I.

The coming of war

A. Before war
i. Outcome uncertain
ii. Lincoln’s inaugural
a) Lincoln promised not to interfere with slavery, said secession would be illegal and appealed for peace
b) Lincoln's Cabinet – Strong minded, of better-than-average ability, many in the cabinet thought they
would make a better leader than Lincoln, later recognized his strength
B. Fort Sumter
i. Resupply of fort
a) April 4, 1861 Lincoln decides to resupply the Fort
ii. South’s response
a) April 9, Jefferson Davis refuses permission to resupply
b) April 11, Con. Gen. Beauregard calls for surrender. Maj. Anderson refuses, but says that he has on
three days of supplies left.
iii. Opening guns of war—4:30 a.m.,April 12, 1861
iv. Anderson’s surrender – April 13, after more than 30 hours of shelling
C. Lincoln’s initial steps of war
i. Call for 75,000 militiamen – April 14
ii. Blockade of southern ports – April 19
D. Further splits in Union
i. Upper South secedes
a) Virgina Passes Ordinance of Succession April 17, 1861
• Con. Congress choses Richmond as new capital, moving in June
b) Arkansas May 6, Tennessee May 7, North Carolina May 20, 1861
ii. West Virginia formed
a) Unionists, supported by a Union Army under McClellan, form a loyal Government with a new state
b) WV admitted 1863 with a constitution that allowed for the gradual emancipation of all slaves there.
iii. Delaware remains firmly in Union
iv. Border state divided
a) Habeas corpus suspended to hold Maryland
• used this to throw Con. Leadership there in jail, elections in the fall give the state a solid Unionist
majority
b) Federal forces in Kentucky
• September 3 Con. Forces occupy several towns in KY, Grant does the same.
• KY divided in allegiance thereafter, staying mainly with the Union
c) Warfare in Missouri
• elections bring in new Unionist majority, Con. Militia gathers under state governor near St.
Louis.
• May 10, Unionist forces surprise and disarm rebels, pursuing them all the way to Arkansas,
finally breaking them at the Battle of Pea Ridge (March 6-8, 1862)
v. Brothers vs. brothers
a) Robert Lee
• Offered command of Federal forces after Ft. Sumter, fights for the south instead
b) Southerners with Union
• Southerners from every state move to the Union, or help or fight with the North
E. The two sides
i. Economic strengths
a) Population
• North: 22 million; South: 5 million + 4 million slaves, 4:1 population advantage in the North,
South mobilizes close to 80% of population for military service during the war
b) Industry – North has a monopoly on manufacturing, including firearms; also bulk of banks and
financial resources
c) Transportation – North has majority of railroads, shipping firms, monopoly on train manufacturing,
wagons, horses
ii. Military advantages
a) Geography - South fighting a defensive fight in familiar territory
 b) Naval power – North blockades southern ports, uses gunboats to control Mississippi
II. Early stages of war: 1861–1862
A. First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)
i. Indecisive result
a) Rebel victory, by a small margin, no pursuit of fleeing Federal forces, due to disorganization in the
Confederate Army
ii. Results in new strategies
a) Union’s “Anaconda” plan – Army of Potomac to defend Washington & pressure Richmond, naval
blockade of southern ports, invade south along Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland rivers
b) Confederacy’s hope for stalemate and foreign intervention
B. Naval action
i. Ironclad ships
a) CSS Virigina, Ironclad converted from abandoned Union steam frigate, the Merrimack, attacks Union
ships near Norfolk March 8, 1862.
b) USS Monitor, engages Virginia the next day, fight is a draw
c) CSS Virginia scuttled by Rebels shortly thereafter because Union forces take Norfolk
ii. Union seizures along southern coast
a) Port Royal, SC seized by Federal flotilla in late 1861
b) Spring 1862, Admiral David Farragut forces open lower Mississippi, surprises Confederate defenders
at New Orleans
C. Raising armies
i. Northern efforts
a) One million men – Congress authorizes recruitment of 500,00 men, and a further 500,000 after Bull
Run
b) By late 1861, 500,000 enlisted, many politically appointed officers
c) Community and ethnic groups – units form along ethnic and community lines
ii. Confederacy efforts
a) Volunteers
• Jefferson Davis initially calls for 100,000 volunteers for 12 months
• Once fighting starts, 400,000 more for three years
b) Conscription
• April 16, 1862, all white males aged 18 to 35 members of the army for three years, age limit
eventually extended to 17 to 50, with those under 18 or over 45 reserved for defense
• Provisions in the conscription legislation allow loopholes for the rich
iii. Union conscription
a) 1863 Union begins to draft men aged 20 to 45, exemptions granted to federal and state office holders,
for medical reasons or for $300
iv. Opposition to conscription
a) Public opposed draft in North and South
b) When NY announced draft lottery, July 11, 1863, a week of rioting, conscription offices, homes of
prominent republicans, factories, docks and African Americans targeted
D. Confederate diplomacy
i. Desire for foreign help – goals of gaining supplies, recognition as a country, foreign military intervention
ii. Embargo on cotton – the south deluded itself into thinking demand for cotton would bring foreign aid
iii. Emissaries to Europe – met informally with British foreign minister in 1861, France promise to recognize
the Confederacy if Britain would do so first. British refused to receive Confederate emissaries ever again,
because of Union pressure and self-interest
iv. Trent affair – Union ship stops HMS Trent, takes two Confederates, James M. Mason and John Slidell,
into custody. North praises deed as heroic, Britain forces Lincoln to release them, as the American war
ship had violated the a neutral British ship in neutral waters. Mason and Slidell were more useful as
martyrs than emissaries.
E. The war in the West
i. Effects on the region
a) Settlement continued – new transportation and communication networks developed to support the
growing population in the west, Lincoln dispatched volunteer units to win support for the war and his
presidency
 b) Gold and silver mining – Large lodes discovered along Sierra Nevada range, also in Montana and
Colorado; Gold and silver were a large incentive for Lincoln to protect the west
c) New states in Union
• Dakota, Colorado, Nevada territorial status 1861, Idaho and Arizona in 1863 and Montana in
1864
• Nevada gained statehood in 1864
ii. Fighting on Kansas-Missouri border
a) Fierce, guerrilla style, no quarter given fighting “kill every male and burn every house.”
b) William Quantril Confederate leader, Jayhawkers pro-Union group
iii. Indian involvement
a) Indians, many of whom owned slaves and felt a bond with the southern whites, fought on both sides,
Choctaws and Chickasaws fought mainly with the confederacy, due to Oklahoma's proximity to
Texas, Cherokees, Seminoles and Creeks divided in loyalties.
iv. Grant moves on Forts Henry and Donelson
a) Grant, aided by a gunboat flotilla, attacks Gen. Johnston(A)'s overextended lines, taking Fort Henry
on February 6th, 1862, quick marches overland to take Fort Donelson. February 16th, 12,000
Confederates surrender
v. Shiloh
a) Costliest American battle yet – Grant makes strategic error in regard to the terrain, Johnston(A) takes
advantages of it, takes Grant by surprise. Grant would have been totally defeated if Johnston(A) had
not died during the battle, and had Johnston(A)'s second in command not called off the attack. With
reinforcements, Grant attacks the next day. There are more than 20,00 casualties on both sides.
b) Halleck replaces Grant – Halleck, jealous of Grant's previous success, spreads a rumor that Grant was
drunk during the battle, Lincoln refuses to dismiss Grant, instead demotes him, Halleck is made field
commander.
F. McClellan’s peninsular campaign
i. Indirect attack on Richmond – After months of preparing his army, and being told to attack by Lincoln,
McClellan finally moves, planning to attack up the peninsula, gets very closed to Richmond, fails to
capitalize on his advantage of surprise
ii. Confederate diversion –
a) Stonewall Jackson pins down two armies more than twice the size of his force in the Shenandoah
Valley from March 23 to June 9
b) May 31 Gen. J. Johnston attacks McClellan's forces along the Chickahominy River, McClellan would
have been completely routed had it not been for the timely arrival of reinforcements. Both sides took
heavy losses and Gen. Johnston was severely wounded.
iii. Lee assumes command June 1, 1862
iv. Lee attacks McClellan, fails to dislodge Union forces
v. McClellan lectures Lincoln on war policy during a visit to McClellan's HQ on July 9, Halleck recalled
from the west and named general-in-chief on July 11, McClellan is furious
G. Second Bull Run – As McClellan is withdrawing towards Washington, Stonewall Jackson wraps around the
flank of General John Pope, commander of the DC defense force. Jackson seizes and pillages the federal
supply base at Manassas, then withdraws to a more defensible position. Pope attacks Jackson's position,
believing that Jackson's force is the only one he faces. Gen. Longstreet, with the other half of the Army of
Virginia, smashes Pope's left flank after breaking through light Federal resistance. Pope and the remaining
Union forces with draw to the defensive fortifications around DC, and McClellan takes command and Pope is
sent to fight Indians in Minnesota.
H. Antietam(Sharpsburg)
i. Confederate assault – Lee undertakes a risky invasion, pushing far north into Union territory, trying to
win a decisive victory in order to gain foreign recognition and material support
ii. Bloodiest day of war September 17,1862 – Lee's battle plans are intercepted, but McClellan's
cautiousness once again prevents him from defeating the Rebels. He waits an extra sixteen hours
worrying about the size of Lee's force, and that gives Lee enough time to dig in along Antietam Creek
near Sharpsburg, MD.
iii. Confederate defeat – McClellan's army, outnumbering Lee's forces 2:1, are about to break the
Confederate line when A. P. Hill's division arrives after having marched 16 miles. They smash into the
Union right flank, forcing a standoff. The next day, the battered Confederate army slips back across the
 Potomac.
iv. Turning point of war – Lee's defeat was a crushing blow to the South. It revived the spirits of the
Northerns, desperate for a Victory. It also virtually eliminated any hope of foreign intervention. Because
of his indecisiveness, McClellan was reassigned, never to command again.
I. Fredericksburg – December 13, 1862, newly appointed Gen. Burnside sends the Army of the Potomac across
the Rappahannock to attack Lee's heavily entrenched forces at Fredericksburg. The blue columns, forced to
cross a mile of open ground advancing towards the Rebel position, are slaughtered.
J. The end of 1862
i. Deadlock – Eastern front completely deadlocked, Union advance in the west stalled midyear.
ii. Advantage to Union – greater resources beginning to make a difference in the lengthening war
III. Blacks and women in war
A. Emancipation
i. Obstacles to emancipation – Resistance from border states, racial prejudice in the North, many wanted to
only prohibit slavery in new states and territories
ii. Military liberation of slaves – Fugitive slaves begin showing up in Union army camps, some generals put
them to work building fortifications, other set them free
iii. Intermediate moves
a) March 1862 Lincoln proposes gradual emancipation, defeated in Congress by border states
b) April 16, 1862 Lincoln abolishes slavery in the District of Columbia
c) June 19 slavery excluded from territories
d) July 17 all slaves of those aiding the rebellion emancipated
e) September 22, 1862 all slaves freed in states of the CSA that did not return to the Union by January
1, 1863
iv. Reasons for emancipation
a) Slave labor boosted Rebel War effort
b) sagging morale in the North need a boost from a moral cause
c) public opinion was swaying towards emancipation as the war dragged on
v. Emancipation Proclamation – January 1, 1863, named states in which order of Sept. 22 took effect
vi. Effects – Emancipation Proclamation did not effect TN, or Union controlled parts of LA and VA,
enslaved there claimed freedom anyway
B. Blacks in military
i. All-black units led by white officers
ii. National recruitment of blacks authorized by War Department May 1863
iii. Combat – all-black units saw significant action
C. Abolition of slavery
i. State action – January 1865, Tennessee and Missouri
ii. Constitutional amendment - 13th amendment ratified December 18, 1865, by then slavery remained only
in KY and DE
D. Women and the war
i. Service as nurses
a) Dorothea Dix – Union Army's first superintendent of women nurses
b) Clara Barton – founded American Red Cross after the war
ii. New responsibilities
a) Businesses and farms – no men, women became plantation managers, munitions-plant workers, etc.
b) Wartime losses – Many lost sons, husbands, fathers
iii. Effects of war – greater roll for women in non-domestic work, many widowed women
IV. Government during the war
A. Congressional power
i. South to North shift – secessionists abandoned Congress to the Republicans, much stalled legislation
passed
ii. Major legislation
a) 1862 – Transcontinental Railroad, Morrill Land Grand Act ( Land grant colleges)
b) 1863 – National Bank Act – established a system of national charters for banks
c) 1864 – Contract Labor Act – encourage immigrant labor
B. Wartime finances
i. The Union
 a) Higher taxes
• Tariff on imports
• Excise taxes on nearly every profession
b) Paper money - “Greenbacks” - value not linked to gold or silver, but rather trust in the government;
helped prevent ruinous inflation
c) Bonds – war bonds raised $2billion
ii. Confederacy
a) Ineffective taxation – Poor enforcement, collection delegated to the states
b) Paper money – Rebels print tons of paper money, massive inflation follows
C. Wartime politics
i. Union politics
a) Pressure of the Radicals - Pushed for confiscation of plantations, immediate emancipation
b) Democratic support – supported a war for the union “as it was,” supported Lincoln's policies,
opposed restraints on civil liberties and new economic legislation
• Some democrats preferred an end to the war, even at the cost of the Union
c) Suspension of habeas corpus
• The extreme fringe of the peace wing of the Democratic party, called the Copperheads, base
mainly in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana were pro-Confederate.
• Lincoln suspended the right of Habeas Corpus, his power to do this was later authorized by
Congress in 1863
• 14,000 arrests
• Vallandigham case, prominent Confederate sympathizer sentenced to confinement for the
duration of the war; so embarrassing to Lincoln, he commuted the sentence to banishment in the
Confederacy
d) Campaign of 1864
• Democratic position: peace now
• Radicals: Lincoln too soft on treason
• Results: Lincoln wins by a large margin
ii. Confederate politics
a) Electoral system
• Jefferson Davis didn't face reelection during the war, he was elected to a six year term in 1861
b) Dissent – After the 1863 elections, 1/3 of Confederate legislators were critics of Davis
• Many of newly elected representatives were opponents of secession.
• States’ rights – the most vehement opposition to Davis's policies came from GA and NC. They
challenged the legality of the draft, excise taxes and suspension of habeas corpus
D. War and the environment
i. Animal deaths
a) Horses
b) Hogs – southern hog population so decimated they had to import breeding stock
ii. Bridges and levees lost – lead to flooding
iii. Malaria – caused by larger breading grounds, from craters, reduced number of animals meant mosquitoes
concentrated on humans
iv. Erosion – hundreds of miles of trenches caused massive amounts of erosion
V. Tide turns against Confederacy
A. Battle of Chancellorsville May 1-5,1863
i. Largest Union army yet – 130,000 men,
ii. Death of Jackson – shot by his own men
iii. Lee defeats Hooker
a) Peak of Lee’s career, outflanks and outmaneuvers Hooker
b) Lee’s last major win
B. Grant’s Vicksburg victory – Grant marches into LA, then to Jackson, MI, helping to take control of
Mississippi river, splitting Confederacy in two, trapping 30,000 Confederates in Vicksburg, besieging the
Rebel troops
C. Gettysburg
i. Lee’s invasion – in order to take pressure of Vicksburg, Lee tries to win a battle deep in the North, main
forces come together on July 1st, On July 2nd, Rebels try to flank Gen. Meade, fail.
 ii. Pickett’s charge – July 3, 1863 Pickett's Division marches straight into the gun fire of Meade's army, they
all die
iii. Confederate defeat – Rebels retreat, Confederacy still split in two Rebel Commander at Vicksburg has
surrendered
iv. Cemetery established – November 19, 1863. Lincoln Delivers his Gettysburg Address.
D. Third major Union victory of 1863: Chattanooga – Union Gen. Rosecrans took Chattanooga in the late
summer of 1863 and then pursued Gen. Bragg's larger army into Georgia. They armies fought at
Chickamauga, and Union Gen. Thomas managed to prevent a route. Union forces fell back to Chattanooga,
Bragg had the city under siege. Grant, in command of the western theater, sent reinforcements and replaced
Rosecrans with Thomas as commander. On November 24 &25 Union forces took Lookout Mountain and
forced the Rebels off Missionary ridge. Bragg could not regroup his army, fled south.
VI. Defeat of Confederacy
A. Grant’s strategy
i. Grant adopted a strategy of attrition and total war. He had more men and supplies and planned to grind
down the Confederates. He also gave orders to confiscated or destroy all civilian property of use to the
military. Many in the south feared that they would soon lose the war, and Grant's strategy was designed to
destroy their will to fight.
B. Union on the offensive
i. Grant pursues Lee in Virginia
a) In May 1864, Grant engaged Lee at the nightmarish Battle of the Wilderness, taking heavier losses
than Lee, but he had more to spare. Where traditional doctrine would have been to withdraw and
recover after battle, Grant kept pushing forward, repeatedly engaging Lee. Grant made a blunder at
Cold Harbor, attacking directly into heavily fortified Rebel Lines, only ten miles east of Richmond.
After taking 5 times the losses of his opponent in three days of fighting, Grant slid his forces past
Lee, towards the major railroad junction south of Richmond at Petersburg . The two sides dug in,
facing each other down for nine months, Grant continually using his superior numbers to sever the
railroad lines, preventing Lee from getting Supplies.
ii. Sherman moves across South
a) His opposite number, Hood, tried to defend Atlanta, besieged by Sherman. Sherman cut off the
supply lines to the south, and decided to march through central Georgia. Hood went the opposite way,
towards TN, trying to force Sherman into pursuit. Sherman didn't take the bait, and Hood's army was
crippled attacking entrenched Union troops backed by massed artillery at the Battle of Franklin on
November 30 and finally destroyed at the Battle of Nashville(December 15-16).
b) Fighting “hostile people”
• Sherman recognized that the South's economy, moral and ability to wage war were tied closely
together, and his army lived off the land while his cavalry destroyed anything that might be
useful to the Rebels
c) Few atrocities
• Sherman's troops did not burn down houses or commit crimes against individuals, they were
more focused on destroying resources and means of production.
C. Lincoln’s second inaugural – he blamed slavery as the root cause of the war, prayed for peace and
reconciliation “with malice toward none; with charity for all.”
D. Appomattox – Lee tries to flee south to join Johnston in NC. His forces are quickly surrounded by Grant.
E. Surrender
i. Lee surrenders to Grant (April 9, 1865)
a) At Appomattox Court House, Grant allows officers to keep their swords and side arms, soldiers to
keep their mules and horses, at Lee's request. As the Rebels surrender, the armies salute each other.
ii. Johnston surrenders to Sherman – April 18, near Durham, NC.

“After four years of arduous service marked by unsurpassed courage and fortitude,
the Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield to overwhelming
numbers and resources.” - Robert E. Lee