The Civil War Begins 1861-1862

Section 1: War Erupts To describe how fighting began at Fort Sumter To analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each side To explain each side’s basic strategy To summarize the results of the First Battle of Bull Run

First Shots at Fort Sumter Union = States Loyal to the United States Fort Sumter remained under federal control Lincoln had to make a decision If he resupplied the fort… If he order the troops out… Confederacy = States that seceded to form a new government in 1861 Confederates would attack Fort Sumter before the Union could resupply it Shelled the fort for 34 hours and started the Civil War on April 12Th

Lincoln Calls Out the Militia President Lincoln calls for a militia of 75,000 The North responds quickly and with enthusiasm The upper South not so much Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas join the Confederacy Particularly Virginia was a major loss for the north Large population Wealthy Robert E. Lee Why were the border states important?

Choosing Sides Both North and South knew that the border states (Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, & Missouri) would play a key role in the war Their location and resources were needed Pro-Union forces kept the states officially a part of the United States West Virginia would be formed at this time What were the strengths of each side?

Strengths and Weaknesses The Union – Abraham Lincoln 22 Million People About 85% of the Nations Production 2 times the railroad mileage Nearly all of the Navy The Confederates – Robert E. Lee 9 Million People (3.5 million were slaves) More experienced officers Defensive war What were southerners hoping for if they withheld cotton from the market?

Confederate Strategy At first it would be a defensive war “All we ask is to be let alone.” Davis Depended on King Cotton The South grew most of Europe's cotton Cotton was withheld in the hopes that it would force Europe nations into helping them fight… Europe had a surplus of cotton, and didn’t want to be involved Switch to demoralizing the North

The Union Strategy General Winfield Scott created the Anaconda Plan

Battle of Bull Run The Anaconda Plan would take time, many pushed for an immediate attack on the south In order to get to Richmond Virginia, Union troops had to defeat Confederates at Manassas. July 21, 1861 troops clashed near a creek call Bull Run General Thomas J. Jackson and reinforcements won the day Lincoln would now call for a real army of 500,000

Section 2: Life in the Army To explain who joined the armies To describe military training and supplies of the era To summarize the hardships of army life To identify changes in military technology

Those who fought Union had just over 2 million soldiers Most were between 18 and 30 years old Union had just over 2 million soldiers Farmers, Immigrants, Native Americans, and later African-Americans Confederates had just under 1 million soldiers Mostly poor farmers, Native Americans Both sides attracted soldiers for all sorts of reasons ranging from boredom to a sense of duty

Turning Civilians into Soldiers After enlisting, volunteers found a different world A tent/log camp that would promote unity in platoons Shared workload Drills, drills, and more drills North had plenty of uniforms, but not always the correct size Southern states lack of unity left many a Confederate scrounging for goods

Hardships of Army Life Wet, muddy, cold, and filthy Exposure, and poor hygiene would lead to more deaths than battle The concept of germs was unknown Army surgeons would use the same tools on multiple people. Food and water was more often than not contaminated

Changes in Military Technology Weaponry caused tactics to changes because of the massive amounts of death Rifle – gun with a grooved barrel Minie Ball – Bullet with a hollow base Ironclads – warships covered in iron Merrimack and Monitor had a four hour battle

Section 3: No End in Sight To analyze the importance of the Union victories in the West To explain how the fall of New Orleans helped the Union To analyze Lee’s victories in the East and his decision to invade the North To describe the outcome of the Battle of Antietam

Union Victories in the West General Ulysses S. Grant led the Union troops in the West Feb. 1862, Grant invades Tennessee. Using ironclads to fight down the river. He would capture Fort Henry, and Fort Donelson

The Battle of Shiloh After Grants victories, Confederates decide to pull back farther south. While pursuing Grant stops at Pittsburg Landing Gen. Albert S. Johnston attacks Grant while he waited for reinforcements Everyone was involved in the fighting Union lost 13,000 men Rebels lost 11,000 out of 41,000

The Fall of New Orleans A major loss to the South April 25, Union fleet led by David Farragut captured New Orleans Farragut’s ships had to run a gauntlet of cannon fire and burning rafts Farragut loses only one ship The goal of cutting the south in half is nearly complete only Vicksburg remains

Lee Claims Victories in the East General McClellan led an attack on Richmond in the spring of 1862 Robert E. Lee would be appointed general of the Army of Northern Virginia and would slowly out maneuver McClellan South would suffer more losses but they forced the Union to retreat after the Seven Days’ Battle

Lee Invades the North, and Bloody Antietam In the east Lee is winning one battle after another General Lee decides to take the battle to the North Driven by 3 major reasons Force Peace Talks Virginia Farmers Plunder in the North Lee’s plans were discovered by Union Troops McClellan, armed with Lee’s battle plans, went on the attack Battle of Antietam, bloodiest day in American history 25,000 men dead and no progress either way Lee retreats…but so does McClellan?