Daily Life During the

War

I. Emancipation Proclamation

A. Lincoln Issues the Proclamation

1. Opinions varieda. Democrats opposed it

– they were mostly laborers worried they would lose their jobs

b. Abolitionists argued the war was pointless if it did not win freedom for the slaves

c.Lincoln worried about losing support for the war

d.Stanton believed the Confederacy war effort was aided by slave labor

2.Lincoln Issued the Proclamationa.It freed the slaves in areas controlled

by the Confederacyb.More symbolic than real

B. Reaction to the Proclamation

1.Issued January 1, 18632.Abolitionists cheered,

however William Lloyd Garrison was quick to point out slavery still existed in the Union

3.Encouraged many slaves to escape when Union troops were nearby

II. African Americans Participate in the War

A.Congress began to allow escaped African Americans to sign up as laborers – called Contrabands

B.Later African Americans were allowed to fight

C.The 54th Massachusetts Infantry – Served heroically in the charge on Fort Wagner, they suffered massive casualties

D.180,000 African Americans served in the Union army1.They faced discrimination (lower pay)2.Were treated brutally by the Confederates

III. Growing Opposition

A. Copperheads1.They called themselves

Peace Democrats, enemies called them Copperheads

2.Midwesterners that opposed abolition

3.Lincoln saw them as a threat and suspended their right of habeas corpus

B. Northern Draft

1.1863 Congress approved a draft

2.For $300 you buy your way out

3.Northern Democrats Nominated McClellan for President to put an end to the war – He lost

IV. Life for Soldiers and Civilians

A. On the Battlefield

1.Soldiers a. lined up in rows

based on traditionb.led to massive

casualtiesc. When the order

was given they would charge with bayonets and hand to hand combat

2.Doctors and Nursesa. Had no medicines to fight infectionsb.Main treatment option was amputationc. The largest killer during the war was disease

(typhoid, pneumonia, and Tuberculosis

B. Prisoners of War

1.Kept in filthy prison camps2.Lacked shelter, clothing, clean water and food3.One of the worst was Andersonville, located in

Georgia

C. Life as a Civilian

1.Women filled in the jobs left by the men fighting

2.Clara Barton – founded the American Red Cross.a. Organized medicines

and suppliesb.Soothed the wounded

and dyingc. Assisted doctorsd.Help to establish the

idea of hygiene