Chapters 20 and 21

Question 1

Lincoln’s 1st inaugural address

Answer 1

Main idea: the Union will be preserved and there will be no conflict unless the South provokes it. He also refuses to view the Confederacy as valid as succession is illegal.

Question 2

Date of Ft. Sumter (plus attack)

Answer 2

April 12, 1861

100 men; few provisions. Lincoln had to choose: surrender or reprovision the garrison
Lincoln sent the provision, reasoning that if the South attacked, the North would be the victim
The South saw this as an act of aggression and commenced a successful 34 hour bombardment of the fort on April 12, 1861
Major Andderson surrendered to the southern commander, PGT Beauregard (his former student a west Point) The only casualty was a horse
Lincoln called for 75k militiamen and a blockade of the South

Question 3

Border States (list, importance?)

Answer 3

The Border states are Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and later West Virginia when it separates from VA.

They are slave states that didnt leave the Union. Lincoln felt he had to hold on to these states as they held a large white population (more than ½ the entire Confederacy) Significant manufacturing capacity, and vital rivers (Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee)

Too keep these states, Lincoln tried to stay away from the issue of slavery and insisted that the war was being fought to preserve the Union.

Question 4

Southern advantages

Answer 4

• Fighting defensively (North forced to invade)
• High morale (self determination and preservation of southern way of life)
• Talented military officers (Lee, Stonewall Jackson, Longstreet)
• Ran Union blockades, seized federal arsenal, and developed an ironworks

Question 5

Southern disadvantages

Answer 5

• Shortages of basic necessities: shoes, uniforms, blankets
• Problems in distribution and transportation of what goods they had
• Smaller population

Question 6

Northern advantages

Answer 6

• Healthier economy
• Many more factories than the South
• 3/4 of the nation’s wealth
• 3/4 of the nation’s railroads
• Control of the sea, blockade of the South
• Trade with Europe for munitions and other supplies
• More men (immigrants added to the numbers). ⅕ of the Union force was foreign-born

Question 7

Northern disadvantages

Answer 7

• Volunteers were less prepared for military life (many held white-collar jobs)
• Lincoln had difficulty finding competent military officers who would do what he wanted
• Most of the battles were fought in the South

Question 8

The Trent Affair

Answer 8

Two Confederate diplomats were removed from a Brit mail streamer (the Trent) by a Union crew. The two men were released, but the incident nearly caused war between the US and GB

Question 9

Davis vs. Lincoln (personalities, leadership)
(there’s literally no info on this in the slides so i tried my best)

Answer 9

Lincoln believed that succession was illegal, while Davis thought it was the South’s constitutional right to secede.

Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union and Davis wanted to preserve the economy of the South

Davis had more experience

Question 10

Lincoln’s limitations on liberty

Answer 10

• Suspended the writ of habeas corpus so that anti-Unionists could be arrested (meaning individuals were denied the right to an order stating why they were being detained) (important one!)
• Proclaimed a blockade (congress was out of session)
• Increased the size of the Federal army without congressional assent
• Suspended certain newspapers and had their editors arrested
• Arranged for “supervised” voting in the Border States

Question 11

Draft (conscription) laws

Answer 11

North: The North: although 90 percent of soldiers were volunteers, a conscription law was passed in 1863 (ages 20-45). For 300 dollars, one could pay for a substitute (20 year coverage) The average laborer made 1.50 a day.
NY Draft Riots (1863) were led by Irish-Americans. At least 120 were killed. Irish-Americans also led raids into Canada during the war
Bounties were offered for enlistment: 100 dollars for federal, 100 dollars for state (Maine) and 300 dollars for local (Deer Isle) Each town had to meet a quota. Towns paid pensions to family members for the dead)
Men who took the county and ran were called “bounty jumpers.”
“Bounty brokers” combed the poorhouses of Britain looking for men

South: Conscription law passed in 1862 (ages 17-50). A rich man could hire a substitute, and slaveholders with more than 20 enslaved laborers claimed exemption from service

Question 12

NYC Draft Riots

Answer 12

NY Draft Riots (1863) were led by Irish-Americans. At least 120 were killed. Irish-Americans also led raids into Canada during the war

Question 13

Morrill Tariff Act

Answer 13

Tariffs increased 5-10% under the Morrill Tariff Act. It raised revenue for the Civil War and protected manufacturers against internal taxes.

Question 14

National Banking System

Answer 14

The National Banking System was established in 1863. (It functioned for 50 years until the creation of the Federal Reserve.)

Question 15

Economic crisis (South) – examples?

Answer 15

• Customs duties were choked off by the Union blockade.
• Confederate bonds equaled 400 million
• No income tax, but other taxes increased sharply (10 percent on farm hoods)
• Blue-backed paper money was printed recklessly, leading to a runaway inflation of 9000 percent!! (compare this with the Union’s 80 percent inflation!)
• After Lee’s surrender in 1865, the Confederate paper dollar was worth only 1.6 cents in Union currency!

Question 16

Economic boom (North) – examples?

Answer 16

• Taxes raised (excise duties on tobacco and alcohol)
• Income tax levied for the first time
• Tariffs increased 5-10 percent under the Morrill Tariff Act
• Citizens brought about 2.6 billion in bonds
• 450 million in greenback paper currency was issued, but without gold backing, its value fluctuate with the success (or failure) of the Union army
  80 percent inflation rate
• The National Banking System was established in 1863. (It functioned for 50 years until the creation of the Federal Reserve.)

Question 17

Women’s contribution to the war

Answer 17

women took men’s jobs in government, industry, ran farms
Over 400 posed as male soldiers or spies
Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell (1st female doctor) organized the US Sanitary Commission
Clara Barton (Red Cross) and Dorothea Dix (Superintendent of Nurses) transformed nursing into a profession
Women on both sides organized fairs to raise money, gathered supplies to send to soldiers, etc
Sally Tompkins (South) ran the Richon infirmary

Question 18

1st Bull Run – significance?

Answer 18

Bull Run ends the illusion of a “ninety-day war”
July 1861: civilians rode out to watch (which is why its known as a picnic battle sometimes)
The North lost: after a hard day’s fight, the South received reinforcements, which led to victory
The defeat motivated the North to prepare for a prolonged war
The south’s morale was boosted

Question 19

“Tardy George” McClellan

Answer 19

McClellan was experienced and had superior organizational skills, yet he was a perfectionist who was afraid to take risks
McClellan did not act on Lincoln’s orders (like to attack Richmond, VA)
He made costly mistakes and gave the South time to escape and counterattack. He was fired twice by Lincoln.

Question 20

Anaconda Plan

Answer 20

Blockade the South, seize the Mississippi River, send troops through GA and the Carolinas, and capture Richmond (it squeezes the South to death like a large snake)

Question 21

Monitor vs. Merrimack

Answer 21

FIrst “ironclad” battle: Monitor vs Merrimack (renamed the Virginia by the South at the time) at the Battle of Hampton Roads (Mar. 1862)
The result was indecisive, but the era of wooden warships was over
The Union blockade of Richmond and Norfolk remained in place.

Question 22

Antietam – significance?

Answer 22

Sept 1862: McClellan was back in charge following the northern loss at the Second Battle of Bull Run. His men discover a secret copy of Lee’s battle plans in a field
Result– McClellan failed to act on the intel, and the resulting battle was one of the bloodiest of the war (in a single day). McClellan allowed Lee to escape across the Potomac. Despite that, it was a Union victory.
22,720 killed or wounded
Lincoln fired McClellan for good.

Question 23

Emancipation Proclamation – effect?

Answer 23

Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation shortly after the battle of Antietam.
As of Jan 1, 1863, the war became a moral crusade against slavery. The British and French decided not to recognize the Confederacy
Enslaved people were freed only in areas behind Confederate military lines
Thousands of enslaved people fled to the Union army
The EP meant that the war would be a fight to the finish and that the South’s way of life would change for good.
Border state enlistees deserted the Union army.
The only free slaves were the ones in Confederate states. Union and border states still kept slaves. ALL enslaved people were freed with the 13th Amendment (1865)

Question 24

Gettysburg – significance?

Answer 24

Meade vs Lee (Juy 1-3, 1863) (IMPORTANT)
This three-day battle was the bloodiest of the entire Civil War, ended in a Union victory. This was the “high tide of the Confederacy.” It was the turning point of the war that made it clear the North would win. 50,000 people died, and the South lost its chance to invade the North.

Highlights are Little Round Top (day 2) and Pickett’s Charge (day 3)

Question 25

Fredericksburg

Answer 25

Burnside Vs. Lee (Dec 1862)
Burnside launched a rash frontal attack on Lee’s strong position, resulting in the death of over 10k Union soldiers

Question 26

Chancellorsville

Answer 26

Hooker Vs Lee (May 1863)
Lee’s brilliant strategy resulted in victory, Jackson attacked the Union flank, leaving Hooker surprised. Jackson was accidentally shot by one of his own men.

Question 27

Vicksburg

Answer 27

David Farragut seized New Orleans by sea but was stopped at Vicksburg, Mississippi
Grant then held Vicksburg under siege; it is considered his best-fought campaign of the war
The Union victory at Vicksburg came one day after that at Gettysburg (July 4, 1863)

Question 28

Ulysses S. Grant – fighting style? (and him in general)

Answer 28

After Gettysburg, Lincoln replaced Meade with Grant.
Grant’s overall strategy was “when in doubt, fight”
Grant earned the nickname “The Butcher” because so many people died

Hiram Ulysses Grant: a failure in business, an alcoholic, yet a bold military leader
Grant’s same changed to Ulysses Simpson Grant when he enrolled at West Point as he was concerned about his initials being H.U.G in the military
Captured Fort Henry (Tenn River) and Ft Fonelson (Cumberland River) earring the nickname “Unconditional Surrender” Grant
At Shiloh (April 1862) Grant was surprised by a strong Confederate attack but was able to fend them off on day 2. Lincoln said of Grant, “I can’t spare this man, he fights!”
Grant holding Vicksburg under siege is considered his best-fought campaign of the war

Question 29

Sherman’s “March to the Sea”

Answer 29

Sherman’s men conquered Atlanta in Sept 1864 and burned it 2 months later
Sherman’s purpose was to destroy Confederate supplies and weaken the morale of the men by destroying their homes
“War is all hell,” he wrote
The men lived off the land for the 250 mile march to Savannah, cutting a 60 mile swath of destruction through GA
Discipline broke down at the soldiers engaged in pillaging
Sherman then moved on to the Carolinas, where the destruction was even more vicious. In the meantime, Grant was winning in TN

Question 30

Election of 1864 (Lincoln vs. McClellan)

Answer 30

Northern Democrats divided (peace vs War). Peace Democrats nominated George McClellan, whose platform was “negotiated peace”
Democrats had considered nominating Franklin Pierce or Millard Fillmore, James Buchanan joined them in actively campaigning against Lincoln
Extreme Peace Democrats were called Copperheads. They openly obstructed the war, attacked the draft, Lincoln, and emancipation.

“Radical” Republicans created the Congressional Committee on the Conduct of the War in 1861. They were for emancipation and against the expansion of presidential powers in wartime.
Radical Republicans originally nominated John C Fremont, but he later withdrew from the race and supported lincoln
The Republicans then joined with the War Democrats and renamed themselves the National Union Party. They nominated Lincoln
Lincoln’s running mate, Andrew Johnson, was a Democrat and a minor slaveholder from TN who it was hoped would bring in border states votes

Question 31

National Union Party

Answer 31

The Radical Republicans originally nominated John C Fremont, but he later withdrew from the race and supported Lincoln

The Republicans then joined with the War Democrats and renamed themselves the National Union Party. They nominated Lincoln

Question 32

Date of Lee’s surrender (and it in general)

Answer 32

April 9, 1865

Grant captured Richmond, VA in early April 1865 and cornered Lee at Appomattox Court House. Lee surrendered on April 9, 1865
Lincoln visited Richmond and sat in Davis’ office, saying “Thank God I have lived to see this!”

Question 33

Lincoln’s assassination

Answer 33

April 14, 1865: John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC
Lewis Powell and Davis Herold were assigned to kill Sec of State WIlliam H. Seward (they went through with it, but Seward was only wounded due to Powerll’s gun misfiring and a jaw splint that deflected a knife attack
George Atzeroft was assigned to kill V.P Johnson, but he lost his nerve and fled Washington

Lincoln sustained a gunshot to the head, fell unconscious, and died at dawn the next day in the house across the street from the theater
Booth broke his leg in the process of jumping onto the stage. He and Davis Herold fled to Maryland, where Dr. Samuel Mudd set Booth’s leg
The two held up at Richard Garrett’s farm until they were surrounded by pursuing Union troops. The troops set fire to the bran and Booth was shot
In total, 8 people were found guilty of plotting to assassinate the president. Four were hanged, four imprisoned