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate—we can not consecrate2—we cannot hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggledhere, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.3 Theworld will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can neverforget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated hereto the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so noblyadvanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remainingbefore us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to4 thatcause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion5—that we herehighly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain6—that this nation,under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of thepeople, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

The Gettysburg Address (1863)

1. score: a group of 20.

2. consecrate: to declare assacred.

3. detract: to take awayfrom.

4. take increaseddevotion to: work harderfor.

5. gave the last fullmeasure of devotion:sacrificed their lives.

6. in vain: for nothing.

Setting the Stage On November 19, 1863, officials gathered inGettysburg, Pennsylvania. They were there to dedicate a national ceme-tery on the ground where the decisive Battle of Gettysburg had takenplace nearly five months earlier. Following the ceremony’s main address,which lasted nearly two hours, President Lincoln delivered his GettysburgAddress in just over two minutes. In this famous speech, Lincolnexpressed his hopes for the nation. See Primary Source Explorer

A CLOSER LOOK

FIGHTING FOR A CAUSE

Different people fought for differ-ent causes during the Civil War.Sometimes, the causes for whichpeople fought changed over thecourse of the war.

2. What cause is Lincoln refer-ring to in the GettysburgAddress?

A CLOSER LOOK

LINCOLN’S MODESTY

Lincoln claimed that what he saidat Gettysburg would not be longremembered. However, theaddress soon came to be recog-nized as one of the best speechesof all time.

1. What features of Lincoln’saddress make it so memorable?

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Setting the Stage President Lincoln delivered his Second InauguralAddress just before the end of the Civil War. In this excerpt, herecalled the major cause of the war and vowed to fight for therestoration of peace and unity. See Primary Source Explorer

One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves. . . . These slaves con-stituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was some-how the cause of the war. To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interestwas the object for which the insurgents1 would rend the Union even by war,while the Government claimed no right to do more than to restrict the terri-torial enlargement of it. Neither party expected for the war the magnitude orthe duration which it has already attained. Neither anticipated that the causeof the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease.Each looked for an easier triumph, and a result less fundamental and astound-ing. Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokesHis aid against the other. . . . Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, thatthis mighty scourge2 of war may speedily pass away. Yet, if God wills that itcontinue until all the wealth piled by the bondsman’s3 two hundred and fiftyyears of unrequited4 toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawnwith the lash shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said threethousand years ago, so still it must be said “the judgments of the Lord are trueand righteous altogether.”

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right asGod gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, tobind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battleand for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish ajust and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.

1. Main Ideasa. Why might President Lincoln have begun theGettysburg Address by noting that the country was “dedi-cated to the proposition that all men are created equal”?

b. According to Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, whydid the Confederacy go to war?

c. To what did Lincoln refer with the phrase “the bonds-man’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil?”

2. Critical ThinkingMaking Inferences In 1865, if the South had asked torejoin the Union without ending slavery, do you thinkLincoln would have agreed?

THINK ABOUT• what Lincoln identifies as the cause of the war• what might happen if the war ended but slavery

did not

Interactive Primary Sources Assessment

1. insurgent: one thatrevolts against civil authority.

2. scourge: a source ofsuffering and devastation.

Second Inaugural Address (1865)

A CLOSER LOOK

SLAVERY IN TERRITORIES

Before the Civil War, Northernstates wanted to prohibit slaveryin territories that would eventuallybecome new states. Southernstates fought to expand slavery,fearing the prohibition wouldthreaten slavery where it alreadyexisted.

1. Why did the Southerners fearthat prohibiting slavery in newterritories might threaten slav-ery where it already existed?

A CLOSER LOOK

MALICE TOWARD NONE

As Northerners became more confi-dent in victory, many looked for-ward to punishing Southerners,whom they blamed for the war.Lincoln, however, urged citizens tocare for one another and work fora just and lasting peace.

2. Why do you think that Lincolnbelieved it would be wiser forAmericans not to place blame orseek revenge on one another?

3. bondsman: enslaved person.4. unrequited: not paid for.

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TERMS & NAMES

Briefly explain the significance of each of the following.

REVIEW QUESTIONSThe Emancipation Proclamation (pages 487–490)

1. Why did Lincoln issue the EmancipationProclamation?

2. How did black soldiers aid the war effort?

War Affects Society (pages 491–495)

3. How did events on the home front show the tollthat war was taking there?

4. Why did some people say the Civil War was a “richman’s war but a poor man’s fight”?

5. How did enslaved persons help the Union?

The North Wins (pages 496–503)

6. Why was the Battle of Gettysburg so important?

7. How did Sherman’s march help the Union?

8. How did Grant defeat Lee?

The Legacy of the War (pages 504–507)

9. How was the Thirteenth Amendment differentfrom the Emancipation Proclamation?

10. How did the war change the national economy?

CRITICAL THINKING1. USING YOUR NOTES

a. How did white and black Southerners react to theEmancipation Proclamation?

b. How did inflation affect the North and the South?

2. ANALYZING LEADERSHIP

What qualities made Lincoln an effective leader?

3. THEME: IMPACT OF THE INDIVIDUAL

How did General Grant’s actions in the war make acrucial difference to the outcome?

4. FORMING AND SUPPORTING OPINIONS

One Union relief worker said, “The suffering of men inbattle is nothing next to the agony that women feelsending forth their loved ones to war.” Do you agreewith this statement? Explain why or why not.

5. APPLYING CITIZENSHIP SKILLS

How might the behavior of General Grant andPresident Lincoln toward the Confederacy have helpedto begin healing the war-torn nation?

Having read about the ferocity of battle during theCivil War, do you still believe that you would beinspired to continue the fighting? Why or why not?

VISUAL

SUMMARY

510 CHAPTER 17

17Chapter ASSESSMENT

The Civil War, 1863–1865

1. EmancipationProclamation

2. 54th MassachusettsRegiment

3. conscription

4. Battle of Gettysburg

5. Ulysses S. Grant

6. Robert E. Lee

7. Siege of Vicksburg

8. William TecumsehSherman

9. Appomattox CourtHouse

10. ThirteenthAmendment

Interact with History

January 1865 ThirteenthAmendment ispassed by Congress.

November1864

Lincoln is reelected.

1863March 1863

Union passesthe draft law.

July 1863 Battle of

Gettysburgtakes place.

Union takesVicksburg.

January1863


is issued.

May 1864 Battle of the Wildernessand Spotsylvania occur.

March 1864 Grant is put in charge

of all Union armies.

April 1865 Lee surrenders atAppomattox CourtHouse.

Lincoln is assassinated.

December 1864 Sherman takesSavannah, Georgia.September 1864

Sherman takesAtlanta, Georgia.

1866

North South


War’s Impact

Northern Victories inBattle

Union Wins Civil War

June 1864 Battle of Cold Harbor occurs.

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HISTORY SKILLS1. INTERPRETING MAPS: Location

Study the map. Answer the questions.

Basic Map Elements

a. Which color represents Confederate states?

Interpreting the Map

b. Next to what river was Vicksburg built?

c. Why might Vicksburg be important for Southernerssupplying the Confederacy from Texas?

2. INTERPRETING SECONDARY SOURCES

Historian Bruce Catton describes a brief meetingbetween two brothers during the Siege of Vicksburg.Read the passage and answer the questions.

Both boys [were] from Missouri, one of them inConfederate gray and the other in Federal blue. TheConfederate had a roll of bills in his hand and gavethem to his brother to send to their mother. . . . Hecouldn’t get things out from Vicksburg through theUnion lines, Vicksburg being completely surrounded, so he asked his brother to send them to her, and thebrother did. There was no shooting while thesearrangements were made, then the brothers shookhands and retired to their individual lines, and theshooting started up again.

Bruce Catton, from Reflections on the Civil War

a. What does this account say about the nature of war?

b. Why might the fact that the brothers came fromMissouri pertain to their fighting for different sides?

ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT1. INTERDISCIPLINARY ACTIVITY: Science

Writing a Report Do research on the advances inmilitary technology during the Civil War. Write areport that describes the new or improved weaponsthat were used during the war. Be sure to use stan-dard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punc-tuation in your report. Present the report to your classwith charts that illustrate the changes and innovationsthat you describe.

2. COOPERATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITY

Creating a Newspaper Work with a group of class-mates to produce a simple newspaper that covers aspecific period of the Civil War. With your group,choose the period you want to cover and decidewhether you will take a Northern or Southern view-point. Research events and conditions during thatperiod, then select the topics you will cover in yournewspaper. Articles should include descriptions of thecharacteristics of the Civil War era. Examples include:

• important battles and military strategies

• political news, including government actions andforeign involvement

• social and economic conditions

• profiles of important figures

3. PRIMARY SOURCE EXPLORER

Use the Internet, books, and other resources to doresearch for a multimedia presentation on a Civil Warbattle. Using presentation software, consider includingthe following content:

• paintings or written descriptions of the battle

• images of the destruction caused by the conflict

• music from the time period

• statistics on casualties

• diary and journal entries

4. HISTORY PORTFOLIO

Review your section and chapter assessmentactivities. Select one that you think is your best

work. Then use comments made by your teacher orclassmates to improve your work and add it to yourportfolio.


Union stateBorder stateConfederate stateFederal territoryRailroad

0

0

200 Miles

400 Kilometers

30°N

85°W

40°N

TEXAS

TENNESSEE

KANSAS MISSOURI

ARK.

ALABAMA

LOUISIANA

MISS.

ILLINOISINDIANA

KENTUCKY

New Orleans

Vicksburg

Red R.

Mississippi R

.

Oh i o R

.

G u l f o fM e x i c o

Siege of Vicksburg, 1863

Additional Test Practice,pp. S1–S33

TEST PRACTICECLASSZONE .COM

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http://www.classzone.com/books/creating_america_sh/oltp_map_select.cfm

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