CHAPTER 14

The Civil War

This chapter concentrates on the history of the American Civil War, touching on some major battles, the
coming of emancipation, and early experiments with Reconstruction. The chapter begins with a
compelling story of a German immigrant who volunteered in the Union army. His story illustrates how
many northerners changed their view of the war from seeing it as a war fought to defend the Union to a
war fought to end slavery. The chapter examines how the war was both a modern war and a total war
and the relative advantages that the North had over the South. After a series of Union defeats, Abraham
Lincoln began a fundamental shift in his thinking and issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Afterward,
blacks fought valiantly for the Union. The chapter then looks at the Civil War as a second American
Revolution, exploring the vision Lincoln had for universal political democracy and human liberty.
Lincolns views are explored in detail in Voices of Freedom. The northern economy benefited greatly
from the war, while the South suffered economic crisis. The chapter then turns to the Confederate
Nation. The explanation by Alexander Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy, of the basic premises
of the new government is included in Voices of Freedom. The chapter also looks at southern unionists,
women, and the question of black soldiers for the Confederacy. Victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg
turned the tide for a Union victory, which was finally achieved when Confederate General Robert E. Lee
surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox in April 1865. Meanwhile, experiments on
the Sea Islands and Grants negro paradise served as illustrations of what Reconstruction might look
like. Lincoln also had a plan, but was assassinated days after Lees surrender. (Foner)

Before 1860, reference to the nation generally began "these United States are," but after 1865, it
became more frequently "the United States is." In that change, one might well see the most important
outcome of the American Civil War. The question of the nature of the Union, which had been debated
since its inception, was settledthe nation was one and indivisible. As such the United States joined a
worldwide movement to create large, consolidated nation-states. The cost had been great, in both
human and financial terms, but the war had done more than defeat secessionist rebellion. It had set the
nation on a new course. States rights, as an alternative to nationalism, had been dealt a fatal blow. The
tariff and internal improvements were law and would remain so. Slavery was abolished, free labor was
triumphant, and industrial growth and material progress seemed to lie ahead. The war, therefore, was
more than a victory for the armies of the Unionthe real victor had been the Union itself. Never again
would the supremacy of national laws be seriously questioned. The Civil War gave birth to the modern
United States. Indeed, it ended an era and began another. (Brinkley)

SUGGESTED DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Describe why the Civil War was both a modern war and a total war. Was it both a modern and total
war? (Foner thinks so, but not all historians agree with him.)
Why wasnt the Union more successful early in the war when it had clear advantages over the
Confederacy? Why was a strategy of merely capturing the Confederate capital of Richmond not enough
to win the war? Then again, the North did win. Why? In an essay some years ago, Richard Current
suggested that "God was on the side of the heaviest battalions," but is that a complete explanation?
What other factors (financial, raising troops, furnishing supplies, care for the wounded, influence of
world opinion) contributed to the outcome? Bring together these factors, and, after a careful analysis,
determine why the North did win.
Describe the various ways blacks, both in and out of the military, aided in the war and also defined its
consequences.
Over time, Lincoln switched from using the term Union to using the term nation. Discuss the
significance of this shift in thinking.
Examine President Lincoln's indecision about the issuance and timing of the Emancipation
Proclamation. Analyze the impact of the document on the war.
How does the Gettysburg Address express ideas of freedom and liberty? What purpose did Lincoln
give the Civil War in that address?
Abraham Lincoln is generally considered by historians as one of the best, if not the best, of all the
American presidents. Explain why you agree or disagree with that assessment.
How did the Civil War transform the national economy and create a stronger nation-state?
In the face of a significant manpower shortage, why was the Confederacy still so hesitant to use slaves
as soldiers?
Was Lincolns Reconstruction Plan suitable considering the massive toll the Civil War took on American
society?
Despite the gruesome costs in terms of lives, the Civil War has been perhaps the most romanticized
and intensely studied of all American wars. Offer several explanations as to why this might be so.

Key Terms
modern war Army of the Potomac Army of Northern VA Antietam
contraband George McClellan Alexander Stephens Second American Revolution
CSA Conscription Act Cotton Diplomacy Anaconda Plan
Fort Sumter (Ch 13) First Battle of Bull Run Ulysses S. Grant Crittenden Comp (Ch13)
Antietam Homestead Act Gettysburg Appomattox
Union Pacific RR Robert E. Lee National Bank Acts Thaddeus Stevens
Blockade Runners Merrimac/Monitor Income Tax Greenbacks
Benjamin Wade Confiscation Act Emancipation Proc William Seward
Copperheads Peace Democrats Joseph Hooker Habeas Corpus
54
th
Massachusetts Chancellorsville Martial Law U.S. Sanitary Commission
Vicksburg Clement Vallandigham Clara Barton Ex parte Milligan
Union Party Jefferson Davis March to the Sea Andrew Johnson
Stonewall Jackson Sea Island experiment