Chapter 14-The Civil War

Question 1

“fire-eaters”

Answer 1

Most Southerners were more moderate and felt that slavery should continue below the Missouri Compromise Line.

A radical group called “fire-eaters” were champions of the new concept of Southern Nationalism and soon began to demand an end to the Union

Question 2

Confederate States of America

Answer 2

South Carolina seceded first. By the time Lincoln took office, 6 more seceded. (MATGFL- Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana)

February 1861 they all met at Montgomery, Alabama and announced the formation of the Confederate States of America.

Question 3

Crittenden Compromise

Answer 3

Submitted by John J Crittenden of Kentucky. Called for several constitutional amendments which would guarantee the permanent existence of slavery in the slave states and would satisfy southern demands on such issues as fugitive slave s and slavery in D.C. The heart of the plan was to re-establish the Missouri Compromise line. It was a last attempt at saving the union but Republicans refused

Question 4

USA & CSA advantages

Answer 4

USA- All important material advantages

• population was twice as big as the south, more if not counting slaves as part of the population so US had a much greater manpower reserve for armies and the workforce.
• Had advanced industry, was able to manufacture own weapons
• Better transportation system

CSA-fought on own land so advantage of familiarity

• had a more clear and firm commitment to the war
• Skilled military leaders where the North lacked these until closer to the end of the war

Question 5

Homestead Act

Answer 5

1862-permitted any citizen or prospective citizen to claim 160 acres of public land and purchase it for a small fee after living on it for 5 years. Example of the Republican party enacting an aggressively national program to promote economic development, especially in the west. This showed Northern ideology as it wouldn’t have been able to have been passed if the South were there.

Rules

1. No rebels could apply
2. Must be over 21
3. Farm it for 5 years and it’s yours!

Question 6

Morrill Land Grant Act

Answer 6

1862-transferred substantial public acreage to the state governors which were to sell the land and use the proceeds to finance public education. Led to the creation of many new state colleges and Universities. The so called land grant institutions.

Showed Northern ideology since South was not part of the voting Union when this was passed.

Question 7

transcontinental railroad

Answer 7

Congress moved to complete their railroad dream. Created 2 new federally chartered corporations:
1. The Union Pacific Railroad company to build westward from Omaha
2. The Central Pacific Railroad Company to build eastward from California.
Settled prewar conflict over the location of the line.

The two projects were to meet in the middle and complete the link. Gov. provided free public lands and generous loans to the company.

Question 8

National Bank Acts

Answer 8

1863-1864-created a new national banking system. Existing or newly formed banks could join the system if they had enough capital and were willing to invest 1/3 of it in government securities. In return, they could issue U.S. treasury notes as currency. The new system eliminated much of the chaos and uncertainty in the nation’s currency and created a uniform system of national bank notes.

Passed under Northern rule so reflected their values.

Question 9

greenbacks

Answer 9

controversial act of printing new paper currency (greenbacks) Currency was backed not by gold or silver, but by the good faith and credit of the Union government. Value of the greenbacks fluctuated according to the fortune of the Northern army.

Only issued $450 million worth but produced inflation nonetheless.

Question 10

New York Draft Riots

Answer 10

When some enthusiasm for the war lowered, the gov. imposed a small draft. For 4 days in July 1863, there were violent early uprisings in NY. More than 100 people died. I

Irish workers were at the center of the violence. They were angry because black strikebreakers had been used against them in a strike; and they blamed African Americans for the war. The rioters lynched African Americans, their homes and businesses, and destroyed an orphanage for black children. Federal troops subdued them.

Question 11

Copperheads

Answer 11

Known as “Peace Democrats” (“copperheads” by their opponents) Democrats who were opposed to the war. They threatened Lincoln’s case for reelection and undermined the war effort since they were living in the North but held Southern opinions with regard to the war.

Question 12

“irrepressible conflict”

Answer 12

An argument that dominated historical discussion of the war. Because the North and South had reached positions that were firm and permanent, conflict was inevitable.

Question 13

“blundering generation”

Answer 13

Some revisionist scholars thought that war could have been avoided if American leaders had acted more professionally.

Question 14

Lincoln & Constitution

Answer 14

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Question 15

Ex parte Milligan

Answer 15

After the war in 1866, supreme court ruled that military trials in areas where the civil courts existed were unconstitutional.

Question 16

1864 election

Answer 16

occurred in the midst of political dissension. The Republicans had had some losses in congressional elections so they tried to create a broad collection of groups that supported the war–called it the Union party. Basically just republicans and some war democrats. Union party nominates Lincoln, Democrats nominated George B. McClellan. Democratic platform was calling for a truce. But morale was boosted after several northern victories, namely the capture of Atlanta, so Lincoln won the electoral vote easily.

Question 17

Emancipation Proclamation

Answer 17

1862-Lincoln announces intent to free all slaves in confederacy. He signs the emancipation proclamation on Jan 1 1863. Freed all slaves in all areas of the confederacy but was essentially ineffective because Lincoln had no authority to enforce the law.

But it was still important because it established that the war was being fought not just to preserve the union, but to end slavery. antislavery impulse gained strength and as federal army occupied the south, many slaves were freed and included in the Union Army.

Question 18

African Americans in the war

Answer 18

about 186,000 emancipated African Americans served as soldiers, sailors, laborers for the union forces, joined by a significant number of free blacks in the North.

in the first months of war, African Americans were largely excluded from the war. There were some exceptions, but generally few were present. After the Emancipation Proclamation, that changed. Union military actively recruited blacks as well.

Some men were organized into infantry units, but most were assigned menial tasks (digging trenches, transporting water)

Black mortality rates were higher due to disease from working long hours in unclean conditions. They were also paid less until 1864. They still felt very proud to serve though.

Question 19

Northern women in the war

Answer 19

Women took on new vacant jobs. Most important was nursing.

U.S. Sanitary commission=organization of volunteers led by Dorothea Dix mobilized many female nurses to serve in hospitals. They faced some resistance from Drs who did not like the idea of women in the medical profession, although women argued it was within the sphere of domesticity, so in some ways it even enforced gender roles.

Those doctors were irrelevant because the women were invaluable to the military.

Question 20

CSA financing

Answer 20

efforts to tax/borrow didn’t go well; instead they just printed a ton of money. Prices rose 9,000% due to inflation

Question 21

Confederate Conscription Act

Answer 21

April 1862- Because voluntary enlistments were declining, subjected all white males 18-35 to 3 years military service. Repealed in 1863 due to major outrage. But it was effective for a time.

Question 22

States rights & the Civil War

Answer 22

States Rights had become such a cult among the South that it harmed them (resisted efforts to exert authority [Davis] when it was necessary–i.e. the draft/taxes) but the South still took steps toward centralization because it needed to–it was just that that need did not line up with their ideals.

Question 23

economic & social impacts of war (South)

Answer 23

Devastating effects on Southern economy. No trade with North meant they had very little food, many important people lice doctors where conscripted so healthcare=bad. And the fighting itself was horrible to the agriculture.

Like in the North women got new roles like being in charge of slaves/plantations, being schoolteachers or nurses. War created huge gender imbalance (more women than available husbands so they were more able to be other things than wives out of necessities.)

Slaves were more resistant than usual.

Question 24

U.S. Grant & R. E. Lee

Answer 24

Ulysses S. Grant-Shared Lincoln’s belief in making enemy armies and resources, not enemy territory, the target of military effort. Lincoln gave him a lot of power to make decisions

Robert E. Lee-Davis named him general, but Davis was also a military strategist who liked to come up with the plans-didn’t share power very well.

Question 25

Lincoln vs. Davis

Answer 25

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Question 26

Monitor and Merrimack

Answer 26

Monitor was Northern ironclad, Merrimack was Southern ironclad.

North’s hopes for winning th war depended on its ability to maximize economic/naval advantages by shutting down South’s sources of supply.

establishing an effective blockade of Southern ports (The Anaconda Plan) was crucial to the objective. North’s strategy was threatened by confederate Ironclad The Merrimack that could attack and sink Union’s wooden ships. Union countered with the Monitor.

The two ships fought a 5 hour duel near Hampton Roads Virginia in March 1862. Battle ended in a draw but prevented Merrimack from being a serious challenge to the blockade.

Also revolutionized naval warfare.

Question 27

King Cotton diplomacy

Answer 27

Southerners were counting on support from the international people who relied on their cotton (namely the British)

However, the South was taking a morally questionable stance and the common people in Britain favored the antislavery North.

The South also hugely overestimated the need other countries had for cotton. They were able to use other supplies and buy from places like Egypt and India.

Question 28

Trent affair

Answer 28

Late 1861-2 confederacy diplomats James M. Mason and John Slidell had slipped through the then ineffective Union blockade to Havana Cuba where they boarded the Trent, an English Steamboat.

Charles Wilkes stopped the British vessel, arrested the diplomats, and carried them in triumph to Boston. British government demanded their release and an apology, Lincoln and Seward obliged (they didn’t want Britain to take sides with the South out of anger).

Question 29

weapons & strategies of war

Answer 29

New technologies transformed combat. First “modern war” and first “total war.”

Introduction of repeating weapons (repeating rifle/pistol) and other weapon advancements changed way of fighting. They could no longer stand in lines and shoot–that would be fatal now. So they had to stay low and covered. Made fighting more chaotic.

Question 30

communication & Civil War

Answer 30

Telegraphs were important, but their impact was limited by scarcity of quality telegraph operators and difficulty of bringing wires into battlefield.

Things improved after U.S. military Telegraph corps, headed by Thomas Scott and Andrew Carnegie, trained and employed more than 1,200 operators.

North and South would tap wires to get info about troop movement and formations

Question 31

transportation & Civil War

Answer 31

Railroads-millions of soldiers could be transported to front; would have been impossible without railroads.

Question 32

First Bull Run/ Manassas

Where did it occur? Who was the victor? What was the outcome’s significance?

Answer 32

Bull Run Creek at Manassas junction, Virginia. July 21 1861. Union forces panicked after a counterattack and retreated to Washington. Confederates won.

First sign that the war would not be easy to win and also promoted the myth that the rebels were invincible in battle.

Question 33

Shiloh

Where did it occur? Who was the victor? What was the outcome’s significance?

Answer 33

US Grant marched to Shiloh Tennessee

met a force under command of Albert Sidney Johnston and PGT Beauregard

Battle of Shiloh: April 6-7 1862

US Grant forced Beauregard to withdraw

narrow union victory

Question 34

Antietam

Where did it occur? Who was the victor? What was the outcome’s significance?

Answer 34

Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg MD. Following victory at Bull Run, Lee led army into Maryland. He hoped that a major Confederate victory in North would convince Britain to support the Confederacy. This was the single bloodiest day.

Confederates did not use the support they needed and Lincoln used partial triumph to announce plans for the emancipation proclamation.

Question 35

Vicksburg

Where did it occur? Who was the victor? What was the outcome’s significance?

Answer 35

In the west by spring 1863, Union forces controlled New Orleans and most of the Mississippi river and surrounding valley. So the Union objective of controlling the river was close to an accomplished fact when U.S. Grant sieged Vicksburg Mississippi.

Confederacy surrendered city and nearly 29,000 soldiers on July 4th. Very crucial because it gave Union control of the full length of the Mississippi and cut Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas off from the rest of the Confederacy.

Question 36

Gettysburg

Where did it occur? Who was the victor? What was the outcome’s significance?

Answer 36

Lee took the offensive by leading an army into enemy territory: Maryland and Pennsylvania. If he could either destroy the Union army or capture a major Northern city, Lee hoped he could either force North to call for peace or gain international help. On July 1 1863, South surprise invades Union units at Gettysburg in Southern Pennsylvania. Lee’s assault, including Pickett’s charge, was futile and destroyed a good part of the Confederate army. Remainder of Lee’s forces retreated to Virginia, never to regain the offensive.

Question 37

Chattanooga

Where did it occur? Who was the victor? What was the outcome’s significance?

Answer 37

Bragg held a siege on chatanooga

Grant came to rescue

Battle= November 23-25: union army drove confederates into Georgia

Northern troops now had control of Tennessee River

Question 38

Atlanta & Sherman’s March

Answer 38

General William Tecumseh Sherman led 100,000 men from Chattanooga Tennessee on a campaign of deliberate destruction across Atlanta, burning everything in sight. Pioneer of total war. Helped to break the will or the Confederacy.

Question 39

Petersburg & Appomattox

Answer 39

April 1865: Grant was in a prolonged siege at Petersburg

Lee met Grant at a private home in Appomattox Virginia

April 9th 1865: Lee surrendered his forces