The Crucible of Civil War: Key Battles and Strategies (1861-1865)

1. Chapter 21 The American Pageant The Furnace of Civil War 1861-1865

2. First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) • July 21, 1861 • Manassas, VA • Irvin McDowell (Union) vs. Johnston and Beauregard • Union plan: attack, win, march to Richmond • Reality: • Both sides unprepared • Confederates victorious when “Stonewall” Jackson stands his ground, until reinforcements arrive

5. George McClellan • Given command of Union army after McDowell defeated • Meticulous in planning • Bad in implementation • Served only 4 months

6. Peninsula Campaign • Union launched in SE Virginia by McClellan • March – July 1862 • Union goal: Avoid Confed. army in VA by using waterways to sneak up and capture Richmond • Reality – McClellan held ground with Johnston, but then was easily defeated by Robert E. Lee (Confed. victory)

7. Peninsula Campaign • Union landed at Ft. Monroe but surprised to find Confed. defensive line • Battle of Yorktown (union victory) • Started Confed. withdraw • Battle of Williamsburg (Union victory) • 1st battle of campaign • Continued Confed. withdraw • Battle of Drewry’s Bluff (Confed victory) • Unsuccessful attempt of Navy to access Richmond via James River • Battle of Seven Pines (draw) • Johnston wounded • Replaced by Robert E. Lee

8. Battle at Yorktown

10. Seven Days Battles • June 25 – July 1, 1862 • Six Major battles (10 total) • Confed. General Lee vs. Union General McClellan • Confederates pushed McClellan’s army back down the peninsula • Lee then turned North to ready for future campaigns • 36,000 casualties

12. War at Sea • Northern blockades at principal ports • Merrimack • Confed. steel plated wooden ship • Effective at breaking through blockades • Many weapons and large but very slow • Monitor • Union’s ironclad ship • Fast and small; few weapons • Merrimack vs. Monitor • March 9th, 1862 (draw)

14. Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) • August 29 – 30th, 1862 • General Lee vs. General Pope (Union) • First major offensive battle by Confederacy • Confederate Victory • Casualties • Union – 10,000 • Confed. – 1,300 Union General John Pope

15. Logistics • “Stonewall” Jackson captured union supplies at Manassas • Severed link with Washington D.C. • Confed. and Union stalemate at Stony Ridge • Gen. Longstreet (Confed.) met up with Jackson after light resistance • Pope unaware of Longstreet, continued to fight Jackson • Union easily defeated by largest simultaneous mass assault of the war (25,000 confed. troops)

16. August 29th, 10am and 12pm

17. August 29th, 3pm and 5-7pm

18. August 30th, 3 and 4pm

19. August 30th, 4:30 – 5pm Union retreat

20. BATTLE of ANTIETAMSeptember 17th, 1862 • • Why was Lee invading the North, and especially a border state at this time? What were his goals?• Why was it especially critical for the Union to have a victory at this time?

21. Battle of Antietam • First major battle on Northern soil (MD) • Bloodiest single day battle (23,000) • Lee vs. McClellan • Lee outnumbered 2 to 1, but McClellan sent in less than ¾ of army • Lee able to withdraw, when McClellan failed to follow • Tactical Draw; Stopped advance towards D.C.

22. Emancipation ProclamationJanuary 1st, 1863 • Called for the freeing of all slaves • "the rebels could not experiment for 10 years trying to destroy the government and if they fail still come back into the Union unhurt.“ • Confiscation Act of 1862 • punished "traitors" by declaring their slaves property of war who shall be free. • Not enforced in the border states • Removed chances of negotiation between north and south • Made the Civil War also a moral war

23. Changing of Generals • McClellan replaced with General Burnside after Antietam • Battle of Fredericksburg, VA (12/13/1862) • Union defeated • Gen. Burnside replaced with General Hooker • Battle of Chancellorsville, VA (May 1863) • Union defeated • “Stonewall” Jackson mortally wounded • General Hooker replaced by General Meade

24. Battle of Gettysburg, PA July 1 -3. 1863

25. Battle of Gettysburg • Largest # of casualties (approx 50,000) • Major turning point of the war • Lee vs. Meade • Confed. Goal • Move north into PA, win, and truce • Union victory • Ended the war in the north • Led turn to Confed. defensive war, rather than offensive

26. Day 1 • Early Confed. gains • Pushed Union back to Cemetery Hill • General Reynolds killed; replaced by Doubleday

27. Day 2

28. Day 3: Pickett’s Charge • Pickett’s Charge • Confed. attack on Union middle • Preceded by artillery shooting • Confed. – 50% casualties • Ended the Battle of Gettysburg • Union victory

29. Politics of War • Congressional Committee on the Conduct of War • Abused powers during war • Led by Salmon P. Chase (Sec of Treasury) • Democratic Split • War Democrats: Pro-Lincoln • Peace Democrats: – Anti-Lincoln • Copperheads • Radical peace democrats • Vallandigham – Banished to South

31. War in the West

32. Ulysses S. Grant • Started as Union volunteer • Captured Ft. Henry and Ft. Donelson in Feb 1862 • Battle of Shiloh April 1862 • Union Victory • Given command at Vicksburg • Union victory July 4th, 1863 • Control of Mississippi River for rest of war • Became Lieutenant General of U.S. Army after victory at Chattanooga

33. William Tecumseh Sherman • Captured and burned Atlanta in September 1864 • Captured Savannah December 1864 • Captured and burned Columbia February 1865 • Purpose to destroy supplies and lower morale

35. Election of 1864

36. Election of 1864 • Union Party – War Democrats + Republicans • Lincoln: President • Johnson (War Democrat): Vice President • Democrats (including Copperheads) • George McClellan • Lincoln overwhelmingly reelected • Another defeat for the South

37. The War Ends • April 9th, 1865 Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Court House in Richmond, VA following Wilderness Campaign • War Death Total – 600,000 • Cost - $15 Billion

38. Lincoln Assassinated • April 14th, 1865 • Ford’s Theater (DC) • John Wilkes Booth • Andrew Johnson takes over as president