The Civil War, 1861-1865

The Civil War, 1861-1865 Chapter 5

The two nations that existed in 1861, the US and the Confederate States of America, were surprisingly similar • Both Presidents were trying to maintain unity • Both prayed for peace in their Inaugural Addresses • Both nations were unprepared to fight such a war Communities Mobilize for War

Fort Sumter was a Federal fort at the entrance of Charleston, SC waters • SC knew that they would not be able to mobilize with the fort under Federal control • They began asking for its surrender even before they seceded • The fort was low on supplies so Lincoln, hesitantly, ordered non-military supplies be sent to them • Now, the Confederacy would have to make the first charge of war • Davis did not hesitate; on April 10 he ordered General P.T. Beauregard to attack if the fort did not surrender • Two days later, after open fire had occurred on the fort, the stars and bars hung over Fort Sumter Communities Mobilize for War

Communities Mobilize for War

Prior to the attack on Fort Sumter Congress had authorized a volunteer army of 10K for 12 months • They evoked the Revolutionary sentiment of freemen without tyranny • The attack on Fort Sumter made men even more willing to “protect the southern soil, and settle blame later” • In the South, they believed that the Northerners would scatter—”blue-bellied Yankees!” • They thought that the war would be over within 60 days • Fort Sumter startled the North into action • On April 15 Lincoln called for 75K state militiamen to serve in the Federal army • Eager to serve included black men who were turned away Communities Mobilize for War

Scenes like this were common throughout the North • The women would organize assistance for the troops (clothes, food, etc.) and their families at home • The North “accompanied” their men into war Communities Mobilize for War

When war broke out the 8 border states had to choose sides • VA went first, leading AR, TN and NC to join the South • The other 4 controlled key assets • MO bordered the Mississippi River and controlled access to the West • KY controlled the Ohio River • MD controlled the main RR; plus if they went, that would mean that Washington, D.C. would be surrounded by the Confederacy • DE controlled access to Philadelphia • All 4 states would ultimately choose to stay with the Union • MD stayed after a crowed that attacked a troop of Union soldiers headed for D.C. were fired on, killing 12 people • The laws that Lincoln put in place to punish them included martial law, suspension of due process Communities Mobilize for War

A new state was birthed out of the Civil War • 55 of Virginia’s western counties decided to side with the Union, resulting in Lincoln accepting the new State of West Virginia, 1863 • Division was also common amongst families • Even Mary Todd Lincoln’s brothers fought for the Confederacy Communities Mobilize for War

The preconceived notions that this would be a quick, easy war disappeared at the first battle of Bull Run • So naive were the Northerners about war, sightseers followed the troops to watch the battle • The Union held their own until an extra 2,300 troops appeared for the Confederacy • The Union broke ranks, swept up the sightseers and retreated back to Washington in a confused mass • The Confederate soldiers lacked the discipline to follow them • This was a reality check for everyone • The Civil War has been the most lethal military conflict in our history • 620,000 (1:4 soldiers in the war) died—more than WWI & WWII combined Communities Mobilize for War

Communities Mobilize for War

Advantages for the North: • 22M people versus 9M (3.5 of which were slaves) • Industry: 9x larger than the South • 97% of firearms production • 71% of the RRs, 94% of cloth produced, 90% of footwear produced • By the end of the war the North was able to feed, cloth and care for their 2M soldiers (South only had 800K) • South’s advantages: • Desire and defense • Military personnel, many of the regular Federal troops choose to side with the South • The troops that the North did have were untrained in comparison to Southern troops • Gen. Robert E Lee choose to side with the South, despite not agreeing with the cause…”I have been unable to raise my hand against my native state, my relatives, my children, and my home.” Communities Mobilize for War

The economic advantage that the North had seemed unimportant to the South initially • “Cotton is King” as James Hammond had declared in 1858 would rule the day according to Southerners • They believed that the industrialization of the North still depended on the Southern cotton • They also believed that Britain and France’s need for Southern cotton would force them into recognizing the Confederacy as a separate nation • They were wrong Communities Mobilize for War

Lincoln considered his main task was to preserve the Union • Task 1: Assert control over his Cabinet who was staffed with Republicans such as William Seward and Salmon Chase • Lincoln called up state militias, etc. without Congressional permission • Gen. Frémont wanted to free slaves in MO, Lincoln said no to avoid KY and MD from joining the South • Lincoln’s military planning was guided by his desire to reunite the country, thus many did not take heed of his now famous speeches • The War Department expanded significantly to help feed, cloth, and supply their troops (community efforts also helped with this) The Lincoln Presidency

Lincoln did not try to control economic policy, he believed it was the job of Congress • Treasury Secretary worked with private sector financial experts to create a plan for financing the war • The government used patriotism to sale war bonds • Government borrowed $2.6B and the first federal Income Tax (3%) was imposed • Printed paper money (disputed by Congress) • Legal Tender Act of 1862 establish a national currency (called greenbacks) • National Bank Act of 1863 forbade banks from issuing notes and forced them to apply for federal charters • These two acts took away the independence of state banks • The only reason this worked is because Southern Democrats who opposed these efforts were not currently a part of Congress The Lincoln Presidency

Republican agenda: • Morrill Tariff Act, as well as other acts doubled tariff rate • Created two federal corporations to build a transcontinental railroad • Homestead Act granted 160 acres of land to any citizen who agreed to live on and improve it • Morrill Land Grant Act (1863) provided land to states to create colleges offering education to ordinary citizen • 1862—Creation of the Department of Agriculture to push for modern agriculture • This package was an updated version of Henry Clay’s American System of National Economic Development The Lincoln Presidency

Gen. Seward fought to keep Britain and France from recognizing the Confederacy • King Cotton did not gain European support • British support for abolish would not favor the South • British cotton manufactures turned to Egypt and India for their supplies • They and France did allow the Confederacy to use their ports and Britain built 6 ships for them • When Britain built two iron clad ships for ramming for the South, the Union threatened war • France had used the war to invade Mexico, violating the Monroe Doctrine • To avoid the French helping the South, war was not declared but troops were placed in TX to prevent invasion from France • France withdrew from Mexico in 1866 after diplomatic pressure The Lincoln Presidency

Jefferson Davis’ job included not only fighting the war but creating a nation based on a loose relationship between 11 States • He was unable to hold the Confederacy together not only because of his status as “new money” but the structure of the Confederacy itself • Having a representative from each state in his Cabinet caused him to not be able to unify them under one country due to “States’ Rights” • Davis was a micro-manger who alienated people under him • Rich slave owners refused to give up their privileges for the good of the new nation • Failure of “cotton diplomacy” shocked Southerners • They withheld their cotton from the market hoping that it would drive up demand, they were wrong • When they released their supply again, prices plunged The Confederacy

States refused to raise taxes for war • By the time uniform taxes were laid it was too late • Inflation occurred at a rate of 9000% damaging morale and unity • After the initial surge of volunteers the Confederacy was forced to institute a draft • All able bodied white men age 18-35 were eligible • Purchasing substitutes was allowed • Men who owned more than 20 slaves were exempt which created class resentment • “It’s a rich man’s war, but a poor man’s fight” The Confederacy

Politics pushed Lincoln to become more aggressive in fighting the war • Lincoln’s original plan was to simply blockade the South at sea and on the Mississippi River • The only reason Lincoln agreed to the Battle of Bull Run was because the people wanted a fight • Gen. McClellan invaded Virginia with 120K troops in order to capture Richmond • Lee’s army of Northern VA pushed him back to the James River so he returned to Washington • Lee also won the Second Battle of Bull Run in August of 1862 • Davis felt the same pressure for action that Lincoln had • He supported an attack on MD and tried to get MD to make peace with the South • Lee invaded MD but was turned back in the Battle of Antietam (1862) • The war was a stalemate in northern VA Fighting Through 1862

In the West Gen. Grant pushed Confederate troops back to northern MS • Despite loosing 13K men in the Battle of Shiloh, Grant capture Memphis in June 1862 and moved on to Vicksburg • Earlier in the year naval forces under Adm. Farragut captured New Orleans and moved up the Mississippi River • In effort to spread slavery into SW Confederate forces from TX occupied Santa Fe and Albuquerque • Confederate troops were not able to spread further because of resistance from militias from CA • Other fighting took place along the KA and MO border Fighting Through 1862

Many Indians fought Confederacy • They were angry about previous treatment from the US • Indian support for the Confederacy was used as justification to take more land from them after the war (the Union’s was of retaliation) • The Santee Sioux in MN rose up against the US killing between 500-800 settlers • Even more Sioux were killed in retaliation and all Sioux were expelled from MN • In 1863 the US Army invaded Navajo Country in AZ and forcefully marched 8000 prisoners to NM • They were held there until a treaty was signed in 1868 Fighting Through 1862

The Union naval blockade of the South was initially unsuccessful • In 1862 it only stopped 1/8th of all Confederate shipping • Confederate privateers destroyed US ships • By 1865 the blockade was stopping ½ of all shipping • The Confederate Navy covered the Merrimac an old Union vessel with iron plating and renamed it the CSS Virginia • The North had its own ironclad ship called the Monitor • These two ships met at the Battle of Hampton Roads and fought to a draw • By the end of 1862 the North had captured the sea islands of NC and SC and Fort Pulaski at the entrance to Savannah Harbor Fighting Through 1862

Blacks moved in droves to Union lines and fortresses • Slaves were considered a contraband of war • “Contrabands” were put to work building fortifications • Many took refuge in Washington, D.C. • By war’s end nearly 1M blacks (25% of all slaves in South) had run to Union forces Fighting Through 1862

As slaves fled to Union lines it became apparent that any policy would have to include emancipation of the slaves • Lincoln began his presidency by declaring that slavery would go untouched • He personally hated the idea of slavery, but understood the South’s economic attachment • He refused to free slaves before the war for fear of starting the war, and refused to free them early in the war for fear of losing MO, DE, KY, and MD • He also needed to be able to keep the Republican Party together—most of them were not in favor of freeing the slaves, but rather stopping expansion of slavery • Most people were still anti-black even though they were anti-slavery • The Democrats played to this saying that free blacks would flock to cities and take white people’s jobs The Death of Slavery

Lincoln proposed that every state undertake gradual, compensated emancipation • Former slaves were to be resettled in Haiti and Panama (neither under US control) • Some such as Horace Greenly believed it was foolish to fight the rebellion without immediately freeing the slaves • Lincoln told Horace Greenly in a letter: • “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all slaves, I would do it; and if I could do it by freeing some slaves and leaving others alone, I would also do that. Why I do about Slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save this Union.” • Lincoln had already decided to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, he was just waiting for the right time • After the win in Antietam in Sept. 1862, Lincoln gave the South the ultimatum: surrender or your slaves will be “free forever” The Death of Slavery

On Jan. 1, 1863, as promised, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation • Problem: It only freed slaves in the Confederate areas, not in Union held lands • Seward remarked, “We show our sympathy with slavery by emancipating slaves where we cannot reach them and holding them in bondage where we can set them free.” • Lincoln tried to impress Britain, but instead just puzzled them • The symbolic gesture of the Emancipation Proclamation was met with cheers from African Americans outside the White House • Blacks hoped that the news would encourage a work stoppage among southern slaves, which did happen • Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony pushed Lincoln to support a constitutional amendment outlawing slavery • Lincoln made it part of his 1864 platform, and the 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865 (without any say from the southern states) The Death of Slavery

After the Proclamation is passed, Lincoln supported the idea of free blacks joining the military • They were assigned to all-black units under the command of white officers • Officials were unsure of how black units would be treated as they marched through northern towns, but they were cheered by people of both races • Blacks had to prove their worth through their performance in combat • Many high-ranking officers began to welcome the idea as African-Americans proved themselves over and over • Confederates did not feel the same way about black soldiers • Captured black soldiers were treated as runaway slaves and executed • Southern blacks were overjoyed to see black units come through The Death of Slavery

The soldiers still faced racism in the military • They were only paid $10 as opposed to the $13 white soldiers • They protested by not accepting any pay until it was equal to whites • It worked…in 1864 the War Department equalized pay • Service in the military also ended discrimination in some states • MA enacted the first laws forbidding discrimination in public places • Other major cities soon followed: San Francisco, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and NYC • OH, CA, and IL repealed laws barring black people from testifying in court or being on a jury • Frederick Douglass: “Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.” The Death of Slavery

Many thought that the Civil War would be one of “brotherly” fighting, avoiding excessive violence • Due to more accurate weaponry this was not true • The Generals were using the strategy of throwing as many men as possible into the gun fire hoping enough would survive to win the attack • Another reason for so many deaths on the front lines was medical ignorance • Minor wounds led to Gangrene and unsanitary conditions led to smallpox, dysentery, typhoid, pneumonia, and malaria • Soldiers would be recalled in Aug. and Sept. due to high risk for spread of disease • Another health risk was prison space • Andersonville, a Southern stockade, led to 100 Northern deaths per day due to disease, exposure, and malnutrition The Front Lines and the Home Front

Men who were injured during battle would often be left in the fields to die • Soldiers at the battle of Shiloh, unable to move, drowned as the rain poured down 24 hours after the battle The Front Lines and the Home Front

Many people were opposed to the idea of women working in army hospitals taking care of strange men • Despite objections from army doctors, women became nurses in military hospitals thanks to the leadership of Dorothea Dix and Mother Bickerdyke • Clara Barton used her political connections to get nurses and medicine to the front lines, and to reform the military medical system • Southern women worked in small organizations to provide care to troops, but were not well connected like their northern counterparts • Southern women view the war as a wake-up call, and become more politically active following its end The Front Lines and the Home Front

A soldier’s daily life was filled with disease and destitution • Mud, dirt, lack of uniforms, communicable diseases, and a lack of sanitation all made life difficult • Many soldiers simply deserted their units • Fraternization between the two sides caused problems The Front Lines and the Home Front

Stephen Douglas helped promote unity in the north between Democrats and Republicans • His death created a separation between the “War Democrats” and the “Peace Democrats”, known as “Copperheads” • “Copperheads” drastically opposed many of Lincoln’s policies such as emancipation, the draft, and martial law • They referred to him as “King Abraham” • They played to midwest farmers by saying Republican tariffs hurt farmers, and played to immigrants’ racial fears, claiming that black workers would flood into northern cities • The leader of the Copperheads, Clement Vallandigham, wanted to negotiate peace without regard to slaves • He, as well as 13,000 others, were arrested and imprisoned under martial law due to suspected conspiracy with the Confederacy • Within his own party, Lincoln struggled with Radicals, the strongest being Salmon Chase The Front Lines and the Home Front

Wartime needs caused massive economic growth in the North • Industries such as coal, iron, and agriculture are some of the beneficiaries • As with all governmental spending, there was corruption and an unequal distribution of wealth • Most people did not realize any economic upturn • They still faced day-to-day hardships like inflation • Due to the need for goods to be shipped nationally, there is a rise in large organizations to accomplish this goal • This lead to battles between employees and employers going into the 20th Century • Read from p. 471 (New York City Draft Riots) to 472 (stop at The Tide Turns) The Front Lines and the Home Front

The opening of 1863 saw a stalemate between North and South • In May, Robert E. Lee daringly divided his forces • General “Stonewall” Jackson lead his men to Chancellorsville, VA, where, despite losing 13,000 soldiers and Jackson himself, the Confederacy gets a victory • Lee took his forces to Gettysburg in July, where on the last day he sent George Pickett and 15,000 men to advance on the Union lines • “Pickett’s Charge” has been deemed the symbolic representation of the Confederate war efforts • Matchless valor, apparent initial success, ultimate disaster • Gettysburg was the last offensive mounted by the Confederacy • On July 4th, 1863, Ulysses S. Grant took Vicksburg • The news of Gettysburg and Vicksburg ensured that France and Great Britain would stay out of the war The Tide Turns

Grant devised a plan of strangulation • Grant rook on Lee in Virginia, while William Tecumseh Sherman heads through Tennessee into Atlanta • The new strategy was to make sure that the war directly affected the citizens • Total War was evident as Sherman marched to Atlanta, earning the nickname “Burnin’ Sherman” • Sherman’s goal was to make the war so terrible to the citizens of the south that they would never resort to it again The Tide Turns

The war was the main focus of the election of 1864 • Radicals thought Lincoln was too conciliatory with the south, while conservatives balked at emancipation • The Democrats ran General George McClellan, who didn’t really endorse the party platform • Proclaim the war a failure and seek an armistice • Stoked racial fears by warning of a racially mixed society • Lincoln anticipated losing unless a miracle occurred • The miracle was Sherman’s capture of Atlanta • This allowed Lincoln’s policy of unconditional surrender to continue • Lincoln’s reelection was a mandate from the people to continue a war that had been extremely hard on the citizens The Tide Turns

In a last-ditch effort to replace Confederate soldiers, the South armed slaves to serve in the Confederate army. • Slaves who fought for the Confederacy were granted freedom • The South never had to go public with this irony because support had disintegrated by the spring of 1865 • Davis sent his Vice President to negotiate peace • Lincoln would accept nothing less than total surrender, while Davis insisted on Southern independence • While this is going on, Grant advanced on Lee’s men, leading to full surrender at the Appomattox • Davis hoped to set up a new government in Texas, but was caught in Georgia on May 10th, 1865, thus ending the war The Tide Turns

While attending a play at Ford’s Theater on April 14th, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth • He died the next day, and after a week of observance in Washington, D.C., his coffin was shipped back to Springfield to be buried • People gathered along the railroad tracks to pay last respects to the President • Booth was a Southern supporter, but killed the best friend the South had when he assassinated Lincoln The Death of a President

The Civil War, 1861-1865