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Chapter 17 Notes: The Civil War

1. In April of 1861, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas joined the
Confederacy. The four border states of Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri,
and Maryland remained in the Union.

2. The South had the advantage of fighting a defensive war in its own
territory. Many southerners also believed in the cause of their independence. This
gave them a strong reason to fight. Also, many southerners were good
hunters, horse riders, and knew how to use guns. These skills
enabled them to be good soldiers. Many of the wealthy southerners had attended
military school. Most of the best military officers joined the
Confederacy.

3. The Union had different strengths. The North had four times as many
people as the South from which it could draw volunteers. It also had a large
pool of people to grow food and work in factories. Northern industry
manufactures 90% of the nation’s goods and good produce the supplies that the
Union army needed. The North also had 70% of the nation’s railroads which
could be used to transport troops and supplies. Finally, the North had a large
navy which it could use to transport materials or blockade the
South.
4. Many Americans believed Jefferson Davis would make a better
leader than Lincoln because people believed President because he had
attended West Point Military Academy. He had also served as an officer in the
Mexican War. Lastly, he was respected for his honesty and courage.

5. Some Northerners doubted Lincoln’s ability to lead because he had

little political and military experience. Despite these doubts
Lincoln proved to be a strong and patient leader. He also proved to be
a good war planner. Lincoln also demonstrated a good sense of humor and
accepted criticism with a smile.

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6. When President Lincoln asked Robert E. Lee to command the Union army he
refused. Lee could not bear to fight against his own state which was Virginia.
Many of the best military commanders joined the Confederacy.

7. The Union plan for victory was to use its navy to cripple the southern economy.
The Union navy would blockade all ports and cut off the South from supplies and
goods it needed from Europe. In the East Union generals would try to seize
Richmond, Virginia and put a quick end to the war. In the West, the Union would
seize control of the Mississippi River and prevent the South from using to supply
its troops. This plan was known as the Anaconda Plan.

The Southern plan for victory would be to fight a defensive war. The South would
try to win victories until northerners tired of the war. Hopefully Lincoln would
have to stop the war and recognize the south’s independence.

8. In July of 1861, Union troops marched towards Washington DC. The

Confederates met them and both armies fought near a small stream called Bull
Run. Hundreds of people with picnic baskets went to watch the Union win. The
spectators were shocked when General Jackson (Stonewall Jackson) held his
ground and forced the Union troops to run away in panic. The Battle of Bull Run
showed that the Union and Confederacy needed more training. The war would be
long and bloody.

9. After the disaster at Bull Run Lincoln chose George McClellan to command the
Union army. He proved to be an excellent organizer but was too cautious in battle.
Lincoln was disappointed at McClellan’s’ failure to pursue General Lee towards
Richmond.

10. By 1862 the Union blockade of southern ports decreased southern trade by 90%.
The South desperately needed to break the Union blockade. The Confederacy
responded by transforming a Union ship named the Merrimack into an iron ship.
They covered it with four inch plates and sent into battle against the Unions’
Monitor. The Union also countered by covering it with iron plates. Both ships
fought to a standstill. The South failed to break the blockade.

11. In September of 1862 General Lee marched his army to Maryland with the aim of
breaking morale with a victory on northern soil. McClellan attacked Lee’s army.
In the end 23,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed. General Lee
slipped back into Virginia and breathed a sigh of relief when McClellan did not
pursue them. Neither side was a clear winner but the Union was able to declare
victory because Lee ordered his forces to withdraw. Lincoln was disappointed
because the Union army suffered huge numbers of dead. Furthermore, McClellan
did not pursue the Confederates. Lincoln decided to fire McClellan and replaced
him with General Ambrose Burnside.

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12. In December of 1862, ordered the Union army to march towards Fredericksburg,
Virginia. Lee left the town to Burnside. The Confederates entrenched themselves
behind the city along a treeless crest. They set up a strong defensive position and
waited for Burnside to attack. Burnside ordered his troops to advance six times.
Each time the Confederate guns mowed them down by the thousands. The Battle
of Fredericksburg became the Union’s worst defeat.

In May1863 Lee outsmarted the Union again in thickly wooded area near the town of
Chancellorsville. General Lee sent Stonewall Jackson to attack the Union by surprise.
After three days the Union army was back across the Rappahannock River. Lee’s
victory came at a high price when Confederate soldiers fired at what they thought
were a Union soldier. Jackson was shot in the arm and died as a result of his injuries.

13. At Shiloh Tennessee General Ulysses Grant advanced towards the Mississippi
river. Grant was surprised by Confederate forces and was driven back. Instead of
retreating Grant showed toughness and to wait for reinforcements to launch a
counter attack. Grant successfully pushed towards the Mississippi while the
Union navy captured New Orleans in the South. The Battle of Shiloh was the
costliest battle of the entire civil war. The Confederacy lost the use of the river as
a supply line.

14. Lincolns’ main goal for continuing the war was to preserve the Union. Lincoln
handled the slavery issue very cautiously because he could not afford to lose the
loyalty and resources of the four border sates. Lincoln could not allow the four
Border States to switch sides to the Confederacy.

15. By mid-1862 Lincoln began to believe that the only way to save the Union was by
broadening the goals of the Union. He decided to emancipate, or free the slaves
that lived within the Confederacy. In the four loyal Border States would not be
freed for fear of loosing their support. In addition Lincoln knew that the
Confederacy depended on its slaves to grow the food that fed its soldiers.
Emancipation would weaken the confederacy’s ability to continue the war.
Lincoln would wait for a victory to announce his plan.

16. On January 1, 1863 Lincoln formally issued the Emancipation Proclamation. It

declared that all slaves held within any Confederate state would forever be freed.

17. By late 1862 thousands of free blacks and escaped slaves volunteered to fight for
the Union army. At first, they only served as laborers. Their salaries were even
reduced because of their race. When they protested against this policy of
discrimination conditions slowly began to change. By 1864 nearly 200,000
African American soldiers fought in major battles against the Confederates.