5.8: Military Conflict in the Civil War

Question 1

REGIONAL DIFFERENCES

Answer 1

• Northern victory = not guaranteed
• NORTH
• 4x pop
• robust navy
• economic advantage [banks, railroads and manufacturing]
• strong central gov
• rapid modernization of Northern manufacturers to up productive capacity
• New York City Draft Riots: working class saw $300 payment to duck draft as injustice so killed 120
• Rockefeller started by manufacturing goods for Union
• SOUTH
• defensive war
• experienced military leaders [E. Lee]
• tariffs and exports for revenue [trade blockaded]
• War Tax: opposed by people bc basis of Confederacy = states rights

Question 2

HOMEFRONT

Answer 2

• UNION
• Copperheads = “Peace Democrats”
• war being waged unconstitutionally
• benefits of victory not worth cost
• preferred political compromise
• Taney questioned Lincoln’s authority
• CONFEDERACY
• enslaved refused to work and escaped and enlisted
• planters = unwilling to grow food over cotton
• Southern Unionists
• West VA separated from VA to join Union
• Heroes of America engaged in guerilla war v. Confederates

Question 3

FORT SUMTER

Answer 3

• federal possession in Confederate SC
• SC cut off supplies
• Lincoln announced provisions being sent to trapped troops
• South fired on Union suppliers
• WAR!

Question 4

MOBILIZATION

Answer 4

• response to Sumter
• Lincoln called for volunteers
• called for 500,000 soldiers for 3 years
• authorized war spending
• suspended habeas corpus
• convened Congress

Question 5

FIRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN

Answer 5

• 30,000 Union troops marched to confront Confederates in Bull Run Creek
• civilians watched battle w/ picnics
• initial Union victory
• but Confederate reinforcements under Stonewall Jackson show up
• Confederate victory
• realization that war not to be short or tidy

Question 6

BATTLE OF ANTIETAM

Answer 6

• Maryland
• Lee hoped victory = encourage European allies
• North knew Lee’s battle plan
• 22,000 casualties
• Lee retreated
• Northern general failed to pursue and removed from command
• failure of Southern “cotton diplomacy”

Question 7

BATTLE OF VICKSBURG

Answer 7

• Union laid siege and bombarded city for 7 weeks
• gained Mississippi
• successfully cut Confederacy in 2

Question 8

BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG

Answer 8

• Lee on offensive
• 50,000 casualties
• Lee retreated
• Northern general didn’t follow Lee
• Lincoln gives Gettysburg Address

Question 9

APPOMATTOX CAMPAIGN

Answer 9

• fall of Richmond VA to Union post siege
• Lee fled
• peace talks between Lincoln and Davis
• 1865: Grant caught Lee and forced surrender at Appomattox Courthouse

Question 10

STRATEGIES

Answer 10

• UNION
• Anaconda Plan
• blockade Southern ports and split Confederacy in 2
• South relied heavily on foreign help [GBR and France]
• CONFEDERACY
• Foreign Help
• GBR and France = heavy reliance on cotton
• above countries discovered India and Egypt produced cotton too

Question 11

REASONS FOR UNION VICTORY

Answer 11

• Leadership
• Grant = war of attrition, rarely retreated and pressed South hard into territory
• Strategy
• 1862: Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation
• freed all slaves in states in active rebellion on Jan 1 1863
• slavery remained in border states in Union
• freed slaves in Confederacy where he had no authority but didn’t in Union where he had authority
• Proclamation = military strategy
• 200,000 enslaved joined Union army
• 54th Massachussetts
• closed door on British involvement
• defined war to be one against slavery and GBR had already abolished slavery
• Sherman’s “March to Sea”

Question 12

COSTS

Answer 12

• Lincoln shot by Confederate Booth at Ford’s Theatre