Moz Knows History-The Civil WarThe Union Divides

March 4, 1861 was Abraham Lincoln’s first day in office. By that time, seven Southern states had already seceded from the Union. The Civil War, America’s most deadly conflict, would occupy his entire presidency, and the rest of his life. Meanwhile, the Confederacy already had their own president. Just two weeks before Lincoln’s inauguration, Jefferson Davis assumed control as a leader of the Confederate States of America.

As states seceded, it brought a lot of personal decisions for the families living in those states. There were those who strongly agreed with their state’s leaders and complied. There were others who didn’t agree, but would remain loyal and go along. Then there were some who didn’t agree with secession at all, and resisted. Some dinner tables had folks with all three frames of reference. The Civil War divided not only our country, but a good many American families as well.

For those who complied, the life in the rebelling states continued on, business as usual. Government installations like post offices and forts flew Old Glory one day and the Stars and Bars the next. For their part, the South got an instant functioning government, using the office space and real estate of the government they were fighting. They had military forts, arsenals, ships, even some railroads at their disposal. They also had a problem—Major Robert Anderson.

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Anderson, a proslavery, former slave-holder from Kentucky was either a true patriot, or the ultimate rebel. Kentucky was one of the border-states, a slave state that stuck with the Union. However, Anderson wasn’t home, he was working. His job? He was commanding officer at a fort in South Carolina. Without orders, he and a small garrison moved into Fort Sumter and refused to give it up without a fight. Here he was in the Rebellion haven of South Carolina, and he rebelled against the rebels! Which again begs the question, what was Robert Anderson—a true patriot or the ultimate rebel? Well, what he was, was in trouble!

The Fort Sumter DilemmaWhile the Union loved Anderson’s resistance, the South wanted

the matter settled quickly, and were poised to take Fort Sumter by force. This gave Lincoln a dilemma. Deep in Southern territory, Fort Sumter would be difficult to help and impossible to hold. If he sent soldiers, would it look like an invasion? Would their almost certain failure give the Confederacy a boost?

After all, like the Revolutionary War, the South was declaring its independence. The South didn’t have to beat the North, just make the North leave them alone. Once that happened, they’d be free. The North would have to be the aggressors, but had to pick their spots--and this wasn’t one of them. Lincoln decided to send supplies only, and let the South fire the first shots. Then public opinion would cast them as the aggressors. In April of 1861, the South attacked, bombarding Fort Sumter for 34 hours. Anderson was forced to surrender. The Civil War had begun!

No Concessions, Just SecessionsLincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to defend against the

rebellion and retake Fort Sumter. While there were volunteers, the largest response the President received as a result of this announcement was four more states joining the Confederacy. Now Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia were seceding. Virginia was particularly problematic because it borders Washington DC! Had Maryland seceded, Washington would have been surrounded by enemy slave states. While Maryland was still a slave state, at least it was a friendly slave state!

2With Virginia in the fold, the Confederacy had another option for

what had been dubbed their permanent capital. Montgomery Alabama served as the permanent capital for all of 4 months. By May of 1861, the delegates had already tired of the heat and mosquitoes. The city’s 3 hotels were constantly overbooked. With Virginia’s entry into the Confederacy, they offered Richmond as an alternative for the capital. Even though Washington DC was less than 100 miles away, the Confederate leaders readily agreed.

Another reason Virginia’s secession was bad news for the Union was who it took with them. At 74 years of age, Winfield Scott had many health problems and was ready to step down as Army Commander. Although he had served every president from Jefferson to Lincoln, Scott had ballooned to over 300 pounds. He couldn’t mount a horse or review troops any longer. His mind was good, but this would be a hands-on battle. Scott went to Lincoln with idea of giving command to “the very finest soldier (he’d) ever seen,” Robert E. Lee. Lee got the offer to lead the Union the same day Virginia seceded. Sticking with his home state, he commanded the South instead!

The Anaconda PlanMeanwhile, Winfield Scott, who was born and raised in Virginia,

stayed with the country he had served since the War of 1812. As he was set to retire, he had one last contribution to give from his brilliant, militarymind. It was he that conceived the plan that the Union used to defeat the Confederacy—the Anaconda Plan.

At first, many derided the Anaconda Plan, saying it was too long, too involved. Many thought a hard, fast thrashing of the South was all that was needed to succeed. But Scott’s vision of a prolonged struggle would prove to be correct. The Anaconda Plan had 4 parts, as outlined below.

3Bull Run

After establishing an effective naval blockade, Union land offensives were under way. The South seemed ready to face Union troops, but no one was ready for the high casualties and absolute brutality the Civil War would bring. The first major battle was the Battle of Bull Run.

Union Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell marched south, bent on breaking the Rebellion. He was met at Bull Run Creek, in Virginia by Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard. Beauregard, fresh off a victory at Fort Sumter, was being hammered and losing ground. The Union appeared headed for victory. Yet one enemy brigade refused to budge. The troops led by Confederate General Thomas J. Jackson stood like a stone wall. From then on, the leader would be known as Stonewall Jackson.

Jackson’s stand helped turn the tide for the South. Reinforcements arrived, and the Union was forced to retreat. What made things worse was that hundreds of civilians had come down from DC to watch the battle. Expecting a Union victory, and armed only with picnic baskets, their afternoon entertainment was rudely interrupted when panic-stricken Union soldiers fled through the picnic area with Rebel troops following close behind. It was an absolute disaster. Routes of escape were often blocked by civilian carriages. The chaos resulted in 800 deaths, and casualty figures for both sides were close to 5000! It was an omen of things to come.

Ulysses S. GrantA paperwork mix-up, had a man named Hiram Ulysses Grant

being instead referred to as U.S. Grant. Although an invention, it is certainly a patriotic sounding name, and a whole lot more fearsome than initials that spell out “HUG.” Grant would become the hero of the war, but the war’s a long way from over. He’s not even the head of the Union Army yet. Still, we start to see some promising things from Grant.

In 1862, he started winning important victories in Kentucky and Tennessee. At Fort Donelson, when Grant bested the Confederate forces, their leader asked for Grant’s terms. Grant answered, “No terms, except an unconditional and immediate surrender.” People joked that the initials U.S. stood for “Unconditional Surrender” Grant.

As he progressed through Tennessee, Grant later took Fort Henry, and was headed for the Mississippi line when he engaged in the Battle of Shiloh. The Confederate forces made a surprise attack, an attack that cost Grant

13,000 casualties. The Confederacy lost 11,000. Although “Bloody Shiloh” was a win for the Union, the tremendous loss of life gave Grant another unwanted nickname, “Butcher.”

4When concerns about Grant’s methods had some asking that he be relieved of duty, Lincoln answered, “I cannot spare this man. He fights.” He also won, and nobody knew the Union needed a winner more than Lincoln.

King Kong vs. GodzillaWith the first step of the Anaconda Plan, the Union had

effectively blocked the South from trading with Europe. This kept relief supplies out of the South, and out of the War. Only swift blockade runners could get through the tight net of Union vessels. Yet things changed when the Confederacy captured a Union ship called the Merrimac. They turned it into an ironclad, covering its deck and sides with 4 inch iron plates. (Ships up to this time had been made of wood.) This Frankenship was rechristened as the Virginia. The impact it had was like releasing a wolf in a hen house.

On March 8, 1862, it headed for the ring of ships encircling the Virginia coast of the Atlantic. It rammed one ship, sank another, and chased a third ship away so quickly that it ran aground trying to escape. It scattered many other ships surrounding the shoreline, breaking the Union blockade. During the campaign, it simply paraded up and down the coast unscathed. Union guns had no effect on this heavy, metal masterpiece.

The next day, however, the heavyweight champion, Virginia, had a challenger. The Union had an ironclad too. It didn’t have fixed guns, but a revolving turret like a tank. It was called the Monitor. The first battle of the Ironclads was underway. They fired on each other for hours, with little effect. After all, neither ship’s artillery was any more powerful than conventional ships. If other ships couldn’t dent in these monsters, the armor

5also prevented them from damaging each other. Soon, they both ran out of ammunition. It was a tie. Later, the Virginia would be towed to Norfolk for repairs. Later, Southern forces deliberately sunk it so it wouldn’t fall into Union hands. The South didn’t have the resources to build any more Ironclads, and the Union didn’t have the need. Just as quickly as it began, the battle of the behemoths was over.

Emancipation TimeLincoln had waited long and patiently to broach the slave issue. While

the main issue of the War was state’s rights, slavery was a factor. It was the so-called right that the Confederacy was trying to protect. At the time of his election, he would have been content to prevent the spread of slavery. With the War, he now had the opportunity to do even more. He wanted to free the slaves. Strategists advised him to wait for a big Union victory, otherwise it might look like an act of desperation. Aside from that, there were four slave states supporting the Union. The issue was very complicated. Lincoln had to tread those waters carefully.

The South had their own goals. With the mighty squeeze of the Anaconda Plan, thinning out their supplies, and a 2nd victory at Bull Run, General Lee felt confident in taking a foray into the North. His forces headed to Maryland. A victory there might get European attention for supply help or military back up. Plus, Maryland was a slave state. Getting them to flip their allegiance might be just a win away.

They never found out for sure what would have happened with a win, because they didn’t win. Nobody won. The Battle of Antietam had the largest single day death toll of any war in US history! With 5000 deaths and 20,000 wounded, no one felt like celebrating. To put it in perspective, the death toll was about equal to Pearl Harbor and 9/11 combined! If you look at it that way, nobody won, but “a tie” doesn’t tell the horrific story.

Antietam Creek pitted both Army Commanders of that time against each other. Robert E. Lee, vs. the latest Union leader, George McClellan.

6Since Lee was the aggressor, and in the end was forced to

retreat shows some degree of success for the Union. In a larger sense, a greater evil occurred. McClellan’s troops had the opportunity to capture Lee and his army, but they let him get away! McClellan was often overly cautious. Lincoln said he had “the slows.” Lincoln also had enough McClellan and fired him for the 2nd time.

Still, the Battle of Antietam was enough of a victory that Lincoln and his strategists felt it was time to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. He announced that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebelling states would be freed. The Border States would keep their slaves, as well as any Confederate State that rejoined the Union. There weren’t any takers in that regard. On top of that, the South wasn’t going to obey it, and the North didn’t have the ability to enforce it. So the Emancipation Proclamation had no immediate effect on slavery.

It was the east side that was known for its farming and plantations. Westerners resented their rich, slave-owning neighbors, and broke away from Virginia, as well as the Rebellion. At first, there were thoughts of naming the new state, Franklin, in honor of Ben Franklin. Temporarily, it was named Kanawha, for a local river. We know that state today as West Virginia.

7Another effect of Anaconda Plan was immigration. With the South

under a naval blockade, new immigrants could only come to the North. 800,000 came to America, and some quickly found themselves on a battlefield. As new blood came to America every day, the North had plenty of soldiers to replenish their ranks. Although it probably wasn’t what immigrants had envisioned back in their homelands, for a country that has never gone longer than 35 years without a war, fighting in one was a crash course in American life.

Like African-Americans, and immigrants, women also had a role in the Civil War. Although they weren’t allowed to fight, some did. Most others took over factory jobs, farms, and businesses for the men that were fighting. This fact greatly helped the Women’s Movement. With females doing the work usually reserved for men, and doing a good job at it, many people realized that women deserved the same rights as men. One standout was Clara Barton. She etched her page in history at this time. Barton was a

It did have an effect on African-Americans. As the Union army pushed south, joyous slaves found refuge behind Union lines. More than 100,000 former slaves joined the Union army almost instantaneously. Another effect it had was on the world perspective. Now, no self-respecting country would partner with the South. Much of Europe had ended slavery in the late 1700s. Even the British had ended the slave system more than a quarter a century before. The South was on its own.

A State, a Stat, and Some StuffA new state was born in the

midst of the War. With the Allegheny Mountains splitting Virginia, life on each side was quite

nurse during the Civil War. Later, she would go on to found the American Red Cross.

Another Civil War first was the use of submarines. The Confederacy’s H.L. Hunley was the first ever submarine to sink an enemy ship. Its first victim was the Union vessel, the USS Housatonic. Its second victim was itself. So primitive were the first submarines that rather than have the ability to fire a torpedo at an enemy, they had to ram the enemy with the torpedo, and quickly back away. After signaling victory to a watchman, the Hunley wasn’t seen again until divers found the sunken wreck in 1995. Apparently it didn’t back away fast enough.

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Wanted: Soldiers to Fight the War1863 brought the first-ever US military draft. Both sides used drafts to

get soldiers when they ran out of volunteers. Currently, our military is an all-volunteer army. At times, however, the US has had to institute a draft. Drafts aren’t always popular. Some people who get drafted don’t want to fight. Sometimes, they don’t even agree with the reasons for fighting in the conflict. In this case, some people didn’t want to put their lives on the line to help slaves. Ironically, New York City had a draft riot. 1000 people who didn’t want to fight and die in the Civil War, fought and died in the streets of New York City, trying to get out of it.

Aside from personal feelings about the War, the Union Draft, itself, had some glitches. A draftee could hire a substitute, that is, if you could find someone willing to risk their life to take your place. Sometimes that was easier than the alternative. A draftee could also buy their way out of fighting for a $300 fee.

The Confederacy started their draft in 1862. Like the North, you could hire a substitute, or buy your way out. Another exception would be if a person had to oversee 15 or more slaves. While there were no riots in the South, many grumbled that it was, “a rich man’s war, but a poor man’s fight.”

The Anaconda Tightens its GripDespite early dreams of a quick, decisive war, the South held its own

just fine for the first two years of the War. The naval blockade was in place, but Stage 2 of the Anaconda Plan, taking control of the Mississippi River, was long in coming. Soldiers had tried on land and sea, and so far Captain David Farragut had come the closest. In the spring of 1862 Farragut chugged up the Mississippi River. He captured New Orleans, but couldn’t get past the heavy fire coming from the forts in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Sitting on a high bluff, Vicksburg was easy to defend, but nearly impossible to attack. Enter U.S. Grant.

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we read about were the homes and farms of people living at that time. People, not just soldiers, were in Vicksburg. In taking on the Rebel forces, the people of Vicksburg were coming along for the ride, whether they wanted to or not.

In the end, their food supply was exhausted. People tore down their own houses for firewood. Women and children huddled in caves, or burrowed into hillsides. By July 4, 1863, a garrison of 30,000 had no choice but to surrender. Not only did the Union now control the Mississippi, it cut off Texas, Arkansas, and most of the Louisiana from the rest of the Confederacy. Stage 2 of the Anaconda Plan was complete.

Knowing Vicksburg could not be stormed, Grant dug in for a siege. For six weeks, they bombarded the city and cut off their supplies, communications, and reinforcements. It was a smaller scale version of the Anaconda Plan, and it worked! Once thing you have to remember is that the

Destination Desperation: GettysburgAside from Grant, the Union still wasn’t faring well. In the spring

of 1863, Ambrose Burnside was making a bigger impression with his sideburns, than anything he ever did on the battlefield. He was the latest leader to be fired. The Union was still changing commanders like clothing. In the latest wardrobe malfunction, Ambrose Burnside was cast aside for Fightin’ Joe Hooker. He tried to take the fight to General Lee in Chancellorsville, Virginia. Like so many before him that tried to take on Lee, Hooker and his men ended up racing home in an embarrassing defeat.

There was one positive aspect that the Union could take out of Chancellorsville, but they couldn’t even take credit for that. Stonewall Jackson was mortally wounded. He was accidentally shot by one of his own men. They amputated his arm to try to save him. Nonetheless, he died just a few days later.

From there, Lee marched north, leading his troops out of the South to go on the attack for just the second time. It hadn’t worked out too well the last time, but he was desperate. While the Confederacy held out a glimmer of hope that a border state would help them, or another country would recognize their independence and join the fray, the truth was that supplies were low, and they needed to find some…fast!

At first sighting enemy soldiers, Union troops believed that Lee was headed for Washington D.C. They positioned themselves between the capital and Lee’s forces. As Lee continued north, the Union became more and more confused. If he wasn’t coming for D.C., then what was he after? By the time Lee reached Pennsylvania, Northern troops, led by General George Meade, stopped defending and started chasing Lee. On July 1, 1863, the two sides met in a little town called Gettysburg.

The first day of fighting favored the Rebels, as they pushed back Union forces. Day 2 turned the tide in favor of the Union. On day 3 came the culmination of this 3 Act Tragedy. Lee’s army was perched on Seminary Ridge. Union troops stood a mile away on Cemetery Ridge. Time and time again, Lee tried to outflank Northern troops to no avail. Then he ordered a

10direct charge to break Union lines. General George Pickett’s Southern forces would lead the famed Pickett’s Charge. With 15,000 soldiers making a line a half mile wide, they brazenly charged down the ridge and across a vast open terrain as Union troops stood and fired down upon them. It was a dismal failure. Only a handful of those soldiers reached Cemetery Ridge. Even they were driven back. The Union was victorious. 7000 soldiers died in the fierce battle, with higher

casualties on the Confederate side. In addition, each side had 20,000 soldiers wounded or missing.

The battle ended on July 3, 1863. It was the turning point of the war. The next day, Grant would finalize his long sought victory at Vicksburg. With two critical losses, and the failure to capture badly needed supplies, the Confederacy was on the ropes.

The Gettysburg AddressA few months after the Gettysburg campaign, Abraham Lincoln

came to the town to dedicate a cemetery to those who died in battle. Here, he made his famous Gettysburg Address. His speech demonstrated his faith in democracy. There were other speakers, so when Lincoln spoke, the crowd of 6000 was disappointed when the President only spoke for three minutes.

Still, the words and meaning of the speech were so far reaching, that today, it is considered one of the most inspiring speeches of ever made. He spoke of liberty and equality. He expressed the notion that these men had died so that the country could live. It was the first time of hundreds that a president would refer to democracy as a government, “of the people, by the people, for the people.”

The Battle of Gettysburg is the most famous battle of the Civil War. More Americans died during this one battle than in the entire American Revolution! The South would never again venture into the North.

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Grant in CommandGrant’s role in history is a truly heroic one. Before the War, he

had led a quiet, unremarkable life, littered with personal failures. But his greatest deeds would come at our country’s worst time. Following Vicksburg, he continued to win, as he did in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His success made the third stage of the Anaconda Plan, dividing the eastern part of the Confederacy more realistic. He had already cut off western states at Vicksburg. Then in March of 1864, Lincoln put U.S. Grant in charge of all Union forces. The plan was for Grant to focus on Stage 4, capturing Richmond, while William Tecumseh Sherman executed Stage 3.

Sherman had worked under Grant at Vicksburg and Chattanooga. Grant had every confidence in Sherman, and that confidence would soon be rewarded. From Tennessee, Sherman marched into Georgia, attacking Atlanta. By September, his forces had captured the city. From there, he started his “March to the Sea.” As his forces crossed Georgia from Atlanta to Savanna, they left a path of total destruction

60 miles wide and 300 miles long. They dismantled rail lines, burned bridges, flattened factories, and burned fields and stores.

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turned to the Carolinas, wreaking even more havoc. Stage 3 of the Anaconda Plan was complete.

Game PointBy Christmas of 1864, the mighty squeeze of the Anaconda Plan

was wringing the life out of the Confederacy. There was only one item left on the Union checklist, capturing Richmond, Virginia—the

In a message to the Lincoln, Sherman offered Savannah to the President as a Christmas present. To Southerners, Sherman was more Satan than Santa. The vast and utter destruction Sherman caused, broke the South’s spirit. They saw now that the situation was hopeless. From there, Sherman

Confederate capital. As head of all Union forces, Grant had assigned himself that job.

Along the way, Grant fought many battles. First was the brutal Wilderness Campaign, then a fierce fight at Spotsylvania Court House. After that, the Battle of Cold Harbor began. At one point, Grant lost 60,000 soldiers in a month! Yet, the Butcher kept shoving meat into the grinder, knowing that enemy was also taking heavy losses, losses that the South couldn’t afford.

Grant’s first attempt to take Richmond was unsuccessful. Undeterred, Grant attacked Petersburg, the rail center that supplied the Confederate capital. Grant was a master at starving out the enemy. With the Union controlling nearly all roads in and out of Richmond, President Jefferson Davis and his Cabinet fled south on the last remaining rail line. General Lee was forced to abandon the capital to save his army. In an act of defiance, they set fire to their own capital, before evacuating. Grant took Richmond without a fight.

13The capture of Richmond on April 2, 1865, was the first in a series of monumental events, occurring in a two-week span, that would bring this American Tragedy to a climatic end. On April 9, Grant tracked Lee to Appomattox Court House (a town, not a building), Virginia. Lee’s troops were starving and outnumbered 10 to 1. Lee made one last desperate charge to break through Grant’s troops and escape. This time he couldn’t get away. At the McLean House, Robert E. Lee, surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant. As word spread, the country, and the world would learn of the South’s defeat. The Civil War was over.

A theater actor ambushed the President in his luxury box, shooting Lincoln in the head. Lincoln died the next day. He was the first President to be assassinated.

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Still, one actor missed the curtain call. On April 14, Abraham Lincoln attended a performance of the play, Our American Cousin, at Ford’s Theater. After four long years of war and hardships, Lincoln deserved a night out. He’d survived the Civil War, and a re-election campaign in a divided nation. He’d encouraged Americans not to “swap horses in the middle of the stream,” the previous year, when his old military leader, George McClellan, unsuccessfully ran against him. Lincoln, however, wouldn’t live to see the end of the performance.

The book closed on the Civil War. The country had been saved, slavery would soon be gone for good, but over 600,000 lives had been sacrificed, and the nation would have to move forward without their leader. All the good that came out of the War had come at an extraordinary price. Perhaps that was why those 3 famed Senators of North, of South, and West had fought so hard to avoid it.