Chapter 15
The Civil War
Section 1: The Call to Arms
· both Northerners & Southerners were sure they’re side would win
· It would be a QUICK VICTORY
· They were WRONG!
Union President: Abraham Lincoln
Confederate President: Jefferson Davis
* South Carolina – 1st state to secede
On April 17th, Lincoln’s “call for troops” led many southern states to secede.
States that seceded:
· Virginia
· Arkansas
· Tennessee
· North Carolina
Border States: southern slave states that did not secede; they stayed in the
Union
· Delaware
· Kentucky
· Maryland
· Missouri
- At first, Kentucky was neutral (not favoring either side)
- In Maryland, people who sided with the south destroyed railroad and telegraph lines.
- Lincoln placed Maryland under martial law (rule in which the military is in charge & citizens’ rights are suspended.
Advantages of the North and South
North / South· a lot of factories to make war supplies
· twice as much railroads as the south
· twice as much farmland (food)
· larger population to fight
· with more resources able to field, feed, and equip larger armies. / · fighting on own land; knew the land; HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE
· experienced military officers
· top 3 generals: Robert E. Lee, Albert Johnston, & Joseph Johnston
· more experienced soldiers
· had EVERYTHING to lose
Strategies to win the war
North / South· navy blockaded southern seaports
(Lincoln hoped to cut off South’s supply of manufactured goods and block overseas sale of cotton) / · did not need to invade north
· defend their land until north got tired of fighting
· hoping for help from Great Britain
· gain control of the Mississippi River
(this was South’s major transportation link)
· invade Virginia
· seize Richmond, the Confederate capital
A Soldier’s Life
· camp conditions terrible
· lack of clean water HUGE health threat
· many died of diseases (small pox and typhoid fever)
· ½ of men to sick to fight
· in Prison camps, many died from starvation or exposure to harsh conditions
Section 2: Early Years of the War
New Technology in the War
· rifles and cannons more accurate
· greater range than muskets and artillery
· guns loaded faster
· attacking army could be bombarded before it arrived
· Ironclad ships: warships protected with iron plates
o Ex.) Merrimack and the Monitor
NORTHERN Generals:
George McClellan – a good organizer, but very cautious
Ulysses Grant – took to many chances (not a planner), but in command of Northern Forces
The Emancipation Proclamation
· brought the issue of slavery into the war
· freed enslaved people only in areas that were fighting in the Union
(did not apply to parts of the South already under Union control).
· freed a few slaves at first
· now a reason for North to fight to END SLAVERY
· Battle of Antietam:
· Antietam Creek, Sharpsburg Maryland on September 1862
· Bloodiest day of the Civil War
· Lee forced to pull army back into Virginia
· North claimed victory
Battle of Shiloh:
By 1862, Union forces had control of most of the Mississippi River
· Union forced Confederate Army to withdraw from the railroad center
· Union forces gained control of the Mississippi River
· By end of summer most of river under Union’s control