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Election of 1860
A number of reasons contributed to the beginning of the Civil War. Of the political sense, states' rights were coming into question in events such as the Nullification Crisis. Economically, the threat of slavery being abolished caused the South to throw up arms at the thought of extinguishing their free labor. Lastly, the question of a person's stand of abolitionism and their opinion of matters in the government made highly contrasting arguments that caused strife and tension socially. -
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The American Civil War
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Jefferson Davis
Mississippi senator Jefferson Davis was instantly chosen as President of the Confederate States when secession was viral. President Davis obsessively took office, but failed at committing to a plan or listening to the public. With those attributes, Davis let the economy flounder by making more and more paper bills to give out and dwindle the value of and was irresponsible as a leader. Jefferson slit the throat that was the Confederacy. -
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the last General for the Union and was very effective in driving the Confederates down South and the winning of the Civil War. -
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee was a brilliant tactician and General-in-Chief of the Confederate States. He was offered the position for that very role in the Union Army but declined for reason being that his place of birth was the state of Virginia which had seceded. He brought many victories for the South and one of the most memorable figures of the Civil War. -
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was located in the Charleston harbor that was cut off from food and supplies by the south to which Lincoln countered with sending provisions, giving South Carolina the choice. Violence was returned and the Civil War began. The battle of Fort Sumter gave the morbid tone for the ensuing war and foreshadowed the violence and bloodshed to come. -
Winfield Scott and the Anaconda Plan
Winfield Scott was General-in-Chief of the Union and veteran of the 1812 and Mexican wars and thought up the Anaconda Plan, a three-part strategy to win the Civil War. The Plan included blockades to cut off shipments to and from Southern ports, tkaing control of the Mississippi River, and to train 500,00 soldiers to take Richmond, Virginia and end the war once and for all. But only two of the three aspects were fulfilled and defeat after defeat in battle did not attract new recruits. -
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
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Battle of Bull Run
30,000 Union soldiers marched to Bull Run Creek at Manassas Junction in Virginia and were succeeding in victory until General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson counterattacked and sent the troops into a frenzy. This brief battle deflated Union egos, boosted the Conferacy's morale and edge and gave hope to a short war. -
George B. McClellan
Mr. McClellan was the next General-in-Command to be chosen after General Scott and insisted on regrouping and rigidly disciplining for a long period of time. Finally, the collective training ceased and troops marched to Virginia to fight only to be crushed by the South, General McClellan to be replaced shortly after. Although George B. McClellan had good intentions, like Winfield Scott, he failed to bring strength to the Union army. -
Monitor and Merrimack
The Monitor and Merrimack were ironclad ships of great threat. The Monitor was property of the Union, while the Merrimack was under the South. The Merrimack was previously a Union ship, but used for the South's causes to attack the Union's blockades, but with the Monitor the Union had something to retaliate with, equalizing the war front on the water. -
Battle of Antietam
McClellan was restored as general for the North by President Lincoln and had intercepted a battle plan displaying Lee's intelligence and an ambush was planned and occurred at Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Lee retreated to Virginia, but with McClellan's failing to pursue, he was removed a final time. The Battle was the bloodiest the war had seen but proved to be a Union victory, for no foreign nation from then on would look to support the Confederacy which they gravely required. -
Battle of Fredericksburg
McClellan was replaced with a Mr. Ambrose Burnside, whose tactics were ruthless and violent. On that December day, Burnside led the Union army to Fredericksburg, Virginia and the armies fought viciously, leaving 12,000 Union troops dead or wounded compared to 5,000 of the Confederates. The Battle of Fredericksburg was effective in proving how bloody the war was and how hopeless it was as well. -
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation gave freedom to all slaves. It was established by Abraham Lincoln and went through a slow, discreet process of approval. There were some loopholes to the document, slavery could still be practiced in border states, but it enlarged the purpose of the war. Also, the Proclamation motivated slaves to join the fight with the Union, which gave passion and power to the north. -
Battle of Vicksburg
There was a lack of fighting in the Battle of Vicksburg, instead the Union simply fired upon the heavily guarded city until seven weeks later the Confederates surrended the town. This battle was a great victory because it gave the Union the whole of the Mississippi River to control. -
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest to date for the Civil War with 50,000 casualties. The South tried desperately to fight but the North was successful in beating them back to Virginia. This battle was effective in giving the upper hand officially to the Union. -
Gettysburg Address
The speech was made by Abraham Lincoln to commemorate the lost souls fought at Gettysburg the four and a half months before. Not even three minutes long, the Gettysburg Address evoked emotion and gave the last push to end the war. This speech gave even deeper meaning to the war and equalized it to the fight for freedom during the American Revolution. -
Sherman's March
General William Tecumseh Sherman was directed to bring deliberate destruction to the South and did just that, starting in Chattanooga, TN and marching throughout, reaping havoc by burning and destroying everything useful to Confederates. This act broke the pride of the South and left no hope for them. -
Appomattox Court House
Preceding the surrender of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln tried to negotiate, but Lincoln would have nothing but surrender. Lee retreated but was cut off by Grant and forced to surrender at the Appomattox Court House. -
Lincoln's Assassination
Lincoln was assassinated at Ford Theater in Washington by John Wlkes Boothe who was a surly actor who felt for the South. The assassination soured the North towards the South which was the opposite of what was needed, but settled by the time of Reconstruction.
