The Civil War
What were the three main parts of the Anaconda Plan?
1. Capture Richmond (later changed to capturing Lee's Army of Northern Virginia); 2. Blockade the southern ports to keep ships from going in or out. 3. Take control of the Mississippi River.
About how many people were enslaved in the U. S. in 1860?
About 3.5 - 4 million people.
Who was the president of the United States during the Civil War?
Abraham Lincoln of Illinois.
Who said these words, and where? "It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Abraham Lincoln said them at Gettysburg when he came to help dedicate the cemetery there in November of 1863. This speech is known as the Gettysburg Address.
What was the Emancipation Proclamation?
An order by President Lincoln stating all enslaved people in the seceded states were now considered free. It paved the way for the end of slavery in the United States.
Which battle in Maryland remains the bloodiest day in American history - more men were killed and wounded on that day than on any other before or since.
Antietam, also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, which was fought in September of 1862.
Where were the first shots of the Civil War fired?
At Fort Sumter, SC, in April of 1861. Confederates cannons bombarded the fort when the U.S. troops there refused to leave.
Not long after the war, states began to pass laws to restrict the rights of African Americans. These laws led to the system of segregation. What were these laws called?
Black Codes or Jim Crow laws.
What made the cavalry different from other parts of the army?
Cavalry soldiers rode horseback; they were mounted troops.
Who was the Washington, D.C. office worker who volunteered as a battlefield nurse and later went on to help start the American Red Cross?
Clara Barton
Who earned the nickname "Stonewall" at the First Battle of Bull Run, and why?
Confederate General Thomas Jackson. He brought his men forward on to Henry House Hill, where General Bee said he was standing as strong as a stone wall.
Despite being pushed back by a larger Confederate force on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Union troops managed to control important high ground in the early fighting. Which hills did the Union defend on that first day?
Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill.
How many states seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America?
Eleven
About how many soldiers died during the Civil War?
Estimates vary, but 630,000 is a number used in many resources. Some estimates go as high as 700,000.
Who helped convince President Lincoln to allow black men to fight in the Union army?
Frederick Douglass met with Lincoln and persuaded him to allow blacks into the army. Black soldiers, however, served in segregated units of the army.
This Union general had a strong reputation for training men and building morale, but was fired twice by Lincoln for being too slow and cautious in battle situations.
General George McClellan. A frustrated Lincoln said McClellan had "a case of the slows."
Who led Union forces at Gettysburg?
General George Meade.
On the third day at Gettysburg, General Lee ordered a huge attack on the center of the Union lines. Who led this charge, and how did it turn out?
General George Pickett led 12,000 - 13,000 men in this attack. The Rebels were driven back with heavy losses of about 6,500 men.
Who led troops on a daring march through a thick forest called the Wilderness to surprise Union troops at the Battle of Chancellorsville?
General Jackson. His attack was part of a risky by successful battle plan made by General Lee.
What happened at Appomattox Courthouse, VA, on April 9, 1865?
General Lee surrendered to General Grant, ending the four-year Civil War.
Who led the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, the main Confederate force in the east?
General Robert E. Lee
Who did Abraham Lincoln name as leader of the Army of the Potomac in March of 1864, with the mission of chasing down Robert E. Lee's army?
General Ulysses S. Grant.
Who led the Union "March to the Sea," waging total war on the South as his army swept through Tennessee and Georgia?
General William T. Sherman
Who developed the Union strategy to win the war, the so-called Anaconda Plan?
General Winfield Scott. He was a hero of the Mexican War, but was too old to lead battles any longer.
Who took over for Lincoln as president?
His vice president, Andrew Johnson, became president when Lincoln was assassinated.
Who was the one and only president of the Confederate States?
Jefferson Davis of Mississippi. He had been a soldier, a U.S. senator, and the Secretary of War of the U.S. before the Civil War broke out.
Who shot and killed President Lincoln, and where did the murder take place?
John Wilkes Booth, a well-known actor, killed Lincoln as he watched a play at Ford's Theater on April 14, 1865 - just days after the war ended.
Which of the following did not join the Confederacy - Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, or Virginia?
Kentucky. It was one of the border states that remained in the Union.
On the second day of fighting at Gettysburg, the Rebels tried to capture a key hill the Union had left undefended. Which hill did the two sides battle over that day, and who ended up controlling it?
Little Round Top, which the Union controlled after a tough afternoon of fighting.
There were eleven Confederate states, but 13 stars on the Confederate flag. Why?
Many Confederates considered Kentucky and Missouri as rebel states that had been kept in the Union by force. They also wanted to connect themselves with the 13 original colonies.
Why could muskets fire farther and with more deadly accuracy than they had in Revolutionary War times?
Muskets were now rifled - they had spiraling grooves cut into the inside of the barrel to put a spin on the bullet. The bullets were now cone-shaped Minie balls instead of round muskets balls. Both these things made bullelts fly faster, farther, and straighter.
What is the name for the period after the war, when the nation was trying to put itself back together again?
Reconstruction.
What city served as capital of the Confederate States of America for most of the war?
Richmond, VA. Montgomery, AL was the capital for a few months, until Virginia joined the seceding states.
Who is it?
Robert E. Lee
What did Robert E. Lee take his Army of Northern Virginia north into Pennsylvania in the summer of 1863?
Several reasons. To get food and supplies his army needed badly, to scare the Union into thinking Washington, D.C. might be targeted for an attack, and to Union draw troops and resources away from Vicksburg.
The Confederates won at Chancellorsville in May of 1863, but suffered a big loss during the battle. General Lee said he had lost his right arm - to what was he referring?
Stonewall Jackson was wounded in the battle, and died several days later.
Which of the following was not a Union state during the war - Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, or Indiana?
Tennessee
At which battle did Union troops cross the Rappahannock River and unsuccessfully attack Rebel troops who were dug in around and on top of Marye's Heights?
The Battle of Fredericksburg. It was a devastating loss for the Union and meant the end of Ambrose Burnside's short term as head of the Army of the Potomac.
What was the first big battle of the Civil War, and who won?
The First Battle of Bull Run (or Manassas), won by the Confederates.
What was the name of the government organization that was started to helped freed African Americans get some education and start new lives as free people?
The Freedmans' Bureau.
The Black Hats of Wisconsin were also known by another nickname. What was it?
The Iron Brigade.
Racist organizations and secret societies began to form in the United States after the Civil War with the goal of keeping African Americans and other minority groups from having their full rights. They used terror and violence as their tools. What was the best-known and largest of these organizations?
The Ku Klux Klan.
Which side in the war might be known as the Federals or the Yankees?
The North or Union troops.
Which side in the war had a larger population - North or South?
The North, by far. The northern states accounted for about 22 million of the nation's total population of 31 million people.
Which side in the war might be known as the Rebels?
The South or Confederate troops.
What was the job of the artillery during the Civil War?
The were in charge of firing cannons.
Why did some newspapers and politicians criticize General Grant?
They said he suffered too many casualties in battles, and some called him "a butcher." Lincoln said, "I can't spare this man - he fights."
What is "total war?"
Total war is the tactic of destroying not only the enemy army, but all the goods and resources of the opposing side - food, factories, farms, railroads - anything that could be of use to the enemy.
Which city fell into Union hands on July 4, 1863, and why was this so important?
Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, giving the Union total control of the Mississippi River.
Despite many losses to Lee, the Union fight to control the Mississippi River was going well. By the summer of 1863, only one city along the river was still held by the Confederates. What city was it, and which general had it surrounded?
Vicksburg, Mississippi, which was surrounded by the troops of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant