Unit 9 = The Crisis of the Union, 1860-1865
I. Questions
A. Was the Civil War inevitable?
B. Other countries abolished slavery with the stroke of a pen, why couldn’t America do this?
C. Could America have survived ½ free and ½ slave for a prolonged time?
D. Was the Lincoln’s election the cause of the Civil War?
E. Did extremists cause the Civil War?
F. Was a northern victory over the south inevitable?
G. Was the Civil War a war of northern aggression or a war of southern stupidity?
II. How could Lincoln’s 1st days as President be summarized?
A. What did Lincoln inherit?
the DSA (DisUnited States of America) as President Buchanan did nothing but his wait and see policy on secession saying any action by him to bring the south back was unconstitutional.
1. 7 southern states already had seceded = SC, Missip, Fl, Ala, Georgia, Louis, Tx.
2. 8 more states indecisive teetering back and forth on secession
* Ken, Del, Mary, and Missouri
* Vir, NC, Tenn, and Ark
B. What did Lincoln state in his Inaugural address?
The Civil War will only start through southern aggression and that he would not recognize the
Confederate States of America as a separate nation. He said secession was impractical as the north and south were geographical Siamese twins and it was unconstitutional.
C. What were Lincoln’s choices?
* let the south secede or fight the south to restore the Union of America
* a cloud of doom seemed to have encompassed America and most Americans in both the
north and south opposed war in 1860.
D. What was the attitude of European countries that Lincoln had to deal with?
* anxious and ready to defy the Monroe Doctrine as America occupied by a Civil War
* Britain especially wanted to weaken America’s hold on the western hemisphere
* Lincoln’s Secretary of State suggested America declare war on Spain and France to get the
south to rejoin the Union but Lincoln rejected the idea
III. Where did the Civil War start?
FORT SUMTER on April 12, 1861
A. South seized US federal forts and other federal property after President Buchanan refused to
surrender them to the south and Fort Sumter one of last forts still under US control.
B. CSA President Jefferson Davis orders the taking of Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC and tells General
Beauregard to prepare for an attack
C. Northern Major Anderson stationed at Fort Sumter asks Lincoln for reinforcements
D. Lincoln’s choices:
* send no reinforcements and appear weak validating the CSA as a nation
* send reinforcements and appear as the aggressor which could provoke south to attack
* Lincoln chose to send only food supplies because he did not want to start the war and he
feared other states might also secede
E. CSA (South) saw Lincoln’s choice as an act of aggression so Davis orders Beauregard to attack fort
* Major Anderson surrenders the fort after a 34 hour bombardment
* Lincoln lost the fort but did attain his goal of not starting the war
IV. What was Lincoln’s War Declaration?
This war now declared is to save the UNION not to free the slaves.
A. Lincoln worried about losing more states to the CSA
B. Lincoln worried about losing support for the war in the North as many southern sympathizers
called Copperheads existed in states like Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and others.
(numerous northerners also willing to let the south go in peace departing the Union)
C. Lincoln called for volunteers for war and 75,000 come forward to fight and then Lincoln started a
Naval blockade of the south which brought about the following:
* 4 more states join the CSA = Ark, Vir, NC, Tenn
* mountain whites of Vir secede from Vir to form West Virginia in June 1861
* CSA moved capital from Montgomery, Alabama to Richmond Virginia
(capitals of north and south now only 100 miles apart approx.)
* both north and south rush to prepare for war with supplies, weapons, troops
D. Questions about Lincoln?
* What kind of abolitionist was he?
* If south would have rejoined the Union would Lincoln have let the south keep slaves?
* Why didn’t Lincoln say the war was about slavery?
* Did Lincoln care more about ending slavery than he portrayed?
* Did Lincoln believe the North could lose the war especially if more states seceded?
* Was Lincoln a coward for saying the war was about preserving the Union?
* Could Lincoln and Davis done more to avoid the attack on Fort Sumter and the Civil War?
E. The Civil War would bring the following:
* brother v. brother, friend v. friend, Billy Yank v. Johnny Reb
*approx. 600,000 killed and 1 million injured
- medical practices at time horrible and primitive
- diseases like typhoid responsible for many deaths)
*a renewed enthusiasm for those involved in the radical abolitionist reform movement
V. What was the importance of the Border States?
Ken, Missouri, Del, Maryland
A. Kentucky = Lincoln said it was paramount that the Union keep Kentucky because of its many
rivers. He also stated that keeping Kentucky was more important that having God on the
Union side.
B. Maryland = Lincoln imposed martial law in Maryland where needed to keep the national capital
of DC from being cut off from the Union. The PINKERTON Detectives were hired to protect
Lincoln from the many copperheads and the detectives even had Lincoln dress as a woman to
avoid trouble.
C. Missouri = Lincoln deployed troops to keep parts of Missouri from seceding as fighting was
constant between supporters of the south and north
D. Delaware = Lincoln not worried about Delaware as only few slaves present in the pro Union state
E. other reasons demonstrating importance of Border States:
* population of south would increase
* industrial capability of south would increase
* number of horses and mules for south would increase
* opportunities for travel and transport of south would increase
F. Summary = Lincoln treaded lightly with border states especially Mary and Ken
VI. What were the advantages of the north and of the south?
A. Southern advantages:
* fighting a defensive war (only had to fight the war to a draw)
* fighting on their own soil
* many southerners used to riding horses and firing weapons
* fighting for its way of life and states’ rights (slavery)
* superior generals like General Lee and General Jackson
* Britain’s dependency on southern cotton
B. Southern disadvantages:
* limited industry and railroads
* weak economy and soaring inflation (printed an abundance of paper money not backed by
gold or silver)
* smaller population = 9 million and of that appox 4 million were slaves
* Britain had a large inventory of cotton during the war and more in need of northern grain
than southern cotton
* huge weakness was the states rights mentality of the CSA. President Davis had his hands
tied when states like NC and Georgia refused send money or give troops for the war effort.
Davis resorted to big government which led to deeper problems for the south.
C. Northern advantages:
* 3/4’s of nations wealth
* 3/4’s of nations rail roads
* 2/3’s of nations food
* 4/5’s of nations industry
* population of 22 million and 3 times more men of fighting age
* leadership of Lincoln
* healthy economy despite the Panic of 1857
D. Northern disadvantages:
* copperheads
* those in north only willing to preserve Union not willing to fight to end slavery
* inept Generals
* ill prepared troops initially
* border states
* Britain’s aid and possible alliance with the south
E. Prognosis of war
* if quick war then the south has a reasonable chance of winning
* if long war then the south little chance of winning
(Was a northern victory over the south inevitable?)
Women in the war:
* south = became leaders of the house
* north = found opportunities in factories and in nursing like Clara Barton and Dorthea Dix
VII. Was Lincoln a Tyrant or an effective leader in a time of war?
A. Lincoln an autocratic or a democratic President or both?
B. Did Lincoln over step his bounds as President in the following:
* use of troops to intimidate voters in the border states
* restriction of the freedom of the press and civil liberties
* suspension of habeas corpus putting people in jail who were against the war effort and the
draft like former Ohio politician Clement Vallandigham who Lincoln 1st banished to Canada
and then to the CSA as a copperhead and traitor.
* without the consent of Congress did the following:
- increased the Army
- created a blockade
- allocated federal money to those helping the military effort
(in Lincoln’s defense Congress was not in session and he felt he needed to act quickly)
C. Does extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures?
Lincoln expanded the government and ran the country differently in war than in peace
VIII. How did the north blockade the south?
A. resorted to concentrating on blockading major ports and inlets like Charleston and Savannah
because covering the over 3500 miles of southern coastline was impractical.
B. goal of blockade to keep goods from other countries from getting to the south
C. 1st successful blockade of the Carolinas
D. southern blockade runners breaking the blockade as they met countries like Britain in the
Bahamas to pick up war goods. The risk high but so was the profit (up to 700% return)
E. North created the Doctrine of Ultimate Destination where the north could seize any foreign ship
in the Atlantic because goods on those ships likely going to the south.
(Britain not like it but accepted it)
F. the south threatened the blockade by reconditioning a northern ship called the Merrimac into an
ironclad ship called the Virginia. The Merrimac/Virginia sunk wooden northern ships the USS
Cumberland and USS Congress threatening to break the northern blockade. The north then built
its own ironclad ship called the Monitor. The two ironclads fought to draw in the Chesapeake Bay
but they helped revolutionize naval warfare.
G. the south also created the short lived submarine which became the 1st submarine to sink an
enemy ship. The Hunley sank the USS Housatonic.
H. Summary of blockade = huge impact on the south keeping essential food and weapons from the
south and when the north led by Admiral Farragut captured New Orleans the south lost its access
of the Mississippi River in the Gulf of Mexico.
IX. What were the foreign problems that Lincoln faced?
A. France sent Maximilian to Mexico to set up a puppet regime controlled by France breaking the
Monroe Doctrine in 1863. America after the war sent troops to remove him & did so successfully.
B. British meddling on behalf of the south through industrialist companies nicknamed John Bull
* Trent Affair 1861 = a Union warship stopped a British ship carrying two CSA diplomats by
by force. The British responded by sending troops to Canada to aid the south but Lincoln
apologized and the affair ended thanks largely to US diplomat Charles Adams
* Alabama 1862 = British built ship that became the most successful southern commerce
raider in war capturing over 60 northern vessels led by Captain Semmes until captured
off the coast of France.
* Laird Rams 1863 = British building two southern ironclad warships called Laird Rams until
Charles Adams (US Diplomat to Britain) convinced Britain to stop
C. Canadian relations with the US extremely poor as some Canadians aiding the south and raiding
northern cities in Vermont for example
D. Indian relations = 5 Civilized Tribes support the CSA while many plains Indians support the north
X. What were some of the significant Civil War battles?
A. 1st Bull Run (July 1861) = north and south both clamoring for war and both believed the war
would be over in 90 days and the boys would be home by Christmas. The occasion was like a
sporting event with people on both sides observing the battle scene. The north had many who
who were enjoying a picnic during the battle. The goal of the north led by General McDowell
was to take the southern capital of Richmond. The south led by Stonewall Jackson forced the
north to retreat leading to a southern victory. After the battle the north realized they were
unprepared and inexperienced while the south became overconfident. Both sides realized it
would not be a quick war and Lincoln fired McDowell.
B. the Peninsula Campaign or 7 Days Battle = Lincoln orders his new General McClellan nicknamed
“tardy” George to attack Richmond. McClellan reluctantly begins the attack. General Lee sends
Stonewall Jackson to the Shenandoah Valley as a decoy to DC and then counterattacks McClellan
driving his forces back to the sea in a southern victory. Lincoln fired McClellan and then begins
drafting the Emancipation Proclamation stating the war will now end only after slavery is gone in
the south. Prior to this battle Lincoln willing to allow the south to keep its slaves if come back into
the Union. Lincoln also plans for TOTAL WAR in his ANACONDA PLAN. The Anaconda Plan would
suffocate the south by creating blockades, undermining the southern economy by liberating the
slaves, cutting the south in half by controlling the Mississippi River, and by taking Richmond.
Basically attack the south everywhere grinding them down into submission.
C. Battle of Shiloh (April 1862) = in the western arena the south attacks the north led by General
Grant to stop him from his advance of controlling all of the Mississippi River but they fail.
D. 2nd Bull Run (August 1862) = the north attempts to take Richmond again led by General Pope.
South General Lee again repels the attack in a southern victory and Lincoln fired Pope. Lee
seeking foreign recognition and more northern supporters like copperheads plans to invade the
north.
E. Battle of Antietam (Sept. 1862) = the bloodiest day battle of the war. Lee’s plans to invade the
north discovered by General McClellan but he was still not able to defeat Lee’s forces as the
battles ends in a draw largely because McClellan did not pursue Lee. Lincoln after the battle
issued the Emancipation Proclamation and fired McClellan again. Now that the war was over
ending slavery Britain and France likely in no way to ally with the south or recognize the CSA.
The Emancipation Proclamation:
It was not a law just a proclamation made by Lincoln. It freed the slaves in the CSA
But it left slaves in the Border States and territories still in bondage. It strengthened
the moral cause of the north while weakening that of the south. It led to many
northern desertions not willing to fight to end slavery. It foreshadowed the end of
slavery and end of any chance for foreign recognition by European countries. It led to
many slaves running away.
F. Battle of Fredericksburg (Dec. 1862) = the north attempts again to take Richmond led by General
Burnside. Lee’s forces were well dug in on a mountain ridge but against sound advice Burnside
over a dozen frontal attacks on the south resulting in a disastrous northern defeat. Lincoln fired
Burnside.
G. Battle of Chancellorsville (May 1863) = Northern General Hooker in pursuit of Lee’s forces and
Lee divides his forces and attacks Hooker surprising him and defeats the north handily. Lincoln
fired Hooker. Unfortunately for the south General Stonewall Jackson killed by friendly fire after
the battle. Lee decides again to go on the offensive attacking the north to get foreign recognition
and more northern supporters.
H. Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863) = an accidental meeting turns into a 3 day battle. Lee attacking
the flanks of the north at Little Round Top but led by Colonel Chamberlain the north holds. Lee
then ordered an attack in the center of the northern forces thinking that the north had taken
many troops from the center to reinforce the flanks. The center attack became known as
Pickett’s charge where ½ of Pickett’s regiment never returned. It was the farthest north the south
ever got but it failed miserably. Northern General Meade wins the battle but fails to pursue Lee.
Lincoln fired Meade and issued the Gettysburg Address. The battle was the turning point of the
war and doomed the south.
I. Battle of Vicksburg (May 1863) = last city on Mississippi River in southern control and Grant
starves out the city in a victory in the western arena. Lincoln then appoints Grant the commander
of the entire northern army. The battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg doom the south.
J. Grant in 1864 went on constant attacks of the south and although heavy casualties not winning
each battle through the war of attrition he inflicted heavy losses on the south that they could