The Civil War (1861-1865)

The War Begins

I. Intro
A. When Lincoln was inaugurated, he assured Southerners that he would no interfere with slavery,
but that no state had the right to break up the Union.
II. Fort Sumter
A. In response to Fort Sumter being cut off from supplies by South Carolina, Lincoln announced that
he was sending food to the garrison. South Carolina had the choice of permitting the convoy or
attacking, and they chose the latter, thus on April 12, 1861, the war began.
B. Lincoln used Executive power more than any previous president to call for 75,000 volunteers to
put down the insurrection, authorize spending for a war, and suspend the privilege of the writ of
habeas corpus.
III. Secession of the Upper South
A. Before the attack on Fort Sumter, only seven states of the Deep South had seceded. But then four
states of the Upper South seceded: Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas.
IV. Keeping the Border States in the Union
A. Four border states stayed in the Union. Kentucky voted to remain neutral. In Missouri, the
presence of U.S. troops prevented the pro-South elements from gaining control, and martial law in
Maryland kept it from seceding. Delaware also didn’t.
B. Losing these states would have increased the Confederate population by more than 50 percent.
V. Wartime Advantages
A. The Confederacy only had to fight a defensive war to win, while the Union had to conquer an area
as large as Western Europe. The Confederates also had shorter travel distances, a difficult to
blockade coast, and experienced military leaders. But the North had the advantage of a
significantly higher population, including immigrants and African Americans, and the support of
the US Navy.
B. The Union dominated the nation’s economy, controlling most banks, 85% of factories, 70% of
railroads, and 65% of the farmland. The South had to rely on demand for its cotton for support.
C. The Confederates needed a strong central government with strong public support, but had neither.
The North on the other hand had both.
VI. The Confederate States of America
A. The Confederate constitution was modeled after the U.S. Constitution, but provided six-year terms
and item vetos. Many states resisted centralization, and the Confederacy was short of money. Any
attempts at increasing funds failed, and inflation caused the Confederate dollar to be valued at two
cents.
First Years of a Long War: 1861-1862
I. First Battle of Bull Run
A. In the first major battle of the war, 30,000 federal troops marched from D.C. to attack Confederate
forces near Bull Run Creek in Virginia. Though the Union forces were winning, Confederate
reinforcements under General Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson counterattacked and routed the Union
Troops.
II. Union Strategy
A. General-in-Chief Winfield Scott, a veteran of the War of 1812 and the Mexican wars, devised a
three-part strategy for winning the war:
1. Use the U.S. Navy to blockade Southern ports (Anaconda Plan)
2. Take control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two
3. Raise and train an army 500,000 strong to conquer Richmond.
III. Peninsula Campaign
A. General McClellan, the new commander of the Union army in the East, finally invaded Virginia in
March 1862 after many delays for training. Despite this training, the army was routed by
Confederate General Robert E. Lee. After this McClellan was replaced by General John Pope.
IV. Second Battle of Bull Run
A. Lee took advantage of the change in generals to strike at the army in Northern Virginia, routing
the Union forces to Washington.
 V. Antietam
A. Following the victory at Bull Run, Lee led his army across the Potomac. But McClallen
intercepted him after being restored as general due to battle plans secured from a Confederate
officer. The Union intercepted the Confederate forces in Antietam Creek, Maryland. The bloodiest
single day of combat occured, in which more than 22,000 soldiers were wounded or killed.
B. Unable to break through Union lines, Lee’s army retreated to Virginia. After failing to follow him,
McCallen was removed for the final time.
VI. Fredericksburg
A. McClellan was replaced by general Burnside, who was significantly more reckless. In one of his
attacks, he lost 12,000 men while the Confederate forces only lost 5,000. New weaponry took
romanticism away from charging enemy positions.
VII. Monitor vs. Merrimac
A. The Union ironclad Monitor stopped the rampage of Confederate Ironclad Merrimac, and marked
the end of wooden ship supremacy.
VIII. Grant in the West
A. Grant was in charge of securing the Mississippi in the West, and achieved many victories using
superior maneuvering and use of gunboats.
Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy
I. Trent Affair
A. James Mason and John Slidell were travelling on a British steamer Trent, but it was stopped by a
Union ship and they were arrested. Britain demanded the diplomats be released, and Lincoln
obliged.
II. Confederate Raiders
A. The Confederates purchased raiding ships from Britain, which posed a serious threat to Union
merchant vessels. After the war, the British paid 15.5 million for damages caused by the raiders.
III. Failure of Cotton Diplomacy
A. Britain easily secured cotton from other sources in India and Egypt, which was one of many
reasons why the Confederacy failed to gain recognition.
The End of Slavery
I. Confiscation Acts
A. The Confiscation acts allowed the Union to seize Confederate war materials, which included
slaves. This encouraged many slaves to find their way to Union camps.
II. Emancipation Proclamation
A. The Proclamation was given on the first day of 1863, but only freed slaves in Confederate states,
not border states. But now the U.S. wasn’t fighting for the secession, they were fighting against
slavery.
III. Thirteenth Amendment
A. The Amendment outlawing slavery was passed in 1865, months after Lincoln’s death.
IV. Freedmen in the War
A. Over 200,000 slaves joined the Union Army after escaping from the South.
The Union Triumphs: 1863-1865
I. Turning Point
A. The Confederacy suffered two major losses at Vicksburg and Gettysburg.
II. Grant in Command
A. Grant’s strategy was to win the war through attrition, and he slowly wore down the Confederate
army and destroyed their supply lines.
III. The End of the War
A. Confederate forces faced widespread food shortages in the Winter of 1864-65, and this worsened
as Grant’s forces continued to flank the Confederate positions.
B. Lee was forced to surrender while he attempted to retreat from Richmond.
C. On April 14th, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, which through the Union into a fury at the
Confederacy.
Effects of the War on Civilian Life
I. Political Change
A. The electoral process stayed relatively normal through the war, and Republicans held a majority.
B. The draft was introduced, but quickly suspended after public outcry and 117 deaths in New York.
C. After the war, the supremacy of the federal government of the state government was established,
and wouldn’t be questioned again.
II. Economic Change
A. The Union primarily financed the war through a 2.6 billion dollar loan, but also raised tariffs and
issued currency not backed by gold.
B. Though workers’ wages didn’t keep up with inflation, the war greatly increased the manufacturing
base of the North.
III. Social Change
A. Women filled the job vacuum left by men leaving for war, and also played a key role in the war as
nurses and volunteer soldiers aids.
B. The war freed 4 million slaves, but economic and social hardships would continue for them for
decades.