8.10.5
Study the
views and lives of leaders (e.g., Ulysses S. Grant, Jefferson Davis, Robert E.
Lee) and soldiers on both sides of the war, including those of black soldiers
and regiments.
Viewpoints, of the Confederacy and Union, were fought
for in the Civil War. The Union had a few powerful leaders, ones who
fought fiercely for their views on the Civil War. Leaders and common
people on the Union's side generally opposed slavery, made a living from
factories and trade, wanted to higher taxes on Europeans goods so Southerners
would buy Northern products, and believed that the Union must be saved above all
else. Abraham Lincoln was the Republican President who led the country
through the civil war, and who's objective was to restore the Union throughout
most of his time in the White House. He had a scant formal education, and
came from a poor family. He had been a frontier lawyer, and many consider
his Emancipation Proclamation to be his greatest act, paving the way for the
13th amendment. Ulysses S. Grant was reputed to have been a heavy drinker
and was a man of unimpressive appearances who did not accomplish much until he
was quite old. He had started his career out at West Point and was in the
Mexican War and was forced to retire because of his drinking problems only to
rejoin the army at the beginning of the Civil War. He was the commanding
general for the Union forces in the West, who had gained his reputation by
winning small battles in the West at a time where the Union was not doing well
anywhere else. As the architect of a successful plan to attack the
Confederacy on all fronts, Grant grew popular with the public and eventually
became one of the presidents of the United States. William T. Sherman
helped Grant at Shiloh and Vicksburg and then took control of the Union Army of
Tennessee and led it on a march to Atlanta, through Georgia, and up the East
Coast, destroying many confederates along the way. George McClellan was an
arrogant, flashy general who had a talent for recruiting, training, and
instilling loyalty in troops but he was still hesitant to fight and had slow
progress. As a result, Lincoln fired him, but he returned to the spotlight
as the Democratic candidate for the Presidential election in 1864. David
Farragut was an admiral for the Union who had taken New Orleans and Mobile Bay
and was indispensable to the Union's efforts to gain Mississippi. Ambrose
Burnside commanded the Union Army of the Potomac; his command lasted only one
battle, the battle of Fredericksburg, one of the worst defeats the Union
suffered. The Confederacy generally favored slavery, felt that they were
fighting a war for independence, made a living from small farms and plantations,
wanted to lower taxes on goods, and believed in state right's. Jefferson
Davis was a former Secretary of War, and the president of the Confederates
shortly after its formation, who was never able to garner much public
support. Robert E. Lee was the commanding general of the Confederate Army
of Northern Virginia and was the strongest fighting force in the war. He
had started his career at West Point, and participated in the Mexican War, and
was well liked by leaders on both sides of the war. When asked by Lincoln
to fight for the Union, he refused. "Stonewall" Jackson earned his
nickname in the First Battle of Bull Run when he was said to have held his lines
like a stonewall. Jackson's excellent strategies resulted in many
Confederate victories including the Second Battle of Bull Run and
Chancellorsville. Joseph Johnston, a skilled Confederate general, had an
ongoing conflict with Jefferson Davis, who told him to take his troops to the
aid of a commander under siege at Vicksburg. He was not able to coordinate
and Vicksburg fell, and his troops went on to attempt to halt Sherman on his
march to Atlanta. Pierre Beauregard was a Confederate general who
directed the opening moments at Fort Sumter and had taken command at Shiloh
after General Johnson was killed. He also supported General Johnston
during the last parts of the war at Georgia and Carolinas. John Wilkes
Booth was a Confederate who assassinated President Lincoln after the Confederate
surrendered. When the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, black men were
allowed to enlist in the army. White officials and officers thought that
black men were not courageous or strong enough to fight in war, but after a
number of battles they were proved wrong. At first, African soldiers were
paid less than white soldiers, and many struggled or refused money until this
was changed. Although the Civil War was "their war", they were
discriminated from the white army and were treated harshly.
African-American soldiers comprised of 10% of the entire Union army and 1/3 of
those who enlisted were killed in the war. Confederate armies often used
black slaves as soldiers because the Union used black troops; so in essence, the
Union black soldiers fought for their rights and the Confederate black slaves
fought because they had no choice, or they may have been told that they were to
be set free if they fought.
More Information:
1.
http://www.thinkquest.org/library/lib/site_sum_outside.html?tname=3055&url=3055/netscape/people/index.html
This site gives a short biography on some of the main leaders of the Civil War.
2.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/biograph.htm
This is a very informative site, giving brief biographies of some of the major personalities of the Civil War, both North and South.
3.
http://www.lbdb.com/TMDisplayWar.cfm?WID=2
This is a site that gives you a list of all leaders during the Civil War.
4.
http://www.punahou.edu/libraries/cooke/civil_war_web_leaders.html
This website gives you links to descriptions of leaders of both sides.