The
American
Civil
War
Notes




Abraham
Lincoln

•Early
in
his
career,
Abraham
Lincoln
was
a
lawyer,
a
member
of
the
Illinois
state

legislature,
member
of
the
U.S.
House
of
Representatives

•He
supported
the
Republican
Party
and
the
party’s
efforts
to
stop
slavery

•He
was
nominated
for
a
U.S.
Senate
seat,
going
against
Democrat
Stephen
Douglas

–Well
known
for
the
Kansas
Nebraska
Act



Lincoln‐Douglas
Debates

•1858,
Douglas
and
Lincoln
competed
for
a
Senate
seat

•Lincoln
tried
to
take
advantage
of
his
opponent’s
fame,
and
challenged
Douglas
to
a

series
of
debates
throughout
the
state

•Thousands
of
people
attended
the
seven
debates

•Lincoln
focused
on
slavery
and
the
future
in
the
West

–Said
Democrats
wanted
to
spread
slavery
across
the
continent

–Lincoln,
a
Republican,
felt
slavery
was
wrong

–Felt
African
Americans
were
“entitled
to
all
the
natural
rights”
listed
in
the

Declaration
of
Independence

–He
did
not
feel
AA’s
were
political
or
social
equals,
but

–“in
the
right
to
eat
the
bread…which
his
own
hand
earns,
he
is
my
equal”



•Douglas
used
Lincoln’s
stance
on
equality
against
Lincoln

•“Those
of
you
who
believe
that
the
Negro
is
your
equal…of
course
will
vote
for
Mr.

Lincoln”

•Douglas
criticized
Lincoln
for
believing
the
country
could
not
remain
half
slave
and

half
free

•Accused
him
of
wanting
to
make
all
states
free,
which
would
lead
to
“warfare

between
the
North
and
the
South”



Lincoln­Douglas
Debate
Results

•Douglas’
response
to
the
Dred
Scott
decision
helped
him
win
the
Seat.

–He
said
the
people
of
each
area
have
the
power
to
vote
for
or
against
slavery

through
voting


•Even
though
he
lost,
Lincoln
gained
national
attention
and
media
coverage

•This
helped
him
to
gain
the
Republican
nomination
for
President
in
the
1860

election



Election
of
1860

•Northern
Democrats
chose
Senator
Stephen
Douglas

•Republicans
chose
Abraham
Lincoln

–He
was
against
slavery,
but
said
he
would
not
try
to
abolish
slavery
wherever
it

existed,
making
him
appeal
to
a
large
audience

•John
Breckinridge
and
John
Bell
also
campaigned.


•The
three
other
candidate
split
many
of
the
votes
among
themselves

–Lincoln
won
180/183
northern
electoral
votes

–Breckinridge
and
Bell
split
the
southern
electoral
votes


–Douglas
won
only
12
electoral
votes

•Lincoln
won
the
presidency,
even
though
he
did
not
win
a
single
southern
state

•This
was
a
reminder
of
the
lack
of
political
power
in
the
South



Secession

•Many
southern
whites
believed
Lincoln
would
abolish
slavery
once
in
power

–This
would
destroy
the
South’s
economy
and
lifestyle

•Four
days
after
Lincoln’s
election,
South
Carolina’s
legislature
called
for
a
special

convention
to
consider
secession.

•After
three
days
of
discussion,
all
delegates
voted
to
secede.

•Since
secession
was
not
directly
discussed
in
the
Constitution,
some
southern

states
believed
they
could
get
out
of
the
Union
just
as
they
got
in,
by
holding
a
state

convention
and
voting.


•Lincoln
disagreed,
saying
no
state
can
lawfully
get
out
of
the
Union,
without

revolution,
which
was
against
the
law.



Confederate
States
of
America

•By
2/1/1861,
Mississippi,
Florida,
Alabama,
Georgia,
Louisiana,
and
Texas
seceded

from
the
Union

•The
seceding
states
formed
The
Confederate
States
of
America,
aka
the

Confederacy.

•Jefferson
Davis
of
Mississippi
was
elected
President
of
the
CSA.



First
Shots
of
the
War

•Lincoln
called
for
unity
at
his
inaugural
address

•Confederate
officials
were
already
taking
over
federal
storehouses
and
forts

•Fort
Sumter,
near
Charleston,
South
Carolina

was
a
Union
fort
located
in
the

South

•Lincoln
ordered
the
troops
to
be
resupplied,
but
South
Carolina
troops
demanded

the
Union
troops
leave
the
fort.


•Confederate
guns
opened
fire,
beginning
the
Civil
War.

•34
hours
of
Confederate
bombardment
forced
the
North
to
surrender



Border
States

•The
free
Northern
states
were
solidly
for
the
Union

•Slave
states
that
did
not
join
the
confederacy
had
to
choose
sides

•N.C.,
Tennessee,
Virginia,
Arkansas

–Joined
confederacy

•Delaware,
Kentucky,
Maryland,
Missouri
bordered
the
North

–The
position
of
these
states
made
them
important
to
both
the
North
and
the

South

–While
some
soldiers
fought
for
both
sides,
the
border
states
eventually

joined
the
Union





North
Vs.
South

•Northern
Advantages

–Larger
Population
=
More
soldiers

–More
factories
and
shipyards

–Better
Railroads
=
easier
transportation

–More
money

•Confederate
Advantages

–Many
skilled
officers

–Didn’t
have
to
“win”
anything,
just
not
give
up




Northern
Strategy

•Union
general
Winfield
Scott
developed
the
Union’s
two‐part
strategy,
the

“Anaconda
Plan”

–Destroy
the
south’s
economy
with
a
naval
blockade
of
seaports

–Gain
control
of
the
Mississippi
River
to
divide
the
Confederacy
and
cut
its

communication
lines

•Felt
this
would
result
in
the
least
bloodshed;
but
would
take
time



Southern
Strategy

•Defend
its
territory
and
wear
down
the
Union’s
will
to
fight

•Take
Washington
D.C.

•Cotton
Diplomacy‐
the
belief
that
the
British
gov’t
would
support
the
South

because
of
their
reliance
on
cotton

–British
had
large
stockpiles
of
cotton
and
also
acquired
it
from
India
and

Egypt



Main
Leaders

•Ulysses
S.
Grant
–
Union
General

•George
McClellan
–
Union
General

•Thomas
“Stonewall”
Jackson
–
Confederate
General

–“There
is
Jackson
standing
like
a
stone
wall”

•Robert
E.
Lee
–
Confederate
General



Main
Battles/Events

•Ft.
Sumter:
First
shots
of
the
Civil
War,
located
in
Charlestown,
South
Carolina

•First
Battle
of
Bull
Run
(Manassas)

•Second
Battle
of
Bull
Run
(Manassas)

•Battle
of
Antietam:
Bloodiest
single
day
of
the
civil
war.
First
battle
in
northern
soil.

•Battle
of
Hampton
Roads
(Monitor
vs.
Merrimack/Virginia)

•Battle
of
Shiloh

•Vicksburg

•Gettysburg:
Turning
point
of
the
war.

•Sherman’s
March
to
the
Sea:
Used
scorched
earth
policy.

•Appomattox
Courthouse:
General
Lee
surrendered
to
Grant,
ending
the
Civil
War.





Emancipation
Proclamation

•Lincoln
supported
freeing
the
Slaves
if
it
would
help
the
North
win
the
war

–He
was
hesitant
because
he
feared
it
might
weaken
support
for
the
war

–Constitution
did
not
give
the
President
the
right
to
end
slavery;
some
saw

slaves
as
property
of
the
Southerners

•After
the
Battle
of
Antietam,
Lincoln
called
for
all
slaves
in
Confederate
controlled

areas
to
be
freed

•News
of
this
encouraged
southern
slaves
to
escape
when
Union
troops
were

nearby

•Some
opposed
the
Proclamation,
as
they
simply
wanted
to
restore
the
Union,
the

end
slavery