Chapter 21

Battle of Chancellorsville

The Union was defeated again with the Confederacy being led by Robert E. Lee. General Thomas Stonewall Jackson was accidentally wounded here by one of his own men. Another false sense of hope to the Confederacy.

Siege of Vicksburg

Two and half month siege of a Confederate fort on the Mississippi River in Tennessee. Vicksburg finally fell to Ulysses S. Grant in July of 1863, giving the Union Army control of the Mississippi River and splitting the South in two. Lead up to the eventual Union victory.

Union Party

A coalition party of pro-war Democrats and Republicans formed during the 1864 election to defeat anti-war Northern Democrats. How war shaped politics

Wilderness Campaign

A series of brutal clashes between Ulysses S. Grant's and Robert E. Lee's armies in Virginia, leading up to Grant's capture of Richmond in April of 1865. Having lost Richmond, Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse. This led to the end of the civil war and Lees surrender.

Gettysburg Address

Abraham Lincoln's oft-quoted speech, delivered at the dedication of the cemetery at Gettysburg battlefield. In the address, Lincoln framed the war as a means to uphold the values of liberty. Famous speech that still is quoted today, this led to Lincoln making it clear that the civil war was about slavery.

Battle of Fort Henry and Fort Donelson

Key victory for Union General Ulysses S. Grant, it secured the North's hold on Kentucky and paved the way for Grant's attacks deeper into Tennessee. Another battle paving the way to victory for the North, gave them hope.

Battle of Antietam

Landmark battle in the Civil War that essentially ended in a draw but demonstrated the prowess of the Union army, forestalling foreign intervention and giving Lincoln the "victory" he needed to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Gave Lincoln and reason the to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, and led to the Union having more hope.

Copperheads

Northern Democrats who obstructed the war effort attacking Abraham Lincoln, the draft and, after 1863, emancipation. Example of people AGAINST Lincoln and his views.

Appomattox Courthouse

Site where Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865 after almost a year of brutal fighting throughout Virginia in the "Wilderness Campaign". This place helped to The Norths victory and the souths official surrender.

Peninsula Campaign

Union General George B. McClellan's failed effort to seize Richmond, the Confederate Capital. Had McClellan taken Richmond and toppled the Confederacy, slavery would have most likely survived in the South for some time. Important victory for the North, and it would have kept slavery around even longer if South had won.

Sherman's March

Union General William Tecumseh Sherman's destructive march through Georgia. An early instance of "total war," purposely targeting infrastructure and civilian property to diminish morale and undercut the Confederate war effort. Helped the Union in winning the war, show the type of leader the Union had.

Battle of Shiloh

Bloody Civil War battle on the Tennessee-Mississippi border that resulted in the deaths of more than 23,000 soldiers and ended in a marginal Union victory. This ended the civil war, and the Union war.

Battle of Gettysburg

Civil War battle in Pennsylvania that ended in Union victory, spelling doom for the Confederacy, which never again managed to invade the North. Site of General George Pickett's daring but doomed charge on the Northern lines. Really important battle for the Union, eventually led to their victory because the South couldn't invade them again.

Second Battle of Bull Run

Civil War battle that ended in a decisive victory for Confederate General Robert E. Lee, who was emboldened to push further into the North. Again, gave the confederates a false sense of hope and kept them pushing on.

Merrimack and Monitor

Confederate and Union ironclads, respectively, whose successes against wooden ships signaled an end to wooden warships. They fought an historic, though inconsequential battle in 1862. Not very important, but shaped ships in Americas history from wooden war ships to better built, sturdier warships.

Thirteenth Amendment

Constitutional amendment prohibiting all forms of slavery and involuntary servitude. Former Confederate States were required to ratify the amendment prior to gaining reentry into the Union. First steps America took after Union victory, and came from the emancipation proclamation.

Battle of Fredericksburg

Decisive victory in Virginia for Confederate Robert E. Lee, who successfully repelled a Union attack on his lines. A battle that changed tides yet again and gave South a renewed sense of winning.

Emancipation Proclamation

Declared all slaves in rebelling states to be free but did not affect slavery in non-rebelling Border States. The Proclamation closed the door on possible compromise with the South and encouraged thousands of Southern slaves to flee to Union lines. This contributed to The Unions victory, it gave them many more men and a new reason to win the war.

The Man Without a Country

Edward Everett Hale's fictional account of a treasonous soldier's journeys in exile. The book was widely read in the North, inspiring greater devotion to the Union. Another example of how literature shapes America and their decisions.

Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War

Established by Congress during the Civil War to oversee military affairs. Largely under the control of Radical Republicans, the committee agitated for a more vigorous war effort and actively pressed Lincoln on the issue of emancipation. Helped lead up to Lincolns decision to issue the emancipation proclamation.

Battle of Bull Run (Manassas Junction)

First major battle of the Civil War and a victory for the South, it dispelled Northern illusions of swift victory. Weakened the unions hope, and gave South new hope of winning the civil war.

Reform Bill of 1867

Granted suffrage to all male British citizens, dramatically expanding the electorate. The success of the American democratic experiment, reinforced by the Union victory in the Civil War, was used as one of the arguments in favor of the Bill. Opened up voting and voters, this led to more diverse election results.

Ford's Theater

site of Lincoln's assassination. This is where Lincoln got shot, a reaction to the end of the civil war by a Southerner.