Civil War Discovery

The “Border States”,
Delaware, Kentucky,
Missouri, and Maryland
had a difficult time deciding
which side to back.
Delaware quickly supported the
Union
Maryland was important to the
Union. The Union needed to keep
MD for defensive reasons.
Maryland bordered Washington,
D.C. and if MD joined the
Confederacy, the capital would be
surrounded by enemy troops.
The Lexington of 1861.
The Massachusetts
volunteers fighting
their way through the
streets of Baltimore ...
April 9, 1861.
Lithograph by Currier
& Ives.
In April 1861, a pro-Confederacy mob attacked Baltimore,
MD. President Lincoln sent in Federal troops and declared
Martial law. (rule by an army).
The Confederate supporters were put in prison and the
Maryland legislature voted to stay in the Union.
Kentucky and Missouri also decided to stay in the Union.
Union States:
Maine
Massachusetts
New York
New Hampshire
West Virginia
Rhode Island
California
Indiana
Kansas
Wisconsin
Maryland
Kentucky
Vermont
Pennsylvania
Ohio
New Jersey
Delaware
Iowa
Connecticut
Michigan
Oregon
Minnesota
Missouri
Illinois
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Louisiana
Texas
Georgia
Alabama
Mississippi
Florida
Arkansas
Confederate States:
Leader of the War
Many in the north feared that
Lincoln would be a weak
leader because of his lack of
experience dealing with
national, political, and
military issues.
Lincoln turned out to be a
great leader, as well as
military planner.
He gained the respect of
military and political leaders
and always took criticism
well.
President Abraham
Lincoln
Leader of the War
Most thought he would be a better
leader than Lincoln.
He was a West Point graduate and
officer during the Mexican War.
Davis was Secretary of War under
Franklin Pierce and well respected
for his honesty and courage.
President Jefferson
Davis
His greatest problem was that he
harped on details and wanted to
control the planning of the war.
He also did not like it when others
disagreed with him
After Fort Sumter fell, southern army officers had to make
a decision; stay with the Union army and fight against their
home states OR join the Confederate forces.
The Union lost many great officers during the early days of the
Civil War. Many felt that they could not fight against their
home states.
Robert E. Lee was
one such general.
General Robert E. Lee
• Lee was an excellent US
Army officer.
• Lee graduated 2nd in his
class from West Point
without a single demerit
(first cadet to do so and
given the nickname the
"Marble Statue" )
• Lee served with
distinction in the Mexican
War as a battlefield
commander, planner, and
•Lee served as Superintendent of
West Point from 1852-1855
•He was later transferred to serve in
the cavalry in Texas
•He was recalled to Washington, DC
in February 1861 where Abraham
Lincoln asked him to take
command of the Army… he
declined
•Lee, although opposed to slavery,
felt a great loyalty to VA and took a
commission as a general in the
Confederate Army, later becoming
the Commander of the Army of
Northern Virginia
Strategies for Victory
Union Strategy:
1. Block southern ports,
halting trade with
Europe.
2. Seize control of the
Mississippi River to
prevent Confederates
from resupplying troops
along the river.
3. Capture Richmond,
Virginia and capture the
Confederate government.
Strategies for Victory
Confederate Strategy:
1. Fight a defensive war
and hope that the North
would tire and the war
would become unpopular.
2. Rely on European
nations to provide money
and supplies to help fight
the war.
The first battle took place near a stream called Bull Run,
about 100 miles away from Richmond.
July 21, 1861, hundreds of people gathered to watch
the Battle of Bull Run “picnic style”. They were
certain the Union troops would crush the
Confederates.
Library of Congress
Instead of listening to Scott,
Lincoln embraced a plan
devised by General Irvin
McDowell to attack the
Confederate Army at
Manassas.
National Archives and Records Administration
Unfortunately for the Unioo,
the plan was not kept quiet
and the Confederates were
well prepared for the attack.
General Irvin McDowell
Library of Congress
PGT Beauregard
Joseph Johnston
The Confederate troops were led by Generals Gustave
Beauregard and Joseph Johnston. Beauregard had his
troops well dug in along an 8 mile stretch
Early in the battle, the Union troops did
very well and it seemed as if they might win
the battle. But a brigade of Virginians
stood firm and would not allow the
Confederate line to break.
(Actual 1861 photograph of the Bull Run Battlefield, Library of Congress)
The Virginians were led
by a Virginia Military
Institute (VMI)
professor named
Thomas “Stonewall”
Jackson.
Jackson was given his
nickname during the
battle when another
Confederate general
shouted to his men,
“There is Jackson,
standing like a
stonewall! Rally
behind the Virginians!”
Thomas
“Stonewall”
Jackson
Library of Congress
The Union troops were so poorly trained that they dropped
their muskets while retreating in a panic. The Confederates
could have chased them back to Washington, but instead
decided to gather precious supplies left behind by Union troops.
The retreat was an embarrassing catastrophe for the North. A
terrible traffic jam ensued as spectators also tried to speed away.
General McClellan gathered up all of the stragglers he
could find and began training new troops in Washington.
McClellan’s army grew to 168,000 men and became known
as the Army of the Potomac.
General view of 96th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment during drill at Camp Northumberland, with the camp in the background
After the disaster of
Bull Run, President
Lincoln appointed
General George
McClellan Commander
of the Union Army.
General George McClellan
McClellan was
cautious and moved
very slowly, but had
excellent
organizational skills.
In fact, many
northerners, including
President Lincoln,
became upset with his
inaction.
After his success at Forts Henry and Donelson, U.S. Grant sought to
take control of the Mississippi River.
Grant’s commanding officer ordered him to take 42,000 troops toward
Memphis, TN but to stop near a place called Pittsburg Landing, which
was near a very small church called Shiloh. There he was to await
General Don Buell’s 51,000 troops to reinforce his army before the
attack on Memphis.
Unbeknownst to Grant,
Confederate General
Johnston had figured out
the Union plan and
decided to attack Grant
before Buell arrived.
Early in the morning on
April 6, 1862, Johnston
attacked a very
unprepared Union Army
and the Battle of Shiloh
began.
Shiloh church. Lithograph by Ehrgott, Forbriger & Co. after A. E.
Mathews, 31st Regt., O.V.
Shiloh Church
Confederate
General Albert
Sidney Johnston
Thousands of Confederates charged the Shiloh camps and
often picked off union troops as they emerged from their
tents. Most of the union troops fled to the rear trying to
reach safety. Those who stayed were overrun.
But the Confederate troops became quickly disorganized and officers needed to
lead from the front to direct their troops. Johnston himself was shot in the leg. He
continued to fight despite the fact that the bullet that hit him severed an artery.
Johnston eventually slumped over his horse and died while his officers stood
helpless. He became the South’s first great martyr.
Courtesy of Don Troinani
Patrick R. Cleburne by Don Troiani
Grant also acted heroically by riding into areas where gunfire was the
thickest
He screamed out orders to form defensive lines and sent a messenger to
tell Buell to hurry quickly to Pittsburg Landing
Battle of Shiloh / Thulstrup. Prang--Battle of Shiloh (C size) [P&P]
CREATED/PUBLISHED: c1888. CREATOR: L. Prang & Co.
Thulstrup, Thure de, 1848-1930, artist. Public domain image
After the death of
Johnston, General PGT
Beauregard took
command of the
confederates.
Both Union flanks had
collapsed, but the center of
the Union line remained
strong. Beauregard
ordered all of his troops to
concentrate on the center
Confederate
of the line located by a
General Beauregard
sunken road.
The Battle of Shiloh
ended with both
sides withdrawing
from the fight, but
the North did regain
lost ground so could
claim victory.
A total of
24,000 men
were killed
or wounded
during the
battle.
Many blamed Grant for the awful losses and the
reality of war really began to hit Northerners and
Southerners.
(Shiloh Battlefield Cemetery National Park Service)
Harper’s Weekly The Blockade of Charlestown
• The Union blockade of the South was very
successful by the middle of the Civil War.
• The South saw a 90% reduction in
imports.
• The Confederates needed a new strategy!
A new type of ship would
be produced during the
Civil War. “Ironclads”
were produced in both
the North and South
Merrimac
(CSS Virginia)
The first of the ironclads
was the Merrimac,
created by the
Confederate Navy
(named the CSS Virginia
by the confederates)
The union counter to the
Merrimac was the USS
Monitor
USS Monitor
The Union Navy had abandoned a ship called
the Merrimac in a naval yard in Virginia.
The Confederate Navy covered the ship with
iron and renamed it the CSS Virginia.
http://www.nnsy1.na
vy.mil/History/HIST
ORY.HTM New York
Naval Shipyard
History
The Merrimac (CSS Virginia) had great success during its
first battle on March 8, 1862. It sank one ship, ran another
aground, and forced a third to surrender.
The Union countered with the
USS Monitor, which was quickly
built in NY
(Picture of officers on USS Monitor deck)
During the battle, the ships circled each
other and both had problems with their
guns. As a result they began ramming
maneuvers.
Depiction of the battle between the "USS Monitor"
and the "CSS Virginia" (U.S. Naval Historical Center)
The Merrimac suffered a huge crack in its armor but
got off a shot at the Monitor’s pilot house causing it
to drift away uncontrollably. The Merrimac thought
it had won the battle and returned to its home port,
but the Monitor regained control after the Merrimac
steamed away.
Once Pope found Jackson’s position, he attacked beginning the Second Battle of
Bull Run. The Confederates were outnumbered but fought back ferociously and
kept their position… even throwing rocks when they ran out of ammunition
Pope thought he had the battle won, but Lee brought up
more reinforcements to wait for Pope’s next attack.
General James Longstreet
On the second day of
the battle, Pope ordered
his men to attack.
When Pope had used all
of his reserves,
Confederate General
James Longstreet
attacked the Union
soldiers with an
artillery barrage and
then led 5 divisions
against Pope’s left
flank.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Pickets on the road c1862 May 6. PGA - Ehrgott--Pickets on the road
As Longstreet attacked the left flank, Jackson
ordered his men to attack the right flank and Pope’s
army folded. The Confederates had a clear victory!
In September, 1862, Lee marched his troops into
Maryland. He hoped to demoralize the North by
winning a battle on their territory and possibly
bring Maryland into the Confederacy.
Robert E. Lee
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Lee and his generals. Lithograph by John Smith, 1867.
Confederate Generals Lee, Jackson, and Hill organized on a
ridge overlooking Antietam Creek. Across the creek, General
McClellan began to appear.
McClellan wasted a lot of time, but finally attacked on the
morning of September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam lasted
throughout the day.
Battle of Antietam. Lithograph by L. Prang &
Co., 1887, after Thulstrup. Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
It was a series of attacks and retreats and saw 26,000
Union and Confederate troops dead or wounded. It was
the bloodiest battle of the war up to that point
Confederate dead on the Hagerstown road at the Battle of Antietam
CREDIT: Gardner, Alexander. "Antietam, Maryland. Confederate Dead by a Fence on the Hagerstown Road."
September 17, 1862. Selected Civil War Photographs, 1861-1865, Library of Congress.
Battle of sharpsburg--Army of the Potomac: Gen.
Geo. B. McClellan, comm., Sept. 17' 1862 ...
CREATED/PUBLISHED: c1888.
Kurz & Allison.
Copyrighted 1888 by Kurz & Allison, Art
Publishers, Chicago, U.S.A.
Source: Library of Congress
On September 18, Lee ordered his troops to slip
back into VA. McClellan decided NOT to pursue
them, making the Confederates very happy.
Many in the North began to question McClellans’s
judgement and leadership.
Neither side won a clear victory during the
Battle of Antietam, but because the
Confederates retreated, the North claimed
Victory!
Bloody Lane, Antietam. After the battle. Photograph of sketch made on the field by Capt. James Hope, Co. B, 2nd Vermont Inf.
In 1861 and 1862,
thousands of slaves
escaped plantations and
headed for Union
camps where they
expected to be freed.
Because the war was not
initially about slavery,
but about the
preservation of the
Union, many slaves were
returned to slave owners
by the Union troops.
Lincoln himself was
very pragmatic about
the issue of slavery and
once said,
“If I could save the
Union without freeing
any slave, I would do it;
and if I could save it by
freeing all the slaves, I
would do it; and if I
could do it by freeing
some and leaving the
others alone, I would
also do that.”
Lincoln needed to handle the issue of slavery cautiously
because 4 of the states siding with the Union were slave
states (Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Delaware).
Lincoln met with his Cabinet for
the first reading of the
Emancipation Proclamation draft
on July 22, 1862
By mid 1862, Lincoln believed
that he needed to broaden the
scope of the war.
• He decided to free all slaves
in states within the
Confederacy.
• All slaves in states that
supported the Union
(Kentucky, Maryland,
Missouri, Delaware) would
remain slave states.
• Also, slaves in areas that the
Union had already taken (like
New Orleans) would remain
slaves.
Emancipation of the slaves, proclaimed on the 22nd September 1862, by Abraham
Lincoln, President of the United States of America. Lithograph by J. Waeshle.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Lincoln needed to
introduce his idea slowly
to the public. He wasn’t
sure that they’d support
it. Lincoln truly wanted
to free the slaves when he
felt the time was right. He
was in favor of abolition.
He wanted to ensure that
Americans didn’t think
that he was freeing the
slaves as a last desperate
act. He needed a Union
victory first.
The Battle of Antietam
gave him that victory!
(Lincoln at Antietam, 1862)
The Emancipation
Proclamation was issued
on January 1, 1863 and
said:
“On the 1st day of January,
in the year of our Lord
1863, all persons held as
slaves within any state or…
part of any state [whose]
people… shall be in
rebellion against the United
States, shall be then,
thenceforward, and forever
free.”
Reading the Emancipation
proclamation. (A negro family).
Engraving by J. W. Watts, 1864, after
H. W. Herrick. Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs Division
Washington
The
Emancipation
Proclamation
was well
accepted in the
North initially,
although (as
expected) there
were no slaves
freed by the
Confederacy
until after the
war.
In the early part
of the war, blacks
were not allowed
to join the Army,
but by 1862, the
Congress allowed
African
Americans to
enlist.
The response was great (200,000 free blacks and escaped slaves).
Black troops received less pay and had to be led by white officers
During the war, 3,000 African American soldiers were killed.
Sixteen were awarded the Congressional Medal of
Honor for heroism.
Sgt. Henry Stewart, Company E,
54th Massachusetts Infantry
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw
The 54th Massachusetts Infantry was one of the first all black
units.
Like in the Revolutionary War, officers of all black units had to be
white. Colonel Robert Gould Shaw served as the commanding
officer of the 54th Massachusetts.
News of emancipation motivated slaves in the
South and many began to slow down their work
in an effort to help the Union. They knew that
once the Union troops arrived, they’d be freed.
Portrait of Pvt. George A.
Stryker, New York Regiment,
U.S.A.
Portrait of Pvt. Edwin Francis
Jemison, 2nd Louisiana
Regiment, C.S.A.
The average age of a
soldier during the
Civil War was under
21.
Union soldiers were
called “Yankees”,
“Yanks”, or “Billy
Yanks” by their
Confederate enemies.
Confederate soldiers
were called “Rebels”,
Rebs” or “Johnny
Rebs” by Union
soldiers.
New technology
made the Civil War
even more deadly
than previous wars.
Seacoast mortars of Federal Battery No. 4 with officers of
1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery; Yorktown, VA
New types of mortars
and cannons could
shoot targets miles
away with greater
accuracy.
Federal soldiers with big gun at Fort McAllister; Savannah, Ga.
Though the Civil War saw advancements
in military technology, there were few
advances in medicine. In fact, more
soldiers during the Civil War died of
diseases (such as malaria and
pneumonia) than of battle injuries.
National Archives
The most common way to treat battle wounds was by
amputation. Army surgeons would regularly use “bonesaws” to
cut off limbs to prevent infection. Infection killed more than
half of all wounded soldiers.
By 1863, the Union had a
difficult time recruiting
soldiers, so Congress passed
a conscription (draft) law
which required all 20- 45
year old men to put their
names in a lottery and serve
if their names were drawn.
A wealthy person could get
out of the draft, if called, by
paying the government $300
or paying someone to take
his place.
22nd and 24th President
Grover Cleveland avoided
the draft by hiring
someone to take his place
Some blamed the Emancipation
Proclamation for the draft, and riots
erupted all over the North.
Many men were killed and thrown into rivers, a great number
hung to trees and lamp-posts, numbers shot down; no black
person could show their heads but … were hunted like
wolves. -The Christian Recorder
Lincoln set out to end the riots by
suspending habeas corpus
(“you should deliver the body”Latin translation)
Habeas corpus is the right of the
accused to determine the
lawfulness of an arrest in court.
Lincoln pointed to the
Constitution which said that rights
could be denied “in the cases of
rebellion and invasion.”
(Article 1, Section 9, Clause 2).
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/civil/davis_1
Jefferson Davis
worked hard to
create a strong
central
government, but
Southerners were
strong supporters
of states’ rights.
Davis had
difficulty getting
states to pay taxes
and cooperate on
military matters.
The Confederacy also
imposed a draft law,
but they exempted
people who owned
more than 20 slaves.
This caused resentment
among smaller
farmers.
Robert E. Lee wanted
to allow slaves to fight
but the Confederacy
objected, until the last
days of the war.
The
Union
Paying for the War
In 1861, the Union issued the first income tax and began
taxing luxury items. They also sold war bonds to raise
money. But they were unable to raise the needed amount of
money, so they printed $400 million in paper money known
as “greenbacks”
This caused massive inflation. But the economy in the
North did not collapse due to wartime demands for
products; Profiteers often overcharged the government
for goods.
The
Confederacy
Paying for the War
The South instituted a “tax-in-kind” law which required
farmers to give up one-tenth of their crops to the
government. The South also printed massive amounts of
paper money. By 1865, a Confederate dollar was worth
2 cents of gold.
The Southern economy suffered terribly, mostly due to a
halting of the cotton trade: Davis cut off trade with Britain
in an effort to get them to side with the South. Instead, the
British bought more cotton from Egypt and India.
The Confederacy fell into a full blown
depression which saw even the wealthy
starve. They relied on European
military equipment which rarely made
it to shore because of the blockade.
Nashville, Tenn., view
from the capitol, 1864.
Photographed by George N.
Barnard. National Archives
After the Battle of
Antietam, Lincoln
urged McClellan
to pursue the
Confederates.
US Army
After it was clear
that McClellan
planned to take
his time, Lincoln
fired him.
General George McClellan
Lincoln replaced General Ambrose Burnside
McClellan with a very
likable general named
Ambrose Burnside
Burnside did NOT
want the job of
commander of the
Army of the Potomac,
but had no choice but
to accept it
National Archives
National Archives and Records Administration
Records of the Office of the Chief Signal Officer
Ambrose came up with a plan that called for crossing
pontoon bridges over the Rappahannock river into
Fredericksburg, VA and then continue on to Richmond.
Along the way, he expected to encounter Lee.
Union troops were beaten back with heavy
casualties during every attack and the Battle of
Fredericksburg had begun!
TITLE: Battle of Fredericksburg--the Army o.t. Potomac crossing the Rappahannock
in the morning of Dec. 13' 1862, under t. comd. of Gen's Burnside, Sumner, Hooker
& Franklin CREATED/PUBLISHED: c1888. Kurz & Allison. Source: Library of
Congress
Battle of Fredericksburg, Va., Dec
13. 1862. Lithograph by Currier &
Ives. Library of Congess
The Union soldiers fought with incredible bravery, but
were ultimately defeated after losing 12,600 men, dead or
wounded. The Confederates lost about 5,300.
Burnside wanted to continue attacks, but his fellow officers
convinced him to halt the fighting. The battle was one of
the worst Union defeats.
Confederate dead behind
the stone wall of Marye's
Heights, Fredericksburg,
Va., killed during the Battle
of Chancellorsville, May
1863. Photographed by
Capt. Andrew J. Russell.
National Archives
General Joseph Hooker
National Archives
After the Battle of
Fredericksburg,
Burnside was quickly
relieved of command,
and General Joseph
“Fighting Joe” Hooker
replaced him as
commander of the
Army of the Potomac.
Hooker also devised a
plan to attack Lee and
conquer Richmond.
On a march toward Richmond from the west,
General Hooker met up with Lee’s troops. Hooker
panicked and immediately called for a retreat to an
area called Chancellorsville
Despite the fact
that Lee had
45,000 troops
compared to
Hooker’s 70,000
troops, Lee
ordered Stonewall
Jackson to attack
Hooker's flank
while he attacked
the center.
The last meeting of
Generals Lee and
Jackson. Engraving by
F. Halpin. Colorized
The battle also resulted in a
great loss for the
Confederates
While Jackson was
returning from a scouting
mission with his staff, his
own soldiers mistook them
for a Union patrol and shot
at them. Jackson suffered
three bullet wounds (one to
the left upper arm, one in
the left forearm, and one in
the left hand).
He lived for another week.
Battle of Chancellorsville--May 2, 3 & 4, 1863--Union (Gen.
Hooker) ... Confederate (Gen. Lee) ... Gen. Jackson mort. wd.
CREATED/PUBLISHED: c1889, c1890.
Kurz & Allison. Source: Library of Congress
General John Sedgwick
General John
Sedgwick was on
his way from
Fredericks-burg to
save Hooker, but
before arriving in
Chancellors-ville,
he was attacked
by Lee and forced
to retreat.
Hooker had no choice but to retreat himself after losing
17,000 men. The victory was very important to the
Confederates, and some say it was Lee’s greatest
victory, but many mourned the loss of General Stonewall
Jackson.
Wounded soldiers being tended in the field after the
Battle of Chancellorsville near Fredericksburg, Va., May
2, 1863. National Archives
Meanwhile in the West… The Union Navy attacked New
Orleans a short time after Grant’s victory at Shiloh.
The Union now controlled both the northern and southern
parts of the Mississippi. The Confederates could not use the
river as a supply line any longer… but neither could the Union.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington
Brilliant naval victory on the Mississippi River, near Fort Wright, May 10,1862. Lithograph by Currier & Ives, 1862.
The North couldn’t use the Mississippi River
because Confederates still held Vicksburg,
which sat on a cliff overlooking the
Mississippi.
(A Confederate
battery at Vicksburg)
The Union Army and Navy were still vulnerable to artillery attacks.
Grant attempted to seize Vicksburg several times unsuccessfully. He
then decided to go around Vicksburg, and attack Jackson,
Mississippi from the rear.
The siege finally ended on July 4, 1863 when
Confederate General John Pemberton surrendered
Vicksburg to Grant. The citizens of Vicksburg suffered
greatly from starvation.
The Victory at Vicksburg was crucial to the Union because it had
now completed both of its objectives:
1.
Cutting off supplies from Europe through a blockade.
2.
Capturing the Mississippi River and cutting off Confederate
supply lines.
Because of the constant attempts to capture Richmond, Lee
convinced those in power to allow him to attack
Pennsylvania. If Lee were to be successful,
the war would be over!
He thought that attacking the Union in their
own territory would take them by surprise.
(Preparing the dead for burial)
Lee moved his
troops North
through the
Shenandoah Valley
spreading his men
out over 100 miles.
He sent General Jeb
Stuart to find the
location of the Union
Army. Stuart
discovered that the
Union Army was
moving north.
General Jeb Stuart
Stuart had a very difficult
time finding his way back and
ended up moving further and
further from Lee
With Stuart gone, Lee had no
intelligence about the location
of the Union Army. Lee
decided that he was going to
concentrate his forces west of
Gettysburg while he waited
for Stuart and planned his
next move.
Pennsylvania
Chambersburg
Carlisle
Gettysburg
Emmitsburg
Winchester
Washington, DC
Fredericksburg
LEE
Richmond
York
After receiving word of
Lee’s movement, Hooker
moved immediately to
defend Washington, DC.
Once there, he waited
two weeks to pursue Lee
who was now spreading
out through
Pennsylvania. When
Hooker complained to
Lincoln that he needed
more troops before he
could make a move, he
was replaced by
General George Meade.
General Joseph Hooker
Source: National Park Service
General Meade was a
very tough, no nonsense
soldier who cared little
about what people
thought of him.
General George Meade
Meade promptly
ordered the Army of the
Potomac to move north
and sent a cavalry unit
to scout out a small town
named Gettysburg to
secure the area if
possible and determine if
Lee was there.
A Confederate
regiment that
straggled into
Gettysburg
spotted Meade’s
cavalry troops
in the town.
They pulled out
quickly to await
reinforcements.
On July 1, 1863, soldiers from
Confederate General A.P. Hill’s
Units attacked the 3,000 Union
cavalrymen in Gettysburg.
The Union cavalry had breech
loaded weapons and were able to
put up a great fight.
When Union General John
Reynolds heard the news of the
Confederate attack, he sent 10,000
infantry troops into Gettysburg to
take on the Rebels.
General John Reynolds
After hours of fighting, the Union troops were overwhelmed by
Confederates coming from every direction.
The Union troops began retreating and were chased through the town
of Gettysburg. General Reynolds was shot and killed during the battle.
General Winfield Scott
Hancock was sent by
General Meade to
assess the situation.
Peach
Orchard
Cemetery Ridge
Hancock had 20,000
men to protect the area
that night with many
more to arrive the next
morning.
Culp’s Hill
Seminary Ridge
Hancock concluded that
the best line of defense
would be on Cemetery
Ridge, behind the town
of Gettysburg.
Gettysburg
Wheat Field
Lee wanted to attack and end
the war once and for all.
General James Longstreet
disagreed. He believed the
Union troops were too well
dug in and suggested that Lee
move South to draw the
troops out.
Source unknown
Lee disregarded the advice
and ordered an attack at each
General
flank.
James Longstreet
Longstreet ordered General
John Bell Hood to attack
the union flank at Little
Round Top. Hood protested
suggesting Big Round Top
was a better target.
General John Bell Hood
When Hood assembled
below the attack area he
ordered, "Fix bayonets, my
brave Texans; forward and
take those heights!" Shortly
thereafter, Hood was
carried away from the
battlefield with an injury to
the arm that would require
amputation.
National Park Service
Joshua Chamberlain
Colonel Joshua Lawrence
Chamberlain and the 20th
Maine were assigned the
task of guarding the Union
left flank on a hill called
Little Round Top and
ordered not to retreat
under any circumstances.
The hill was previously
unoccupied and the 20th
Maine had to double time
to the hill before the
Confederates tried to
occupy it.
Members of the 15th Alabama were instructed to attack Little Round top
and they did so over and over again. The 20th Maine only had about 358
soldiers, but they fought
bravely.
Courtesy of Don Troinani
Little Round Top by Don Troiani
When Colonel
Chamberlain
suspected that
Colonel Oates
planned to flank
him, he set up a
defensive position
on his left and
repelled the attack
Source unknown
Courtesy of Don Troinani
Bayonet by Don Troiani
After the 20th Maine had expended all of its ammunition,
Chamberlain ordered his men to fix bayonets and charge after the
confederates. The rebels were surprised by the bold move and either
surrendered or ran from the battle.
National
Park Service
Colonel William Oates
After the battle, Colonel
William Oates,
commander of the 15th
Alabama wrote,
“There never were harder
fighters than the Twentieth
Maine men and their
gallant Colonel. His skill
and persistency and the
great bravery of his men
saved Little Round Top and
the Army of the Potomac
from defeat."
Lee was unable to
break the Union line
anywhere in
Gettysburg, but he
refused to give up
despite continued
advice from General
Longstreet to move
south.
Instead, Lee orders General
George Pickett to attack in
the center (where the Union
would least expect an
attack) by crossing a wide
open field (over 1,000 yards)
with 15,000 men.
After a 2 hour artillery
barrage on Union positions,
Pickett’s men were ordered
to attack by a very unhappy
General Longstreet.
The famous attack has
become known as
“Pickett’s Charge”.
Source: National Park Service
General George Pickett
Pickett’s charge had begun. As Pickett’s men
approached Union troops they were fired on and
row after row of Confederate soldiers dropped to
the ground.
From “Gettysburg”
Few reached Cemetery Ridge, and those who did were easily killed. In the end,
Pickett’s Charge was a failure and considered a great military blunder. The Union
had won the battle and Pickett never forgave Lee for ordering the charge.
After the battle Gen. Lee rode up and down the line of the surviving men saying,
“All this has been my fault.”
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
The battle of Gettysburg, Pa. July 3rd, 1863. Lithograph
by Currier & Ives.
The battle saw many die- there were a total of 53,000
casualties! On November, 18, 1863, Northerners held a
ceremony to commemorate the sacrifices of those who
died. A very unpopular Abraham Lincoln spoke for three
minutes at the ceremony, giving his most famous speech.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
Bodies of dead on right of
Federal line
Library of Congress
Prints and Photographs
Division
"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought
forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in
Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men
are created equal.”
"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing
whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so
dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great
battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a
portion of that field as a final resting place for those
who here gave their lives that that nation might live.
It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do
this.”
"But, in a larger sense, we cannot
dedicate—we cannot consecrate—we
cannot hallow—this ground. The
brave men, living and dead, who
struggled here, have consecrated it,
far above our poor power to add or
detract. The world will little note, nor
long remember what we say here,
but it can never forget what they did
here. It is for us the living, rather, to
be dedicated here to the unfinished
work which they who fought here
have thus far so nobly advanced. 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."
Lincoln's address at the
dedication of the
Gettysburg National
Cemetery, November 19,
1863.
[no date recorded].
Prints & Photographs
Division.
Although the Gettysburg Address has gone down in
American history as one of the greatest speeches of all
time, it was coldly received by many in the press…
The Harrisburg Patriot and Union
wrote: "We pass over the silly
remarks of the President; for the
credit of the nation we are willing that
the veil of oblivion shall be dropped
over them and that they shall no more
be repeated or thought of."
The Chicago Times: "The cheeks of
every American must tingle with
shame as he reads the silly, flat, and
dishwatery utterance."
The London Times: "[T]he ceremony
was rendered ludicrous by some of the
sallies of that poor President
Lincoln... Anything more dull and
commonplace it would not be easy to
produce."
General Ulysses S.
Grant
Lincoln once again
begins searching for a
leader. This time he
chooses General
Ulysses S. Grant who
had gained the
nation’s respect in the
western campaign.
Grant’s philosophy is
one of “total
war”.
Grant instructed two of his Generals, William T. Sherman and Philip
Sheridan, to conduct a “scorched earth” campaign, instructing them to:
“destroy everything that cannot be consumed.”
In other words, if the Union army had no use for something, destroy it
(buildings, bridges, etc.) or kill it (live stock, crops)!
Make life miserable for rebel civilians!
National Park Service
National Park Service
. Ruins seen from the
capitol, Columbia, S.C.,
1865. Photographed by
George N. Barnard.
National Archives
Philip Sheridan
William T. Sherman
General Philip
Sheridan
National Park Service
Gen. William
Tecumseh Sherman
Library of Congress
General William Tecumseh
Sherman was to lead his troops to
Atlanta.
General Philip Sheridan Sherman destroyed everything in
was to lead his troops into the sight including railroads, homes,
Shenandoah Valley.
factories, barns, etc.
In this new type of “total
warfare” ALL people,
including civilians, were
affected.
Ruins seen from the Circular
Church, Charleston, S.C.,
1865. Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The 1864 election saw the
Democrats nominate Gen.
George McClellan as their
Presidential candidate.
The Democrats ran on a
platform that stated that
they would end the war by
negotiating with the South
and restoring slavery if
necessary.
Lincoln ran with a Andrew
Johnson, a loyal southerner
from Tennessee, as his VP
running mate. He hoped to
attract Northern War
Democrats
National Atlas of the United States
250
200
212
150
100
50
0
21
Electoral Votes
Lincoln won the election
carrying every state except
Delaware, Kentucky, and
New Jersey (obviously, only
Union states voted) and
therefore won by a
landslide in the Electoral
College, greatly due to
renewed Union confidence
in the victories of Sherman
and Sheridan. The popular
vote was 55% for Lincoln
Lincoln (R)
McClellan (D) and 45% for McClellan…
so, the president still had
some significant
opposition.
A burial party on the battle-field of Cold Harbor / negative by J. Reekie ; positive by A. Gardner.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Grant continued to fight several very costly battles
on his drive toward Richmond. More than 60,000
troops died or were wounded during this time.
Fort Sedgwick in Petersburg, Va
National Archives
To prevent any
further losses of
men, Lee set up a
defense, a series
of trenches, at the
entrance of
Richmond in a
town called
Petersburg. Lee
held out for nine
months until
Grant got fresh
troops. The
Union took
Petersburg on
April 2 and
Richmond on the
same day!
National Archives
Richmond before…
Ruins in front of the Capitol, 1865
National Archives
… And Richmond After!
Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division
Dead Union and Confederate soldier lying side by side
April 3, 1865 (6 days before the war ended)
Lee pulled his army out of out of Petersburg and
settled in Appomattox, VA. There he determined
that Grant would easily slaughter his troops if
fighting continued.
Soldiers in the
trenches before
battle, Petersburg,
Va., 1865.
National Archives
Lee surrendered to Grant at
Appomattox Courthouse
on April 9, 1865.
William McClean’s Home
Appomattox Courthouse, VA 1865
Grant was very generous to the Confederates at
Appomattox Courthouse. He required that
Confederate soldiers turn over their rifles, but
allowed officers to keep their pistols.
He allowed Confederate troops to keep their
horses if they had them
When Grant’s men began to cheer after hearing the news,
Grant silenced them by declaring, “The war is over. The
Rebels are our countrymen again.”
Genl. Grant at Appomattox. Lithograph
by C. Inger, 1872, after drawing by Edgar
Klemroth, 6th Penn. Cavalry, April 9 &
10, 1865. Library of Congress Prints and
Photographs Division
The grand review at Washington, May 23, 1865.
The glorious Army of the Potomac passing the head
stand. Lithograph by E. Sachse & Co., 1865.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
The Union began its celebration, but hard
work lay ahead… as did tragedy!
The assassination of President Lincoln: at Ford's
Theatre, Washington, D.C., April 14th, 1865 Library
of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Five days after the end of the Civil War, Abraham
Lincoln was assassinated by a vengeful actor with
Confederate sympathies while watching a play at Ford’s
Theater in Washington, DC. John Wilkes Booth did more
harm than good to his cause...
Lincoln was carried across the street to a boardinghouse
where he died the next morning with his wife and son
Robert present.
Death of Abraham Lincoln, April 15th 1865 / E.B. & E.C. Kellogg ; F.P. Whiting.
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Lincoln’s body was taken through several cities by train
and mourners gathered to pay tribute to the murdered
President
William Seward
On the same day
that Lincoln was
assassinated,
there was an
attempted
assassination on
the life of
Secretary of State
William Seward
by a coconspirator of
John Wilkes
Booth
The hunt was on for John
Wilkes Booth and any other
conspirators.
Booth was finally tracked
down 12 days
after the
assassination in
a barn near the
Garrett House
in Port Royal,
VA.
He was either shot
to death in the
barn or committed
suicide…
nobody is certain,
but a sergeant by
the name of
Corbett Boston
took credit for
killing the
John Wilkes Booth
assassin.
Lewis Powell
George Atzerodt
David Herold
Mary Surratt
Ten accused co-conspirators were
also arrested for being part of the
plot to kill Lincoln. Four of them
were found guilty and…
Washington, D.C. Hanging hooded bodies of the four conspirators; crowd departing Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
…put to death!
The others were either sentenced to life in
prison or pardoned by President Andrew
Johnson. One had charges dropped after a
hung jury.