Civil War Flashcards
Secession
The withdrawal of 11 slave states from the Union during the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. Secession precipitated the American civil war
Gettysburg
The battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 to July 3, is considered the most important engagement of the American civil war. After a great victory over Union forces at Chancellorsville, General Robert E. Lee marched his army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania. On July 1, the advancing confederates attacked the federal son both left and right. On July 3, Lee ordered an attack by fewer than 15000 troops on the enemy’s center of cemetery ridge. The assault, known as “Pickett’s charge” managed to pierce the Union lines but eventually failed at the cost of thousands of rebel casualties. Lee was forced to withdraw his battered army toward Virginia on July 4. The Union had won in a major turning point, stopping Lee’s invasion of the North. It inspired Lincoln’s “Gettysburg address” which became on of the most famous speeches of all time.
Antietam
Occurred at Antietam creek near sharpsburg, Maryland. The battles outcome would be vital of shaping Americas future, and it remains the deadliest one-day battle in all American military history.
Emancipation proclamation
President Lincoln delivered remarks, which later became known as the Gettysburg address, at the official dedication ceremony of the national cemetery of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania, on the site of one of the bloodiest and most decisive battles of the civil war
Sherman’s march to the sea
Union general William T. Sherman led some 60,000 soldiers on a 285-mile march from Atlanta to savannah, Georgia. The purpose of Sherman’s march to the sea was to frighten Georgias civilian population into abandoning the confederate cause. Sherman’s soldiers did not destroy any of the towns in their path, but they stole food and livestock and burned the houses and barns of people who tried to fight back. The Yankees were “not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people” Sherman explained; as a result, they needed to “make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war.”
Abraham Lincoln
A self-taught lawyer, legislator and vocal opponent of slavery, was elected 16th president of the United States, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. Lincoln proved to be a shrewd military strategist and a savvy leader: his emancipation proclamation paved the way for slavery’s abolition, while his Gettysburg address stands as one of the most famous pieces of oratory in American history.
Jefferson Davis
The first and only president of the confederate states of America, was a southern planter, democratic politician and hero of the Mexican-American war who represented Mississippi in the U.S. House of Representatives and senate. Davis was chosen to serve as president of the confederacy in 1861 and held the post until the Civil War ended in 1865.
Election of 1860
Was one of the most pivotal presidential elections in American history. The main issue of the election was slavery and states rights. Lincoln emerged victorious and became the 16th president of the United States during a national crisis that would tear states and families apart and test Lincoln’s leadership and resolve: the civil war.
Rich man’s war, poor man’s fight
The rich man caused it, but it affected the poor the most and they had to fight as solders. The poor overseers had to fight for their owners.
Union vs. southern advantage
The north had a lot of people and factories, which was great, but they also had to figure out how to take over a huge area.
On the other hand, the south didn’t have as many people or factories, but they had the upper hand because they were fighting on home ground. The south had cotton and sold it to the north so they could make cloths and sell it to the south again.
Appomattox courthouse
Was fought near the town of Appomattox court house. But the resulting Battle of Appomattox court house, which lasted only a few hours, effectively brought the four-year civil war to an end.
New York draft riots
Occurred when the anger of workning-class New Yorkers over a new federal draft law during the civil war sparked five days of some of the bloodiest and most destructive rioting in U.S. history. Hundreds of people were killed, many more seriously injured, and black New Yorkers were often the target of the rioters violence.
Conscription acts
The US congress passes a conscription act that produces the first wartime draft of US citizens in American history. The act called for registration of all males between the ages of 20 and 45, including aliens with the intentions of becoming citizens. Exceptions from the draft could be bought for $300 or by finding a substitute draftee. This clause led to bloody draft riots in New York City, where protesters were outraged that exemptions were effectively granted only to the wealthiest US citizens.
Fort Sumter
An island fortification located in Charleston harbor, South Carolina, is most famous for being the site of the first battle of the American civil war. Originally constructed as a coastal garrison, US Major Robert Anderson occupied the fort in December 1860 following South Carolina’s secession from the Union, initiating a standoff with states militia forces. When president Abraham Lincoln announced plans to resupply the fort, confederate general P.G.T Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter kicking off the Battle of Fort Sumter. After a 34-hour exchange of artillery fire, Anderson and 86 soldiers surrendered the fort. Confederate troops then occupied Fort Sumter for nearly four years, resisting several bombardments by Union forces before abandoning the garrison prior to William T. Sherman’s capture of Charleston in February 1865.
