“Civil War”
Part 1- Sections 1&2
NarratorAbraham Lincoln General Burnside
Robert E. LeeGeneral George McClellan General Meade
General Thomas JacksonGeneral McDowell Northerner
Major Robet AndersonWinfield Scott
Jefferson DavisUnion Soldier
Confederate SoldierGeneral John Pope
George PickettGeneral Hooker
SouthernerGeneral Beauregard
Narrator- After Abraham Lincoln took over as President in 1861 he addressed the nation about the condition the country was in. South Carolina had already seceded from the nation and Lincoln was determined to get it back.
Abraham Lincoln- Southerners are our fellow countrymen. I do not desire to have a war. My only desire is that we keep the union together. I am not an abolitionist and have absolutely no intention of ending slavery. I want to make it clear that the federal government intends to keep all of its property in the south.
Major Robert Anderson- President Lincoln, I write you this message from FortSumter in South Carolina. I fear that the southerners are going to try to take the fort from us. I am requesting you to send more soldiers and weapons.
Lincoln-I do not want to send any soldiers because it will look like I am in favor of a war. I hope to solve this crisis in a peaceful manner. I hope to reunite the United States without any loss of life, however I will send supplies to FortSumter incase the Confederates do attack.
General Beauregard- I am a Confederate general. All land in South Carolina now belongs to the Confederate States of America. This includes FortSumter, which is occupied by Union troops. If they do not leave we will have to attack. We are going to surround the fort with soldiers and cannons. I demand Major Anderson to surrender.
Anderson-I will not surrender. This fort is property of the federal government and it will not be given up.
General Beauregard- I have news that Lincoln is sending supplies for the Union soldiers inside FortSumter. I think Lincoln wants to start a war. We will not wait for the supplies to arrive. I am ordering an attack on FortSumter.
Narrator- On the second day of the bombing a union soldier came out of the fort with a white surrender flag. Not a single person had been killed but the Confederates celebrated by raising their flag at FortSumter. President Lincoln soon heard this news in WashingtonD.C.
Lincoln-The Confederates have taken over FortSumter. They have started a war that I had hoped we could avoid. We have to request volunteers to fight. I am guessing that victory will be ours within two weeks. The south does not have the will to fight.
Jefferson Davis- As the President of the Confederate States of America I am requesting the help of 100,000 men who want to preserve our independence from the United States. They are planning to come to the south and fight to force us to remain part of their country. I expect that if we get enough volunteers we will win this war very quickly.
Narrator- After news spread to other southern states that Lincoln planned to send troops to South Carolina for a war many of them decided to secede. Virginia, North Carolina, Arkansas, and Tennessee seceded from the Union soon after the Confederates took over FortSumter. The state of Virginia broke in two because half the state wanted to secede and half didn’t want to. The new part was named West Virginia. They favored the north while Virginia favored the Confederacy and seceding.
Jefferson Davis- I want to move the capital of the Confederate States to Richmond, Virginia. I think this would be the best place for it. It is close to Maryland, which is a slave holding state that has not seceded. My hope is that Maryland will secede because it is so close to WashingtonD.C. If Maryland secedes then the capital of the Union might fall as well.
Lincoln-It is very important that we keep Maryland from seceding. I am going to send military troops there to make sure that the people don’t favor the south. If Maryland secedes we will lose the capital of WashingtonD.C. Our capital is only 100 miles away from the Confederate capital in Richmond.
Southerner- We need to fight to preserve our way of life. The north is trying to end the way we live just like we knew Lincoln would do. We have an advantage in this war because it is being fought on our own soil. We know the land better than the troops from the north. We also have more to fight for than they do.
Northerner- We need to fight to save the country like President Lincoln said. If we move now the war will be over soon. The south doesn’t have the factories they need to make weapons. They also don’t have as many railroads as we have so they cannot move troops or supplies as quickly as we can. We also have the south outnumbered so it will be impossible for us to lose.
Lincoln-I am putting General Winfield Scott in charge of the Union armies. I believe that he has developed a plan that will help us win this war in a short amount of time. Mr. Scott, could you please share your plan with us?
Winfield Scott- My strategy to winning the war has three parts. If we succeed in these three parts the war will not last long. First off I think we have to block the Confederate ports so no ship will be allowed to bring them supplies. This will include everything they need to make their economy work. Second, we have to take control of the Mississippi River. This will cut off their other supply line. They won’t be able to move troops or supplies up or down the river. The final thing we need to do is take over their capital city of Richmond. In war, when one side loses their most important city they often surrender. If we can take Richmond the war will surely come to an end.
Narrator- In July of 1861 the confederates under General Beauregard camped along a Virginia stream called Bull Run. This worried President Lincoln because it was near WashingtonD.C. He feared an attack on the capital and under the advice of General Scott he sent General Irvin McDowell to Bull Run to meet the Confederates.
General Scott- We need to attack the Confederates at Bull Run and push them back away from our capital city. If we defeat them here the war might be over.
General McDowell- I am ordering a charge of our 31,000 troops across Bull Run. There are 35,000 Confederate troops waiting for us and we need to push them back.
General Thomas Jackson- I am a general of the Confederate army. We need to hold our ground at Bull Run. I will not retreat no matter what.
Narrator- While Jackson stood in the middle of a bullet shower from the Union the Confederate troops were getting pushed back until they saw the courage of their leader. From that point on the Battle at Bull Run turned in the favor of the Confederates.
Confederate Soldier- Jackson is standing there like a stone wall. We cannot retreat! We must fight back against the Union if we want to win this war.
General McDowell- The Union army is getting pounded! The Confederates are much stronger than we thought. We need to retreat back to WashingtonD.C.
Narrator- Thomas Jackson would no longer ever be called by his first name Thomas but because of the bravery he showed his men he earned the nickname “Stonewall Jackson” and his place in history. The Confederates had won the first major battle of the war and President Lincoln was so upset he got rid of General Scott and called on General George McClellan to lead the Union army. He was known for his excellent ability to train soldiers but he had his downfalls as well.
Jefferson Davis- I believe that it is important to have very good military generals for this war. They are the ones who will make the important decisions on the battlefield. I would like to choose Albert S. Johnston and Robert E. Lee to lead my armies.
Lincoln-I would like Ulysses (you-liss-ees) S. Grant and Robert E. Lee to lead my armies. I no longer wish to have General Scott leading my armies. He has a good plan for winning the war but he is much too strict for our soldiers. He cannot handle their inexperience.
Robert E. Lee- President Lincoln, although I am not a slaveholder and I don’t believe that succeeding was the right thing for southern states to do I cannot fight for your army. My entire family and my home are in the south and I need to protect them. I am going to fight with the Confederate States.
Lincoln-Because Robert E. Lee will not join my army I will have George McClellan lead one of our armies. General McClellan is very good at training soldiers, which is what we need because most of the soldiers in this war have no fighting experience.
General McClellan- I believe we need to go after the third part of General Scott’s plan right away. We need to take over the Confederate capital city at Richmond, Virginia. It is way to close to WashingtonD.C. and if we can take it over then the Confederates will probably surrender.
Narrator- McClellan left with 100,000 troops for Richmond and won a few small battles along the way against small Confederate armies. He came within 6 miles of Richmond when he was surprised.
Robert E. Lee- The Union army is coming to try to take our capital. We have to push them back before they get here. I want my entire army of 95,000 men to attack the Union army outside of Richmond. I am ordering an immediate attack.
General McClellan- We have been taken over by a large Confederate army. I have underestimated their strength. We need to retreat!
Narrator- McClellan retreats and his army stops when they get 25 miles away from Richmond. They stay there resting while President Lincoln pushes for them to resume the attack on Richmond. McClellan, again however, refused to attack every time he had the chance.
Lincoln-That darned McClellan! He’s a coward! He needs to send his army back to Richmond. That city is part of our plan to win the war. He doesn’t realize the importance in capturing that city. If he won’t do it himself I will have to get him help. I am ordering forces under General John Pope to meet up with McClellan and his army at Bull Run. From there they can go together to Richmond.
Robert E. Lee- I have heard that Lincoln has ordered for McClellan’s men to meet with another army led by John Pope at Bull Run. If we can beat them there we can fight each army separately. We have to move quickly!
General John Pope- I am waiting for McClellan’s army to get here but I don’t think they are going to arrive before General Lee’s army does. I know they are on their way and will be here any minute. They have us outnumbered.
Narrator- General Lee’s forces arrive at Bull Run and attack Pope’s Union army. The Union army is outnumbered because McClellan failed to arrive on time. They are forced to retreat back to WashingtonD.C.
General Lee- We have the Union on the run. I think if we follow them to WashingtonD.C. and take their capital we can get them to surrender. We will surely be able to convince our French and British allies that we are fighting a winnable war and they will come to our aid. They will fight on our side because we provide them with so much cotton and other resources that we produce in the south. I am taking 45,000 soldiers into Maryland. I will split my forces and have Stonewall Jackson go to capture the arsenal at Harper’s Ferry.
Narrator- The Union army was hot on the trails of General Lee but didn’t know if they could defeat such a large force until one of the Union soldiers found out that Lee had split his army in two.
Union Soldier- General McClellan, you have to see what I just found. It was lying here on the ground where the Confederates had camped in recent nights.
McClellan- What is it? It looks like three cigars wrapped together.
Union Soldier- There is a note around it sir. I think you will want to read it. It tells of the Confederates plans.
McClellan- The Confederates have split their army. One army is heading to Harper’s Ferry and the other is going to try to take WashingtonD.C. Now we have them outnumbered. We should attack now but I’m not sure the time is right.
Narrator- Although General McClellan had the chance to attack he once again chose to wait. It wasn’t long before Robert E. Lee learned that McClellan knew his army had split apart.
Robert E. Lee- General McClellan will want to fight us while our army is split. He probably thinks that we will run but I think we should stay here and fight him so we can continue on to the United States’ capital at WashingtonD.C.
McClellan- The time has come. I am ordering my army of 90,000 men to attack the Confederates under Robert E. Lee at Antietam (ant-eat-um) Creek in Maryland. We have to force them farther away from our capital.
Narrator- The fighting lasts for one day. It is the single bloodiest day of the entire Civil War. More than 26,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in the one day of fighting.
General Lee- We cannot afford to lose any more soldiers. I am ordering a retreat. We will have to disappear into Virginia.
McClellan- We cannot follow the retreating army. We have had too much damage of our own to continue on after them. We need to regroup and prepare for more fighting. We accomplished our goal of sending them farther away from the capital.
Abraham Lincoln- The time has come for me to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. We entered this war with the goal of keeping the Union together. That was our ONLY goal. I did not intend to end slavery. I still have not changed my goals. I am however, emancipating, or freeing all slaves that live in the southern states that have succeeded from the Union. The emancipation will go into effect on January 1st unless the southern states decide to rejoin the Union.
Intermission- Mr. Paul’s Questions:
- Why did Lincoln wait until after the Battle at Antietam to issue the Emancipation Proclamation?
- What were the 2 main reasons that he issued the Emancipation Proclamation?
- What did the Emancipation Proclamation do?
- Is Abraham Lincoln an Abolitionist? Why or Why not?
Jefferson Davis- We will never surrender to you and join the Union again. You cannot scare us by your proclamation. You cannot control slaves that don’t even exist in your country. The only reason you are doing this is because you know you will lose the war and you want us to rejoin the Union. That is the only way you will avoid losing this war.
Abraham Lincoln- I am also going to allow for African Americans to fight in the war for the Union. You have a chance to fight for your brothers and sisters in the south who are bonded in slavery.
Narrator- Over 200,000 African Americans join the war but they face racism in the Union army. Most of them never see the battlefield but are used only to dig trenches, cook, pull wagons, and other laboring jobs. The African American armies were almost always led by white men. The most famous one was the 54th Massachusetts Volunteers. They were remembered for their brave fighting.
Abraham Lincoln- I am tired of having a coward for a General leading our armies. General McClellan has waited six weeks since the Battle of Antietam and he has not pursued General Lee’s army. He has given them time to grow and get stronger. I must replace him with General Ambrose Burnside.
General Burnside- We have to get back to our main plan and go after Richmond, Virginia. I still believe that if we can take over their capital city we can end the war shortly.
General Lee- The Union army is finally coming for us. We will wait in Fredericksburg, Virginia so they don’t have a chance to get to Richmond. They will have to cross our path first.
General Burnside- There is the Confederate army. They are across the river. Let’s get over there and fight them.
Narrator- General Lee was ready and waiting for the Union forces. He had built his army up to 73,000 soldiers. They held off the Union forces for several weeks.
General Burnside- We are not moving the Confederates back at all. Both sides are losing too many men. We have to retreat and set up a new plan. I am ordering for our army to retreat. I have been a failure and I wish to resign. I will no longer be in charge of the Union army.
Abraham Lincoln- I am replacing General Burnside with General Joseph Hooker. I want him to go after Robert E. Lee’s forces.
General Hooker- We have to go after the Confederates in Chancellorsville, Virginia. That is where I believe Robert E. Lee has taken his troops. I am ordering for our army to attack him there.
General Lee- The Union soldiers are attacking us again. We will have to defeat them once again. Oh no! Stonewall Jackson has been hit. He looks to be hurt. Are you okay?