American Civil War

1861-1865

population - 22 million
- 90% of ind. goods, esp. munitions
- efficient railroad system
- controlled the navy, which could be used to blockade s. ports and shut down the s. eco.
- but would have to fight an offensive war
(long supply lines, unfamiliar territory...) - capable mil. leaders, inc. Ulysses S.
Grant
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Confederates had excellent generals too
-Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jackson
Defending is always easier than attacking (familiar w/climate and territory, possible psychological advantages)
Farmers fight better than factory workers
Profitable eco. based on cotton exports
But disadvantages…a smaller pop. of 9 million (inc. 3.5 million slaves) had to import ind. goods; very little munitions production

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The S. was looking for an add. adv., namely an alliance w/ GB (since GB industry was dependent on "King Cotton")...but GB was wary of events and did not want to become involved:  GB had stockpiled cotton as the conflict was escalating; they had also found other sources (Madras, India)
 most Br. workers who lost their jobs in cotton factories had been able to find work in the new munitions factories that were mostly supplying the N.
 most Br. citizens resented slavery
 Br. crop failures had led to increased grain trade w/ the N.

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A Br. ship. the Trent, was intercepted by the N. on its way to GB from the S.; it was carrying S.
"ambassadors"...the N. resented Br. interference, leading some to call for war;
Lincoln simply defused the situation by releasing the ship and the southern "agents"
GB had also sold several ships to the S., namely the Florida and the Alabama - they had sunk many n. ships

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A few southerners had managed to get into BNA, from which they launched several raids into the
N.; this inc. a # of bank robberies in Vt. (the best known was the St.
Alban's Raid)...some Northerners wanted to invade BNA as punishment this forced the BNA colonies to begin to consider a Confederation to protect themselves against the
US...by 1867, GB agreed w/ the
Canadian "Fathers of
Confederation" (Canada had become an expensive hassle for the Br…)

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It freed the slaves only in states that have seceded from the
Union.
It did not free slaves in border states.

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Lee realized that the South was in dire straits and decided that it was crucial to attack the North on its own territory
July 1-3, 1863 - BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG, Pa.
Confed. bombardment; Union held firm on July 3, General Pickett led 15,000 Confed. Troops across open fields - Union mowed them down (= "Pickett’s Charge")
Lee was defeated and retreated to Virgnia
Gettysburg is the largest battle in the history of the Western hemisphere.
Over 100, 000 people died in 3 days It was the last time the South invaded the North.

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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. Abe Lincoln

The Monitor

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July 4, 1863 - another Union victory - VICKSBURG won by U.S. Grant, cut
South in 1/2 and gave the
Union control of Mississippi
River
Grant was then given control of all Union armies
 began a "scorched earth" policy to defeat the South
General Sheridan decimated Va.'s
Shenandoah Valley
General Sherman given task of taking Atlanta; his
"March through Georgia" saw total destruction from
Atlanta to Savannah

After the Emancipation
Proclamation blacks began to join the
Union Army
 Initially they were only used for manual labor
 Eventually, Blacks saw live combat
 54th regiment out of
Massachusetts
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William Carney

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April 3, 1865 - Grant took Richmond Va. - final blow to Lee's army
Lee surrenders on April
9, 1865 at
APPOMATTOX
COURTHOUSE
All Confed. troops forced to take an oath of loyalty to U.S. otherwise, terms of surrender were lenient
Lincoln didn't want a humiliated South and further conflict issue of states' rights now "solved"- fed. gov't had asserted its status

After four bloody years of civil war, the South was defeated.

Over 618,000 military deaths during Civil War.

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POLITICAL / ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS w/o Southerners in fed. gov't, many changes occurred that benefited the North:
1) Homestead Act passed by Congress in 1862 encouraged W. expansion w/o slavery
- 165 acres given to anyone who would farm it 5 yrs.
2) Union-Pacific Railway was authorized - great trade potential, focused on the Northern States.
3) Tariffs were put in place to protect Northern industry

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4) Congress established a single federal currency - same value in all states - known as
"Greenbacks"
5) to cover war debts, Union gov't issued war bonds and intro'd income tax
6) in a further illustration of fed. gov't power, Lincoln's gov't restricted civil liberties so nothing would detract from
Union war effort (suspended
Habeas Corpus)
- free press/ speech also interrupted 7) 1864 Election - only in Union
- pitted Republican Lincoln against Democrat General
McClellan  Lincoln won easily, assuring that war will continue
(N. Democrats wanted an end)

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EFFECTS OF CIVIL WAR

creation of a single unified country abolition of slavery increased power to fed. gov't – killed the issue of states rights
U.S. now an industrial nation a stronger sense of nationalism
w. lands increasingly opened to settlement
South was economically and physically devastated, w/ the plantation system crippled...thus Reconstruction
(rebuilding the U.S.) - but a deep hatred of the North remained...