Unit 8 - The Civil War

African Americans in the Military

African Americans were allowed to officially join the Union army after the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln originally did not want to upset white troops by allowing African Americans to fight in the war. Recruitment problems led the Union to include African Americans. Thousands of African Americans joined the Union forces. However, they were segregated, faced racism, were paid less than white troops, and were not able to be promoted to high ranking offices. African Americans were often given hard labor jobs or sent to military front to be barriers. African Americans that were captured by the Confederacy were either immediately killed or sold into slavery.

Conscription

During the war the United States saw the first use of conscription, which means to require people to enter military service. Congress passed a militia law requiring states to use conscription if they could not recruit enough volunteers. Later the Union and Confederacy both had to implement drafts in order to recruit enough people to fight the war.

First Battle of Bull Run/First Battle of Manassas

First battle of the Civil War after the Battle of Fort Sumter. The Confederacy was able to hold the line due to Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. The Confederacy forces were victorious when the Union forces retreated. It made it clear that the war would not be short and the Union needed better trained troops.

Election of 1864

Democrats ran McClellan against Lincoln. Lincoln won the election due to recent northern victories against the South, Sherman's capture of Atlanta. Republicans added Andrew Johnson as his Vice President running mate (Enslaver) to appeal to border states.

Confederate States of America

Formed when Southern states that had seceded after Lincoln took over met in Montgomery, Alabama. These states declared themselves free and independent from the United States, wrote a Constitution based on the U.S. Constitution, selected a flag of stars and bars, and elected Jefferson Davis as their first president. They protected slavery and its expansion into any territories they gained. They believed their struggles was similar to the American Revolution, fighting against an oppressive government.

Dissenters

A person who disagrees. Lincoln and Davis both faced various dissenters during their time in office. Lincoln suspended writs of habeas corpus to prevent dissenters from supporting the confederacy or encouraging others to resist the military draft. Jefferson Davis eventually also had to suspend writs of habeas corpus towards the end of the war.

Habeas Corpus

A person's right to a trial to know why they are being held in jail. A legal order for an inquiry to determine whether a person has been lawfully imprisoned. After Fort Sumter, Lincoln suspended writs of Habeas Corpus which allowed the Union to keep suspected spies and dissenters in jail without trial. Jefferson Davis also suspended Habeas Corpus.

The Anaconda Plan

A plan created by General Winfield Scott to defeat the South. This plan would constrict the South like an anaconda. The first part was to blockade Southern ports to isolate the Confederacy and cut off trade. The second part was to take control of the Mississippi River. The third step was to take Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States of America.

Thirteenth Amendment

Lincoln encouraged Congress to pass the amendment before the end of the war. This amendment would end slavery in the United States in all states. It was passed on January 31, 1865.

Civil War Technology

New technologies helped to increase the casualties. Ironclads were iron plated wooden ships that were more durable. Minié balls, or conoidal (cone shaped bullets) were made of soft lead which spread out when they came in contact with bone inflicting more damage. These bullets also had a greater range. Mass produced rifles also had ridged or rifled barrels which helped to make weapons more accurate. Telegraph wires meant that communications were quicker than previous wars. The railroad meant that transportation in the North happened quickly. The Civil War was heavily photographed. Although they could not do live action shots, pictures displayed the aftermath of battles.

Copperheads

Northern Democrats who encouraged the Union to make peace with the South. They were willing to let the Confederate States go and were Lincoln's primary dissenters.

The Emancipation Proclamation

On September 22, 1862 after the Battle of Antietam Lincoln warned Southern states still in secession to return to the Union. Lincoln issued this executive order on January 1st, 1863. It freed enslaved people in states still in rebellion. It DID NOT free enslaved people in states that were under Union control or slave states that had remained in the Union. It helped keep Great Britain out of the war. It also allowed black people to join the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation helped to change the tone of the war; instead of keeping the Union together it became about emancipating enslaved people. It made the war a fight to the death for the South.

Blockade

Part of the Anaconda Plan was to blockade the South. This was meant to limit and prevent the South from being able to trade. The South relied heavily on European imports because their economy was dependent on cash crops. The blockade was successful overtime. Blockade runners from the South were able to make it through the blockade but their activity was limited.

President Abraham Lincoln

Republican who wanted to prevent the spread of slavery into the territories. While he believed slavery was immoral, he did not want to end slavery in states where it already existed. He micromanaged the war and experienced weak leadership from the various generals he appointed. After the Battle of Antietam he issued the Emancipation Proclamation to keep Britain out of the war. At the end of his presidential career he began to entertain the idea of ending slavery in ALL states and encouraged Congress to pass the 13th Amendment.

Battle of Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter was off the coast of South Carolina and was one of the last Union strongholds in the Confederacy. Major Robert Anderson requested support at Fort Sumter from the Union. Lincoln did not want to upset the border states and legitimize the Confederacy's claim as an independent nation by reinforcing the fort with troops so he said that he would only send, "food for hungry men." Jefferson Davis was then faced with either attacking the fort or allowing the supplies to get to Fort Sumter. If Jefferson Davis stopped the supplies it would start a war and if he did nothing the Confederacy did not have a claim as an independent nation. The Confederacy attacked the fort and Union forces surrendered. This battle started the Civil War.

The Battle of Antietam

General Robert E. Lee caused a draw at the Seven Days' Battles and believed that an invasion of the North would help the British to officially support the Confederacy. The Confederate Army was also experiencing shortages and the North had food and supplies. Jefferson Davis thought that a Southern victory would also help give Copperheads more support. This was the bloodiest single-day battle of the war and was a draw. The Union victory was crucial in keeping Britain after the war and allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (Confederacy)

General Robert E. Lee's right hand man. He was able to hold Confederate line at the First Battle of Bull Run earning him the nickname "Stonewall." He was wounded by his own men after returning late at night during the Battle of Chancellorsville. Lee was never able to fully replace him.

Sherman's March to the Sea

Sherman left Atlanta and led his troops to the sea. They practiced total war policy and did not need the Union to send them supplies. Rather, they ate off and used the land and destroyed anything they did not use, taking away what little food and resources the Confederacy had left. 60 miles wide desolation. This policy was used to break the Confederate's supply lines and also to break morale and the will of the southern people by destroying towns along the way. Reached Savannah. This caused widespread psychological and economic damage of the South.

Gettysburg Address

Speech delivered by Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War at the dedication of a national cemetery on the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. Its key ideas were liberty, equality, and democratic ideas. It also stated that purpose of war was to protect those ideas, honor dead, reaffirm declaration of independence, redefined by the Civil War as a 'new birth of freedom' that would bring true equality to all citizens and that would also create a unified nation in which states' rights were no longer dominate. ALL men are created equal.

The Battle of Gettysburg

The turning point of the Civil War. Robert E. Lee again tried to invade the North in search of badly needed supplies and hoped for a victory. Union and Confederate troops met at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. This three day battle was fought from July 1 to July 3, 1864. This was a major Union victory. It was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. The Confederacy was never able to recover from the loss of men.

The Legal Tender Act (1862)

This act helped to create a national currency and allowed the United States to issue paper money. This paper money was called a greenback; a piece of U.S. paper money first issued by the North during the Civil War because of it's color. These greenbacks helped the national government pay its suppliers and troops.

The Battle of Shiloh

This was a battle on the Western Front. Confederate forces surprise attacked General Ulysses S. Grant near a church called Shiloh. Grant had to retreat but later after reinforcements arrived was able to win an astounding victory against the Confederacy. This battle acted as a needed morale boost for the Union. It was also where Grant began to formulate his plans of unconditional surrender and total war.

General George B. McClellan (Union)

Union general who was leader of the Army of the Potomac after Winfield Scott retired. Lincoln was frequently upset with McClellan at McClellan's failure to act. McClellan spend a long time training his troops and refused to use all the Union forces against the Confederacy. His subsequent draw and failure to pursue the Confederacy at the Battle of Antietam caused Lincoln to fire him. He later ran against Lincoln in 1864 election.

Women during the Civil War

Women often managed family farms and business as men moved away to serve in the war. Women gathered supplies and sent them to the troops. Women sometimes acted as spies for both the Union and Confederacy.

Total War

A war that involves the complete mobilization of resources and people, affecting the lives of all citizens in the warring countries, even those remote from the battlefields. This practice meant that civilians were frequently attacked by troops of the other side. It started with Sherman's March to the Sea.

Appomattox Court House

After the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse, in April 1865, Lee was forced to surrendered to Grant. Lincoln told Grant to give generous terms of surrender. Only high ranking military officials were asked to give up their weapons. The Union allowed men to return home to their families. The rest of the South surrendered by June 1865.

Lincoln's Assassination

After the war ended, Lincoln's plan to restore the South to the Union and allow African Americans to be included in Southern state governments. Southern sympathizers formed a plot to assassinate Union governmental leaders. John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C. Lincoln died in the next day. Booth escaped but was killed during his capture. Andrew Johnson became president.

General Ulysses S. Grant (Union)

An American Union general. He achieved international fame as the leading Union general in the American Civil War. In command of the Western theater and then put in charge of the Eastern theater. An improviser who did not follow traditional war tactics. He developed the idea of unconditional surrender and total war. He believed that there could be no negotiation between the North and the South in order to bring the nation back together.

General Robert E. Lee (Confederacy)

Commander of the Confederate Army. He was offered command of the Union Army but turned it down after Virginia seceded. He was more loyal to Virginia than the Union. He was a tactical genius and was able to win several victories against the Union. He tried to invade the North twice, Antietam and Gettysburg. Both attempts were failures.

Draft Riots

In the North, many people were unhappy about the draft rules. A person could pay someone else to take their place or pay the government $300 to avoid the draft. After the Emancipation Proclamation some Northerners began to oppose the war because they did not believe they should have to die to free enslaved people. People protested the drafts widely. New York City had the most famous draft riots and for 3 days people attacked draft officials and African Americans to protest the new draft laws. The rioters lynched several African Americans and burned down black homes, businesses, and even an orphanage. It was the bloodiest riot in American history. Only the arrival of the federal troops halted the violence.

Battlefield Medicine

Medical knowledge was still limited but improved over the course of the war. Minié balls and other technologies greatly increased the casualties and amputations. Doctors did not know about germs and bacteria and reused un-sterilize instruments on their patients. Disease often spread quickly because troops did not understand about hygienic practices. The discovery of using bromine on amputated limbs helped to keep amputated limbs from becoming fatal.

Women as Nurses

Men were primarily nurses before the war. Due to high casualties, women began to fill the role as nurses. Elizabeth Blackwell helped to organize the United States Sanitary Commission and organized medical assistance and supplies to camps and hospitals. She also helped to create the first training program for nurses.

Martial Law

Military rule of an area. The military take control of civilian authorities and suspends certain civil rights to maintain or gain control of an area. Lincoln used martial law to keep control of Missouri and Maryland. Martial law was also applied by the Union after they retook a Southern state.

Clara Barton (Union)

She helped to organize the concept of First Aid and establish the American Red Cross.

Dorothea Dix

She was the head of female nursing. She did not want women to be caught up in battlefield romances and looked to hire plain women.

Great Britain

The Confederacy hoped that Great Britain would support the South due to the country's need of Southern cotton. However, Great Britain was able to take control of India, decreasing their dependency. Great Britain disliked the practice of slavery and did not want to hurt their relationship with the United States. The Confederacy's defeat at Antietam and Lincoln's issue of the Emancipation Proclamation meant that England would stay out of the war. This was a major blow to Confederate chances of winning the war.

Income Tax

The Union created the first income tax paid to the state, federal, and local governments based on income earned over the past year.

Attrition

The act of wearing down by constant harassment or attack. This was the Southern strategy: to fight smaller skirmishes and outlast the Union in hopes that they would give up because of the high cost and high casualties of the war. This is a defensive strategy.

National Bank Act of 1863

The banking system was used to create the sale of government bonds and to establish a uniform bank note currency. The system could purchase government savings bonds and money to back the bonds. The National Banking Act was made during the Civil War, and was the first real step taken toward a singular, unified banking system since Andrew Jackson killed the Second Bank of the United States.

Unconditional Surrender

The idea that the North should not accept Confederate surrender with conditions. This would help keep men from rejoining the Confederate effort.

Army of the Potomac

The name for the Union forces fighting on the eastern front of the war. This army often experienced weak leadership.