Abraham Lincoln
President of the United States of America and the first Republican president in history
Ulysses S. Grant An effective general
in the Union’s Western battles, eventual commander of the entire Union army, defeated the South and accepted Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Courthouse, 18th president of the United States
George McClellan
Young, talented general in the Union, Lincoln’s first choice to command the union forces, too cautious and hesitant to attack, fired twice for lack of aggression, Democratic nominee for president against Lincoln in 1864
William Tecumseh Sherman
Union general in command of the western forces, captured Atlanta in 1864 signaling the end for the South, most remembered for his “march to the sea” in which he burned and destroyed southern cities and railroads to trap General Lee between him and Grant
Robert E. Lee
Assumed command of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, despire impressive victories, he didn’t have enough manpower to win the war, surrendered to Grant in 1865
Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson
Confederate general and right hand man to Robert E. Lee, noted for his ability to use geography to his advantage, led troops to victory at Chancellorsville, some say the South may have won had he been at Gettysburg
Advantages for the North
Both sides enjoyed certain advantages and weaknesses during the course of the Civil War
Ultimately, the Union’s strengths proved to be too great for the Confederacy to overcome
For starters, the North had more railway lines, which allowed supplies and troops to be transported to more locations and at a faster pace
Industrialization wins out
The Union also had more factories for producing guns, ammunition, shoes for soldiers, etc.
In addition, it already had an established government and a standing army with which to fight and administer a war
Finally, the Union states were home to two-thirds of the nation’s population
Not only did this mean they had more soldiers to fight, but it also supplied the needed labor force to keep the northern economy going and supply war needs
Southern Advantages
The South did enjoy some advantages For one, the South initially had better
military commanders In fact, General Robert E. Lee, who
eventually commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, was such a brilliant and respected commander that he was originally offered commando f the Union forces by President Lincoln
He declined because he could not bring himself to fight against his homeland of Virginia
Home field Advantage
In addition, although the South had fewer men, it also did not need as many because it intended to fight a war of attrition
In other words, the South would fight a defensive war designed to inflict enough damage to wear down its enemy’s will to fight
Much like the colonies during the American Revolution, the confederacy believed it didn’t need to win the war, it only needed to resist long enough for the Union to give up
You gotta fight for your right
Lastly, the South had the advantage of motivation
Southerners saw themselves fighting for states’ rights or the right of a state to decide issues like slavery for themselves
Thus, they felt they were defending their homeland, their way of life, and the right to govern themselves
In this respect, they identified themselves with the founders of the US who had fought for the same principles against the British
Key Battles of the Civil War The First Battle of Bull Run (July 21,
1861) was the first confrontation between the two armies and a humiliating defeat for the Union forces
Because they were only 30 miles from Washington, DC, the victorious confederates could have invaded the capital had they been better organized
Instead, they failed to pursue the retreating Union army and missed a golden opportunity
It’s gonna be a long one
The battle made it evident that the war would be longer than expected and led Lincoln to adopt General Winfield Scott’s “Anaconda Plan”
This plan involved surrounding the Confederacy and cutting off all supply lines, like an anaconda wraps around its prey and squeezes the life out of it
Hey it worked!
It restricted southern trade, transportation, and communications by seizing control of the Mississippi River, cutting Confederate territory in half, and instituted coastal blockades or the use of naval power to keep ships from entering or leaving enemy ports
Smugglers often used ships called “blockade runners” to get through these blockades and supply the South with goods
Naval Battles
The Civil War saw innovations in naval technology
The Confederates created an ironclad or a warship shielded with iron to protect it from enemy fire
They made it from an old wooden steamship called the Merrimack
The Union navy’s wooden ships found themselves powerless against this innovative weapon
We want one ,too
In response, the Union finally built an ironclad of their own called the Monitor
On March 9, 1862, the two ships met in battle off the coast of Virginia
After several hours of fighting, the Merrimack withdrew with neither ships suffering much damage
Eventually the South blew up the Merrimack to keep it from falling into enemy hands and the Monitor sunk during a storm
This began a new era in naval warfare
Did you ever go see the Hunley?
The Civil War also marked the first time that submarines or ships that remain entirely under water, were used as American weapons of warfare.
The Union was actually the first to use a sub, but no Union submarine ever engaged in battle with a confederate ship
The most notable Confederate sub was the CSS Hunley
It’s still in Charleston
The Hunley was intended to sink Union ships blockading Confederate harbors.
On February 18, 1864, it became the first North American submarine to successfully sink an enemy ship
Unfortunately for the South, the Hunley also sank during the same battle
Second Battle of Bull Run
On land, the war was fought on two primary fronts, or theaters: eastern and western
In 1862, Robert E. Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virginia after General Joseph Johnston was wounded
One of his first major victories came at the Second Battle of Bull Run
The battle ended Union hopes of invading Richmond and emboldened Lee to attempt invasion of the North
The Bloodiest Single Day in American History
Lee and his generals tried to maintain secrecy as they made preparations for their invasion
Meanwhile, General McClellan (the Union’s commanding general), remained unaware of the Confederate army’s whereabouts until a copy of Lee’s orders were found wrapped around some cigars at an abandoned Confederate army camp
How lucky was that?
Now aware of Lee’s plans, McClellan saw to it that Lee met a prepared Union force at Antietam Creek, Maryland
The battle of Antietam proved to be the bloodiest single day of the war, halting the Confederate advance
McClellan hesitated, however, and let Lee’s army slip away to fight another day
HE STOOD LIKE A STONE WALL
The battle of Chancellorsville is known by many as “Lee’s perfect battle” because of the great planning and good fortune that aided the Confederates
Thanks to the efforts of his most gifted general, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, Lee’s army defeated more than 70,000 Union troops with only 40,000 Confederate troops
Unfortunately for the Confederacy however, Jackson, was accidentally shot by his own troops scouting the enemy’s position at night.
And I quote
They had to amputate his left arm, leading to Lee’s famous quote:
“Jackson has lost his left arm, but I have lost my right”
Although his injuries did not initially seem life threatening, Jackson died after contracting pneumonia during his recovery
As a result, Robert E. Lee was without his most talented and reliable commander at Gettysburg
Four score and seven years ago…..
Fought just outside Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the battle of Gettysburg was a key turning point in the Civil War
Without Jackson to assist him, Lee’s forces proved less aggressive than usual and failed to win valuable high ground early in the battle
Union forces under the command of General George Meade defeated Lee’s army and ended any hope that the South had of successfully invading the North
More death, more blood shed With more than 51,000 soldiers killed,
wounded or missing, Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the entire Civil War over a three day period.
Four months later President Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address at a ceremony dedicating a cemetery on the sight of the battlefield
Although a relatively short speech, it was powerful affirmation of Lincoln’s desire to see the Union survive and the nation reunited
This is the only confirmed picture of Lincoln at Gettysburg
In the West
In the late spring of 1863, the town of Vicksburg, Mississippi was the last Confederate obstacle to total Union control of the Mississippi River
Ignoring advice to withdraw, General Ulysses S. Grant laid siege, a strategy by which an army surrounds its enemy, cuts off their supplies, and starves them into surrendering, to Vicksburg for almost to months
By the time the town finally surrendered on July 4, residents had been reduced to eating horses, mules, dogs and even rats
“Sherman’s coming, Sherman’s coming”
Making their way from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Union forces under the command of William Tecumseh Sherman captured Atlanta in Septmeber of 1864, there by helping President Lincoln to win reelection
Then after burning the city, Sherman’s continued his “march to the sea”
“War is hell”
In this march, Sherman and his men destroyed bridges, factories, and railroad lines
Union forces cut a nearly 300 mile long and forty mile wide path of total destruction across Georgia to Savannah then straight up north through South Carolina into North Carolina intending to trap Lee’s army between himself and the forces of U. S. Grant