Name ______
A Summary of the Civil War (1861-1865)
Introduction: The War Begins
In the Election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln, an abolitionist from Illinois, was elected President. Eleven Southern states, angered by Lincoln's election, since no electoral votes had come from the south, seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. The CSA had its own Constitution and even elected a president themselves, Jefferson Davis. Tension between the Union and the Confederacy (which the Union did not acknowledge the existence of) reached a boiling point when the Confederacy attacked a Union base at Fort Sumter, South Carolina in April of 1861. This marked the beginning of the Civil War. The stated goal of the Union (the North) was complex: they had to bring the seceding states back into the Union while fighting them to the point where death and destruction might, and would happen. The goal of the Confederacy, (the South) was less complex: they wished to keep the northern troops out of their territory and survive until the Union decided to grant them their independence or tire of the war effort.
Each side had some advantages at the start of the war. The Confederacy had better military leadership, quite a bit of saved money from cotton production, a strong military tradition, and highly motivated soldiers. In general, Southerners felt oppressed by the north and therefore had more of an obvious goal and cause. The Union had stronger political leaders, more resources and factories, and a higher population (thus more soldiers). In general, the cause was less obvious for northern soldiers since they would have felt less oppressed by the federal government or laws than southerners had felt.
Early in the war: the Confederacystarts strong
The Confederacy had more success early in the war. With strong generals like Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson, they won battles such as Forth Sumter, Bull Run, and Chancellorsville. The wide use of the rifles and mass production of weaponry made for bloody battles with high casualties for both sides. Medical treatment was not very advanced at this time, causing casualties going even higher. Amputations were common and were completed with little or no anesthesia. Infection became common, and antibiotics were unknown.
Later in the war: the Union begins to take control
Around 1863, the tide of the war started to turn in favor of the Union. Lincoln replaced General McClellan as director of the war effort, and appointed Ulysses S. Grant as the head of Union forces. He planned and led victories in significant battles such as Gettysburg and Vicksburg. In 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which changed the purpose of the war from simply keeping the nation together to a greater goal of forever ending slavery in the United States. This had significant effects. Several free and freed African Americans joined the army or worked to help the cause. African American regiments such as the 54th from Massachusetts became famous for their bravery. Foreign nations were forced to reassess their thoughts about which side to support as the Confederacy now was clearly (to outsiders at least) the side that were fighting for slavery instead of for any of the other causes such as states’ rights or unequal tax distribution. Stonewall Jackson was killed after Chancellorville, taking away one of the Confederacy’s most important generals. As the war progressed, the Confederacy began to suffer in all phases of warfare, because of their lack of both population, and economic diversification. They reached a breaking poing where they were dangerously short of both manpower and resources.
End of the war
In 1864, The Confederacy began to realize they could not win the war. Although they were still winning some battles and a majority of the population claimed to still have a strong desire to continue, it became apparent that physically, they could no longer compete. The Union had repelled the Confederacy’s best efforts to attack the north, culminating in the Battle of Gettysburg. The surplus of people and resources that the Union possessed seemed to be insurmountable. Potential aid from foreign powers did not come as the Confederacy had desired. The north had not become as frustrated or as passive as the Confederacy had anticipated. In fact, much of the warfare had shifted toward offensive and destructive actions in the South such as the march to Atlanta by Sherman. The land and population of much of the south had been decimated. General Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia in 1865.
Post War
The war ended with approximately 620,000 Americans dead. The year of the War’s end, the 13th Amendment was passed, freeing all slaves and banning slavery in the United States. Four million slaves were now free. President Lincoln was assassinated, leaving Andrew Johnson as the new president. What would happen to the millions of now free former slaves? How would the country put itself back together after a four year civil war? These were the main questions facing the United States at the death of Lincoln.
Assignments
1. In the space below, summarize each of the five sections in two sentences each. Your summary sentences should be broad and cover the main subject of the section. Each must be complete sentences.
Introduction: The War Begins
Early in the war: the South starts strong
Later in the war: the North begins to take control
End of the war
Post War
- Complete a Comparison Diagram of the goals and advantages that each side had going into the War.
- Define or ID each of the following. You can get some from the context, but for most you should use an outside resource
Election of 1860
Abolitionist
Abraham Lincoln
Electoral votes
Seceded
11 Southern States
Confederate States of America/ Confederacy
Jefferson Davis
Union
Fort Sumter
Robert E. Lee
Stonewall Jackson
Bull Run
Chancellorsville
Casualties
Amputations
Anesthesia
Antibiotics
McClellan
Ulysses S. Grant
Vicksburg
Emancipation Proclamation
Massachusetts 54th
Gettysburg
Sherman’s March
Appomattox
Assassination of Lincoln