8.10.6

Describe critical developments and events in the war, including the major battles, geographical advantages and obstacles, technological advances, and General Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
             Changes, which had occurred during the Civil War, had taken place as the development of America was being industrialized. The Civil War unofficially started when 7 states seceded from the Union and established the Confederate States of America after the Republican president Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories. The military engagements of the war were centered mainly in two areas: in the East mostly Virginia and in the West down in the length of the Mississippi River. In the East, Robert E. Lee led the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia against the Union Army of the Potomac. In the West, Ulysses S. Grant of the Union forces pushed down the Mississippi River. On July 26, 1861, at Manassas, Virginia, the Confederate army won the First Battle of Bull Run. Union general George McClellan's Peninsula Campaign was a major humiliating defeat for the Union, but it ended the Union's effort to fight a limited war. The Peninsula Campaign ended with the retreat of the Union in July 1862. After Lee's army had won many battles around Virginia, including the Second Battle of Bull Run, he attempted to invade Confederate territory in the battle of Antietam, and had the upper hand towards the conclusion of the battle, but did not have enough men to go on. Grant, a little known commander had succeeded at a few small battles, and won the battle of Shiloh in April 1862. As a result of his effectiveness, Grant was put in charge of the western forces, and began to attempt to take Vicksburg, the last and largest Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1, 1983 declaring slaves in rebelling states free, which transformed the Civil War from a conflict to save the Union to a war to abolish slavery. The Union suffered one of its worst and most humiliating defeats of the war at Fredericksburg, and the Confederates then gained a stunning strategic victory at Chancellorsville in May. Lee attempted a second invasion of the North in the battle of Gettysburg, which was the biggest turning point of the war. If the Confederates had won the battle, then they well could have won the war, but because they lost, the Union could now dictate the direction in which the war would go. On July 4th, Grant took control of Vicksburg, Mississippi and this gave the Union complete control of the Mississippi, enabling the Union to focus its efforts on the East. On March 10, 1864, Grant, who was now commander-in-chief of all Union armies, planned a 3-pronged attack on Richmond in which 3 Union armies would come from 3 different directions destroying as much Confederates as they could along the way and meeting in the middle. Lincoln, on the other hand, had let the election go on and the slow progress of Grant's campaigns and the enormous amount of lives lost threatened Lincoln's chances of being reelected, but Sherman's victories in Georgia raised enough northern morale to get him reelected. In the battle of Petersburg, Lee's army was starved for 9 months by the Union, and on April 3, 1865 Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox, Virginia, ending the Civil War. In the course of the Civil War, the Union had a much larger population and superior resources, giving them the advantage, but the Confederates had geographical and strategic advantages on the Southern soil. The Appalachian Mountains prevented the battles from entering the bulk of northern land. Most of the battles were fought on the flat land of the South. As an industrial sector, the North had certain advantages from possessing seventy one percent of the population, seventy one percent of raliroad tracks and ninety-seven percent of the firearms. During the war, technology had advanced greatly, especially in weaponry. The rifle musket had been invented, which shot balls with a spin, which increased its distance and accuracy, giving the offensive the advantage. In return, the defenses had to be stronger, and it was a reason for the enormous amount of casualties that occurred in the war. To improve defenses, instead of relying on fences or hills, the men started to build their own forts. Different tactics such as maneuvering, surprise, and defense became critical to victory. The Union and Confederate Navy also became more powerful as a result of the war; upon having battles on sea both sides threw themselves into production of well-made ships such as the ironclad warships the Monitor and the Merrimack.


More Information:

   1.    http://www.civil-war.net/
          A comprehensive site dedicated to the Civil War and its causes, effects, etc.

   2.    http://www.swcivilwar.com/cw_causes.html
          This site discusses the causes of the Civil War.

   3.    http://www.swcivilwar.com/
          Same as above, but the homepage of a Civil Web site.


Recommended Books:

   1.    The Civil War: An Illustrated History
          by Geoffrey C. Ward, Ric Burns, and Ken Burns