The Furnace of Civil War

 

I.                    Bull Run Ends the “Ninety-Day War”

a.       Bull Run (Manassas Junction) – July 1861

                                                               i.      Lincoln decided to try his unready troops against a small Confederate force here

                                                             ii.      If successful, it would:

1.      Demonstrate Union power

2.      Could lead to the fall of Richmond, the Confederate capital (it was only 100 miles to the south)

                                                            iii.      Congressmen and spectators brought lunchbaskets with them to witness the “fun”

                                                           iv.      The Union did well at first, but Stonewall Jackson’s troops stood like a stone wall.  However, the Union ended up defeated

b.      Results of Bull Run

                                                               i.      Victory made the South even more overconfident

                                                             ii.      Some Southern soldiers deserted feeling that the war was now over

                                                            iii.      Southern enlistments dropped

II.                 George McClellan and the Peninsula Campaign

a.       George B. McClellan

                                                               i.      Was a West Point graduate

                                                             ii.      Had fought in the Mexican War and observed the Crimean War

                                                            iii.      Given command of the Army of the Potomac (major Union army near Washington)

                                                           iv.      He believed in the following:

1.      Hated to sacrifice troops

2.      Instilled lots of morale

3.      Consistently (and erroneously) believed the enemy outnumbered him

a.       Pinkerton’s Detective Agency – Intelligence reports were unreliable

b.      Was overcautious

4.      Addressed the president in an arrogant tone

b.      Attacking Richmond (1862)

                                                               i.      McClellan continued to drill his army without moving it toward Richmond

                                                             ii.      Eventually, Lincoln ordered his army to advance

                                                            iii.      Spring 1861 – McClellan decided to take a water approach to Richmond (lies on the base of a peninsula formed by the James and York Rivers).  After a month of fighting with 100,000 men, Yorktown fell (it wasn’t defended very well, but it took too long to take)

                                                           iv.      Lincoln diverted McClellan’s reinforcements to chase Stonewall Jackson in the Shenandoah Valley, close to Washington, D.C.

                                                             v.      June/July 1862 – Lee launched a counterattack on McClellan (known as the Seven Days’ Battles).  The Union forces retreated and abandoned the campaign

c.       Results of the Peninsula Campaign

                                                               i.      “Win” for the South

                                                             ii.      Lee lost 20,000 troops; McClellan lost 10,000 troops

                                                            iii.      McClellan temporarily removed from command

                                                           iv.      If McClellan had taken Richmond, the war may have ended with slavery restored

                                                             v.      Lincoln was now changing his mind about his unwillingness to tamper with slavery and he began writing the emancipation proclamation

d.      Union Military Plan

                                                               i.      Slowly suffocate the South by blockade

                                                             ii.      Liberate the slaves to undermine the economic foundations of the South

                                                            iii.      Cut the Confederacy in half by seizing control of the Mississippi River

                                                           iv.      Chop the Confederacy to pieces by sending troops through Georgia and the Carolinas

                                                             v.      Decapitate it by capturing its capital at Richmond

                                                           vi.      Try everywhere to engage the enemy’s main strength and to grin it into submission (Grant’s idea)

III.               The War at Sea

a.       General Winfield Scott

                                                               i.      Developed a strategy to crush the South

                                                             ii.      Called for a:

1.      Naval blockade to shut out European supplies and exports

2.      A campaign to take the Mississippi River, thereby splitting the South

3.      A targeting of Southern cities in hopes that pro-Unionists would rise up in the South and overthrow the secession

                                                            iii.      Both the blockade and the taking of the Mississippi were successful

b.      Blockade

                                                               i.      Defending the 3,500 mile coast with yachts and ferryboats was not good

                                                             ii.      However, it was made easier by concentrating on the biggest ports and blocking only them

                                                            iii.      Britain warned shippers that if they ignored it, it was their choice.  They didn’t want to make a future war

c.       Blockade Running

                                                               i.      Risky, but profitable

                                                             ii.      Speedy ships could rendezvous with Nassau, in the British Bahamas.  This was called the “ultimate destination” doctrine, and it would actually be used by the British in WWI

                                                            iii.      Northern navy would take any goods obviously not intended for the Confederacy anyhow

                                                           iv.      These days ended as the blockade would eventually strengthen

d.      Merrimack and Monitor (1862)

                                                               i.      Merrimack – Southerners plated this wooden ship’s sides with iron railroad ties and renamed it Virginia.  It could easily destroy wooden ships and threatened the blockade

                                                             ii.      Monitor – Union countered with the hastily built Monitor

                                                            iii.      Both ships encountered each other and fought each other to a standstill.  The South destroyed their ship to keep it from the grasp of advancing Union troops

                                                           iv.       This was the first battle test of ironclad ships, although Britain and France had already made some.  It also spelled the doom of wooden ships

IV.              Antietam: The Pivotal Point

a.       Second Battle of Bull Run (August 1862)

                                                               i.      Lee attacked the Union army led by General John Pope

                                                             ii.      Pope was crushed

b.      Maryland

                                                               i.      Lee hoped to strike MD successfully for two reasons:

1.      Encourage foreign intervention

2.      Encourage MD to join the South

                                                             ii.      Having seen so many ill-equipped Southern soldiers, it dampened their Southern spirit

c.       Antietam Creek (September 1862)

                                                               i.      McClellan was restored to command

                                                             ii.      His troops found a copy of Lee’s battle plans dropped by a Confederate soldier

                                                            iii.      McClellan succeeded in stopped Lee’s advance, but it was a draw militarily

                                                           iv.      As Lee retreated, McClellan declined to pursue him and was removed from command again

                                                             v.      It was the bloodiest day of the war (4,000 deaths)

d.      Importance of Antietam

                                                               i.      The South was on the verge of winning the war

                                                             ii.      British and French governments were on the verge of helping the South, which would’ve probably led to an armed conflict between the North and those countries.  The Union victory dampened those countries’ spirits

                                                            iii.      The Emancipation Proclamation could now be put into effect

e.       Emancipation Proclamation

                                                               i.      Was the victory that Lincoln needed for putting the Emancipation Proclamation into effect.  Lincoln felt this way because:

1.      The border States were firmly border

2.      Doing the Emancipation Proclamation after a series of military defeats would make it seem like it was a desperate attempt to get the slaves to rebel against their masters

                                                             ii.      September 23, 1862 – Emancipation Proclamation was issued.  On January 1, 1863, the president would issue a final proclamation

V.                 A Proclamation Without Emancipation

a.       What Did the Emancipation Proclamation Do?

                                                               i.      Declared free the salves in those Confederate States still in rebellion.  The border States weren’t affected (it was cause them to succeed)

                                                             ii.      800,000 slaves were freed

                                                            iii.      Many have criticized it as Lincoln freeing the slaves:

1.      Where he could he would not

2.      Where he would he could not

                                                           iv.      Thousands of slaves went into the Northern army (1/7 Southern slaves runaway to Union camps).  This helped convince Northerners of slavery’s evils

                                                             v.      The Proclamation strengthened morale by making the war a moral cause

                                                           vi.      The Proclamation did away with any chance of a negotiated settlement.  It would be a fight to the finish

b.      Public Reaction to the Emancipation Proclamation

                                                               i.      Antislavery people liked it, but some thought it didn’t go far enough

                                                             ii.      Border States and regions of the Old Northwest felt it went too far

1.      Army desertions from these areas increased

                                                            iii.      European workers sympathized with the slaves and liked the Proclamation

1.      They sensed that it spelled the ultimate doom of slavery

2.      The diplomatic position of the Union improved

3.      The moral position of the South was diminished

VI.              Blacks Battle Bondage

a.       Enlisting Blacks

                                                               i.      Had served in the Revolution and War of 1812

                                                             ii.      At the outset of the Civil War, the regular army contained no blacks.  Only the Union navy allowed blacks to enroll (worked as cooks, firemen, etc.)

                                                            iii.      As manpower ran low and emancipation was proclaimed, back enlistees were accepted

                                                           iv.      180,000 blacks served in the Union army, most of them from the slave States (accounted for 10% of the total enlistments)

                                                             v.      Frederick Douglass even raised two MA regiments

b.      Why Serve?

                                                               i.      War against slavery (38,000 died from battle, sickness, or reprisals – were killed if captured – Fort Pillow, TN – many were massacred)

                                                             ii.      Offered a chance to prove their manhood (received 22 Congressional Medals of Honor)

                                                            iii.      Strengthened their claim to full citizenship at the war’s end

c.       Slaves In the Confederate Army

                                                               i.      South didn’t enlist them until a month before the war ended because of pride, prejudice, and principle

                                                             ii.      Worked on building of fortifications, supplying the armies, etc.

                                                            iii.      Slaves kept the farms going as the whites fought

d.      Affects of Slaves On the South

                                                               i.      Fear of slave insurrections necessitated Confederate “home guards,” keeping many eligible white men from the front

                                                             ii.      Forms of slave resistance, such as slowdowns, strikes, and open defiance, diminished productivity and undermined discipline

                                                            iii.      Many runaways served as Union spies, guides, etc.

VII.            Lee’s Last Offensive at Gettysburg

a.       General A.E. Burnside

                                                               i.      Lincoln replaced McClellan with Burnside (Burnside told Lincoln he was unfit for the responsibility)

                                                             ii.      December 1862 – He launched an attack on Lee’s position at Fredericksburg, VA.  10,000 Northern soldiers were killed or wounded

b.      General Hooker

                                                               i.      Burnside yielded command to his subordinate, Hooker

                                                             ii.      May 1863 – In Chancellorsville, VA, Lee divided his numerically inferior force and sent Stonewall Jackson to attack the Union flank.  The strategy worked

                                                            iii.      Hooker was beaten, but Jackson was mistakenly shot by his own men when he was scouting the Northern troops at dusk.  Lee’s right hand man was lost

c.       Gettysburg (July 1863)

                                                               i.      Lee decided to follow up this victory by invading the north in PA.  A victory would help foreign intervention.  It was also the northernmost point of invasion for Lee

                                                             ii.      Union General George Meade replaced Hooker, who took his stand atop a low-lying ridge near Gettysburg, PA

                                                            iii.      Meade – 92,000 troops; Lee – 76,000 troops

                                                           iv.      Battle lasted for three days until General George Pickett’s charge broke the back of the Confederate attack

                                                             v.      From now on, the South was on the defensive

d.      Gettysburg Address

                                                               i.      Lincoln went to Gettysburg to dedicate the cemetery of those who had fallen (it was the bloodiest battle of the war – 51,000 casualties – killed, wounded, missing, captured)

                                                             ii.      He read a two-minute address that received little press, but lots of criticism by the London Times as “ludicrous” and by Democratic editors as “dishwatery” and “silly”

VIII.         The War in the West

a.       Ulysses S. Grant

                                                               i.      Was a mediocre student at West Point

                                                             ii.      Fought well in the Mexican War

                                                            iii.      He was stationed at isolated frontier posts, where boredom and loneliness drove him to drink.  He resigned from the army to avoid a court-martial for drunkenness

                                                           iv.      Then, he failed at some business ventures and was working in his father’s leather store in Illinois for $50 a month.  He then enlisted in the army

b.      Grant’s First Success

                                                               i.      February 1862 – Came in TN, when he captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson

                                                             ii.      Results –

1.      This helped to secure Kentucky to the Union

2.      Secured TN, a strategic area to Georgia and the South

3.      Asked for their unconditional surrender

c.       Battle of Shiloh

                                                               i.      April 1862 – Grant hoped to capture the junction of the main Confederate railroads in the Mississippi Valley

                                                             ii.      The Confederates held off Grant

                                                            iii.      Results –

1.      Ensured that there would be no quick end to the war in the west

d.      New Orleans (southern end of MI River)

                                                               i.      Spring 1862 – The Navy, commanded by David G. Farragut joined with the Northern army to strike New Orleans.  New Orleans was important because:

1.      If taken, the Union would be able to control the Mississippi River and have a back door to the eastern part of the Confederacy

2.      It also supplied the Confederacy with supplies, such as cattle and other provisions

e.       Vicksburg and Port Hudson (both Southern ports along the MI River)

                                                               i.      Summer 1863 – Grant attacked these strongholds of the MI River

                                                             ii.      Vicksburg fell, then Port Hudson – the last Southern strongholds along the river

                                                            iii.      Vicksburg came the day after the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg

f.        Results of Gettysburg and Vicksburg

                                                               i.      Quieted the agitation in the Ohio River valley area.  Confederate control of the MI River had cut off that region’s usual trade routes down the river to New Orleans

                                                             ii.      Tipped the diplomatic scales in favor of the North.  Britain stopped delivery of the Laird rams and France killed a deal for the sale of six naval vessels to the Richmond government.  By the end of 1863, all Confederate hopes for foreign help were lost

IX.              Sherman Scorches Georgia

a.       Battle of Chattanooga

                                                               i.      Union forces under Grant had driven Confederates from Chickamauga, TN to Chattanooga, NC

                                                             ii.      November 1863 – Grant laid siege and defeated the Confederates at Chattanooga.  This opened a way for an invasion of Georgia

                                                            iii.      Grant was made the head general of the army

b.      General William Sherman and the Conquest of Georgia

                                                               i.      Conquest of GA was entrusted to General William Sherman

                                                             ii.      September 1864 – He captured Atlanta and burned the city

                                                            iii.      December 1864 – Sherman’s 60,000 troops marched all the way to Savannah, GA.  They:

1.      Lived off the land

2.      Stole from the houses

3.      Burned the buildings

4.      Tore up railroads

                                                           iv.      Purposes of “Shermanizing” the South:

1.      To destroy supplies destined for the Confederate army

2.      To weaken the morale of the men at the front by waging war on their homes

3.      Increase numbers of Confederate desertions

                                                             v.      Results of “Shermanizing” the South:

1.      He probably shortened the struggle and saved lives

2.      Discipline of the army broke down at times

c.       South Carolina and North Carolina

                                                               i.      After capturing Savannah, Sherman marched north to South Carolina

                                                             ii.      Destruction here was even worse because the Union soldiers believed that this State provoked the war

                                                            iii.      The capital, Columbia, was burned

                                                           iv.      Then, Sherman marched into North Carolina

X.                 The Politics of War

a.       Republican Political Infighting

                                                               i.      Factions within Lincoln’s party occurred

                                                             ii.      Some distrusted his ability or doubted his commitment to abolition.  Other critics were:

1.      Secretary of Treasury Salmon Chase – an outspoken critic (leading spokesman of the Liberty Party, helped found the Free-Soil Party & Republican Party – he resigned his post because he thought Lincoln to be too moderate on slavery and Lincoln later appointed him Supreme Court Chief Justice)

2.      Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War – dominated by radical Republicans who resented the expansion of presidential power in wartime and who pressed Lincoln for emancipation

b.      Northern Democrats

                                                               i.      Departed with the Southern wing of the party

                                                             ii.      Leader Stephan Douglas died 7 weeks before the war started.  Lacking a leader, the Democrats were divided

                                                            iii.      War Democrats supported the Lincoln administration

                                                           iv.      Peace Democrats did not

                                                             v.      Copperheads – extreme Democrats who obstructed the war through attacks against the draft, Lincoln, and emancipation

c.       Clement L. Vallandigham and the Copperheads

                                                               i.      Congressman from Ohio who was one of the notable Copperheads

                                                             ii.      He was convicted by a military tribunal in 1863 for treasonable utterances

                                                            iii.      Lincoln banished him to the Confederacy

d.      Aftermath of Vallandigham

                                                               i.      Ran for the governorship of Ohio from Canada and won substantial votes, but not enough to win

                                                             ii.      He inspired Edward Everett Hale to write a fictional story called The Man Without A Country (1863).  It was about a young army officer who was found guilty of participation in the Aaron Burr conspiracy.  After crying out in court “Damn the United States!  I wish I may never hear of the United States again!” he was condemned to a life of exile on American warships.  This book helped stimulate devotion to the Union

XI.              The Election of 1864

a.       Union Party

                                                               i.      The Republican party joined with the War Democrats and proclaimed itself to be the Union Party

                                                             ii.      The Republican party temporarily went out of existence

b.      Nomination of Lincoln

                                                               i.      Lincoln’s nomination encountered strong opposition at first

                                                             ii.      Many wanted Secretary of Treasury Chase to be nominated

                                                            iii.      Lincoln was accused of:

1.      Lacking force

2.      Being overready to compromise

3.      Not having won the war

4.      Having an odd sense of humor

                                                           iv.      Eventually, Lincoln was nominated with little opposition

c.       Andrew Johnson

                                                               i.      Lincoln’s running mate

                                                             ii.      Was a War Democrat from TN

                                                            iii.      He was put on the ticket to get the War Democrat vote and the voters in the Border States

                                                           iv.      He, like Lincoln, was condemned as an ignorant backwoods politician born in a log cabin

d.      Peace Democrats and Copperhead Nomination

                                                               i.      Nominated McClellan

                                                             ii.      Platform – denouncing the war as a failure.  However, McClellan repudiated this declaration

e.       War Sways Lincoln’s Chances of Reelection

                                                               i.      When the war was going badly, his reelection was in doubt

                                                             ii.      With Northern victories in GA, however, Lincoln’s fortunes changed

                                                            iii.      Some soldiers were permitted to cast their ballots at the front, while others hurried home to vote for Lincoln

f.        Election of 1864 Results

                                                               i.      Lincoln won 212-21; 2.2 million to 1.8 million

                                                             ii.      Removal of Lincoln was the last gasp of hope for a Confederate victory

                                                            iii.      When Lincoln won, desertions in Southern armies increased sharply

XII.            Grant Outlasts Lee

a.       Grant Replaced Meade

                                                               i.      Meade was blamed for failing to pursue Lee and was replaced by Grant

                                                             ii.      Lincoln wanted a general who would have the nerve to use the resources and men of the North to drive forward.  Grant was his man

                                                            iii.      His plan was to attack the enemy at all fronts so that the enemy couldn’t assist one another

                                                           iv.      May and June 1864 – Wilderness Campaign – Grant surged towards Richmond and attacked in the Wilderness of Virginia.  In this campaign, both sides had about 50,000 casualties

                                                             v.      June 1864 – Cold Harbor – A battle in which 7,000 Union men were killed or wounded in a few minutes

b.      Public Opinion

                                                               i.      Grant – His reputation as being “mad” was undeserved.  His rate of loss was 1 in 10 soldiers

                                                             ii.      Lee – Lee was overrated.  His rate of loss (at one casualty for every five soldiers) was the highest of any general of the war

                                                            iii.      Lee was the one who turned the eastern campaign into a war of attrition (who could last longer).  With fewer men, Lee could no longer seize the offensive, as he had at Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and Antietam.  As a result, he fought from the trenches, while Grant preferred to fight in the open as he had in the West.  Grant now figured he could trade two men for Lee’s one and still beat him

c.       Confederates Negotiate Peace

                                                               i.      February 1865 – Being nearly defeated, the South tried to negotiate a peace.  Lincoln would not accept anything short of Union and emancipation.  However, the Southerners wanted independence

                                                             ii.      The war continued

d.      Capture of Richmond

                                                               i.      April 1865 – Northern troops captured Richmond and cornered Lee at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia.  Lee surrendered to Grant, ending the Civil War

                                                             ii.      Lincoln traveled to Richmond and walked the streets with a small escort of sailors.  Freed slaves began to recognize him and crowds gathered to see Lincoln.  Many thanked Lincoln for freeing them

XIII.         The Martyrdom of Lincoln

a.       Lincoln’s Death

                                                               i.      Five days after Lee’s surrender, Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater in Washington

                                                             ii.      A crazed pro-Southern actor, John Wilkes Booth, went to the booth were Lincoln was watching the play and shot him in the head.  He died the next morning (“Now he belongs to the ages” – said Secretary of War Stanton)

b.      Impact of Lincoln’s Death

                                                               i.      The timing helped to erase all criticism and contributed towards his legacy

                                                             ii.      Many ex-Confederate soldiers, Southern civilians, and Northern Copperheads cheered his death.  Their reaction was natural because Lincoln refused to give in and instead fought until the end.  This increased bitterness in the North (people thought Jefferson Davis had plotted it)

                                                            iii.      As time went on, Southerners increasingly realized that Lincoln’s kindness and moderation would have helped neutralize vindictive treatment by the victors

c.       Would Lincoln Have Been Impeached?

                                                               i.      Andrew Johnson ended up taking what would have been Lincoln’s wrath.  Embittered members of his own party, who demanded harshness toward the South, probably would have impeached him (they instead impeached Johnson)

                                                             ii.      However, others argue that Lincoln wouldn’t have been impeached because he was a victorious president, possessed great tact, reasonableness, and common sense.  Johnson was hot-tempered and impetuous (impulsive – rushing into something without using common sense)

XIV.         The Aftermath of the Civil War

a.       Results of the War

                                                               i.      Deaths – 600,000 men died.  Many potential young leaders died and babies were unborn because fathers were at the front

                                                             ii.      Costs - $15 billion.  Doesn’t include pensions and interest on the national debt

                                                            iii.      Intangible costs – Dislocations, disunities, wasted energies, lowered ethics, bitter memories, and burning hates

                                                           iv.      Constitutional decisions – With the defeat of the South, the issues of nullification, secession, and slavery were put to rest

                                                             v.      Democracy prevails – The democratic Union lasted and inspired champions of democracy and liberty around the world (Britain’s English Reform Bill of 1867, under which Britain became a true political democracy, was passed two years after the Civil War ended)