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Major Events of the American Civil War
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Battle Plan – Confederacy (CSA)
The Confederacy knew that it was no match for the Union Army. The North outnumbered the South in resources such as population, miles of railroad, value of manufacturers, and iron production. Therefore, the south would take a defensive strategy during the war…in other words, they would only fight when provoked. It did not plan on invading the North.
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Advantages of the Confederacy
The South had better leaders, including Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Since it would not invade the North, the South would be fighting with “home-field” advantage…land that the Confederate soldiers knew well. Confederate soldiers clearly knew what they were fighting for: their homes, land, and families. Lee Jackson
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Nicknames of Confederate Soldiers
Johnny Rebs Rebels Butternuts
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Battle Plan – Union (USA)
The Union (Northern) Army would fight an offensive war…in other words, they would attack the South whenever possible. They developed a strategy known as the Anaconda Plan. This plan would surround and choke out the South (just like a snake), forcing them to surrender.
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Advantages of the Union Army
North South Population 22,700,000 9,000,000 Miles of Rail Road 21,700 9,000 Value of the Economy $1,000,000,000 $156,000,000 Iron Production (Tons per Year) 480,000 31,000 The North outnumbered the South in valuable resources such as population, transportation, money, and iron production. The North also had an experienced government in place and established trade links with other nations.
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Nicknames of Union Soldiers
Yankees Billy Yanks Yanks Blue Bellies
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Major Civil War Battles
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First Manassas/Bull Run (Virginia) July 21, 1861
The North wanted the war to end quickly and the South to return to the Union quickly. Therefore, the North decided to try and capture the Confederate Capital of Richmond quickly. The North attacked the South in northern Virginia at a place called Manassas Junction. The term “Bull Run” refers to a creek that ran nearby. The South easily defeated the North, because the North was too arrogant and it underestimated its opponent. This battle showed both sides that the war would not be won (or lost) as quickly as previously thought. It was in this battle that Gen. Thomas Jackson got his nickname, “Stonewall.”
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Battle of Shiloh (Tennessee) April 6, 1862
Not all of the fighting of the Civil War took place in the east. Early in the war, the North had successfully gained control of the Mississippi River. The Confederate Army surprised the Union army at a town called Corinth, along the Tennessee River. The Battle of Shiloh (so named because of a church there) was one of the fiercest battles of the war. Total casualties were: Union 13,000 troops (25%) and Confederate 11,000 troops (27%).
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During the battle, many men from both sides came to this pond to drink and dress their wounds. So many men and horses died in this pond, that the water turned dark red from their blood.
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Many unidentified bodies were simply buried in mass graves near the spot where they fell.
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Shiloh National Cemetery (3500 Union Graves)
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Ole Miss University “Rebels” The Confederate Monument
The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) was used as a Confederate hospital after the Battle of Shiloh. Many soldiers died on the University’s campus and were buried in a mass grave at the center of the campus. Ole Miss University “Rebels” The Confederate Monument
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Battle of Antietam (Maryland) September 17, 1862
Battle fought in Sharpsburg, Maryland Single bloodiest day in US History Neither side won, but 25,000 men died.
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So far, where have all of these battles been located???
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Emancipation Proclamation
On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The Proclamation freed the slaves. Why was this “hypocritical?” The Emancipation Proclamation freed only the slaves in the Southern States. Why did Lincoln only free slaves in the South and not in Union states???
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Battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) July 1-3 1863
Turn to Page in the Red Textbook (Creating America)
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Little Round Top
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Union view of Pickett’s Charge
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William T. Sherman’s “March to the Sea” (Divides the Confederacy)
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William Tecumseh Sherman’s “March to the Sea”
Implemented a “scorched earth” policy on the South. Sherman's armies would reduce their need for traditional supply lines by "living off the land" and would provide food seized from local farms for the Army while they destroyed the railroads and the manufacturing and agricultural infrastructure of the state.
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Sherman Neckties
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Sherman’s Orders V. To army corps commanders alone is entrusted the power to destroy mills, houses, cotton-gins, army commanders should order and enforce a devastation more or less relentless according to the measure of such hostility. VI. As for horses, mules, wagons, &c., belonging to the inhabitants, the cavalry and artillery may appropriate freely and without limit, VII. Negroes who are able-bodied and can be of service to the several columns may be taken along,
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The Legacy of Sherman’s March to the Sea
Slaves – many of whom left their plantations to follow his armies – welcomed him as a liberator. About 10,000 slaves fled their plantations to follow Sherman's army, and hundreds died of exposure and hunger along the way. The March to the Sea was devastating to Georgia and the Confederacy. Sherman himself estimated that the campaign had inflicted $100 million in destruction, about one fifth of which "inured to our advantage" while the "remainder is simple waste and destruction." The Army wrecked 300 miles (480 km) of railroad and numerous bridges and miles of telegraph lines. It seized 5,000 horses, 4,000 mules, and 13,000 head of cattle. It confiscated 9.5 million pounds of corn and 10.5 million pounds of fodder, and destroyed uncounted cotton gins and mills.
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The Legacy of Sherman’s March to the Sea
"Sherman's raid succeeded in 'knocking the Confederate war effort to pieces'." "Sherman had accomplished an amazing task. He had defied military principles by operating deep within enemy territory and without lines of supply or communication. He destroyed much of the South's potential and psychology to wage war."
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Appomattox Courthouse (Virginia) April 9, 1865
Though he wishes to continue the fight for the cause, General Lee realizes that the South cannot win the war. Lee Surrenders to General Grant on April 9, 1865…just 3 days shy of the 5th anniversary of Ft. Sumter. After the surrender, Gen. Grant agrees to allow all Confederate soldiers to return home without being bothered. General Grant also orders his men to salute the defeated Confederates as they march by…he catches a lot of flack for this later on.
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Wilmer McLean Wilmer McLean (May 3, 1814 – June 5, 1882) was a wholesale grocer from Virginia. It is said that the American Civil War started in Wilmer McLean's front yard and ended in his front parlor. The initial enagagements on July 18, 1861, in what would become the First Battle of Bull Run, fought on July 21, took place on McLean's farm, the Yorkshire Plantation, in Manassas, Prince William County, Virginia. Union Army artillery fired at McLean's house, headquarters for Confederate General Beauregard, and a cannonball dropped through the kitchen fireplace. He decided to move by a desire to protect his family. In the spring of 1863 he and his family moved about 120 miles (200 km) south to Appomattox County, Virginia, near Appomattox Court House. On April 9, 1865, the war came back to Wilmer McLean when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant in the parlor of McLean's house near Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the Civil War. Later, McLean is supposed to have said "The war began in my front yard and ended in my front parlor". Once the surrender was over, members of the Union Army began taking the tables, chairs, and various other furnishings in the house -- essentially, anything that wasn't tied down -- as souvenirs. They simply handed the protesting McLean money as they made off with his property.
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North Carolina During the War
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Battle of Bentonville March 1865
Although there were many small skirmishes in NC, the largest (and last) land battle was fought at Bentonville, near Raleigh. This was the last stop on Sherman’s March to the Sea. Total casualties for this 2 day battle (for both sides) were 4,243 men. After the Confederate defeat here, Sherman asked his men to release horses, mules, livestock, etc. to help ease the burden on the war-torn state. Killed Wounded Missing Confederate 239 1,694 673 Union 304 1,112 221 Total 543 2,806 894
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The Harper House The Harper House is located on the center of the Bentonville Battleground. During the battle, the house belonged to a doctor, and it was used as a hospital. The second floor of the house was the “operating room.” As arms and legs were cut off, they were thrown out the window. By the end of the battle, the pile of limbs was as tall as the first-story window.
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North Carolina’s Navy North Carolina helped to clothe soldiers from other states, as well as its own soldiers. However, North Carolina also aided the Confederacy’s navy by the use of Iron Clad ships and Blockade Runners. Iron Clad ships were warships covered with iron (as the name implies) The most famous Iron Clad from North Carolina was the CSS Albemarle Blockade Runners are small, fast ships that break through enemy blockades to get needed supplies.
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