Civil War Issues

Hard Life for Soldiers  Most soldiers were under the age of 21  North and South both had drafts that required men between to join armies  Armies drilled and marched for long hours  Slept on the ground in the rain and snow  New technology added to the horror of war – cone shaped bullets / improved cannons had deadly results  ¼ killed or wounded in most battles

Hard Life for Soldiers  Medical care on battlefield was crude and unsanitary  Surgeons amputated injured arms/legs  Minor wounds became infected  Diseases like pneumonia and malaria killed more men than guns or cannons  Prisoners of war (POWs) died of disease or starvation  Difficult life of soldiers led many to desert

Problems in the South  Union Navy blockades began to cause serious shortages in the South  Soldiers might wait for weeks for supplies of food and clothing  Ships known as blockade runners carried supplies in and out of Texas  Blockade runner – ships that slip past a blockade to deliver supplies  Blockades forced Texans to go without coffee, sugar, and paper during the war

Problems in the South  Most farmers switched from growing cotton to grain and raising livestock  Farmers donated crops and livestock  Confederate Quartermaster’s Clothing Bureau provided food, clothing and equipment for the army  War forced Texans to learn to make things for themselves – helped industry grow  Texas farms suffered less since most fighting was in other parts of the South

Unionists  Most Texans supported the Confederacy  Some Texans tried to remain loyal to the Union – they were called Unionists  Lived in the north part of Texas, had no slaves and relied on U.S. troops for help  Sam Houston retired from public life  Unionists in Gainesville protested the draft  150 men arrested in Gainesville and 40 of them hanged for treason  Called the “Great Hanging”

Gainesville Hangings

Emancipation Proclamation  Lincoln decided to emancipate (set free) slaves living in the Confederacy  Emancipation Proclamation changed the purpose of the war  The new goal was to save the Union AND NOW END SLAVERY  Proclamation was greeted with JOY by those against slavery  Emancipation Proclamation became official on January 1, 1863

Emancipation Proclamation

Union Victory at Gettysburg  General Robert E. Lee moved his troops to Pennsylvania hoping to surprise Union  Success in Pennsylvania would lead to capturing Washington, D.C.  The 3-day battle at Gettysburg was one of the most important battles in the war  Confederates were defeated and would never invade the North again  Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in war for the Union in July 1863

Battle of Gettysburg

Gettysburg Address  A ceremony was held November 19, 1863 to dedicate a cemetery in memory of the 50,000 soldiers that died at Gettysburg  Lincoln gave a speech reminding all Americans that their nation was founded on the belief that “all men are created equal”  Lincoln also said the Civil War would test whether or not a democratic nation could survive  Lincoln re-elected President in 1864

Gettysburg Address

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address  With malice (hatred) toward none, with charity for all...let us thrive on to...bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and…..to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves…  What does the speech show Lincoln believes about the South after the war?

Civil War Ends  Union General Ulysses S. Grant had called for “total war” on the Confederacy  Union General Sherman had destroyed railroads, factories, farms, bridges, livestock and supplies in Georgia  Grant trapped Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Virginia  Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia on April 9, 1865

Appomattox Court House

Battle of Palmito Ranch  News of Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Grant took weeks to reach Texas  On May 13, 1865, Union troops attacked but were defeated by Confederate forces at Palmito Ranch  Texan’s victory at Palmito Ranch changed nothing – army was told to disband  Confederate army and government leaders disappeared  Lincoln assassinated 5 days after the end of the war – Andrew Johnson in charge

Battle of Palmito Ranch

Lincoln’s Assassination

Andrew Johnson

Turning Point in History  The balance of power changed from Democrat to Republican  Americans began to think of the country as one nation rather than a confederation of states – the United States, not these United States  War put an end to slavery – both North and South began to think about what it meant to be free and equal  From a cruel and bitter war, the United States emerged a stronger, freer nation

Civil War Facts  More than 3 million fought in Civil War  More than 360,000 Union and 250,000 Confederate soldiers lost their lives  War cost $20 billion  Approximately 6,000 battles/skirmishes  300 women disguised themselves to fight  180,000 African Americans joined Union  3,000 Native Americans joined Union  Civil War was first war to be widely photographed