🎖️Civil War and Reconstruction Unit 6 – The War's Final Stages

Key Battles and Campaigns

• Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) marked a turning point in the war, halting Confederate General Robert E. Lee's invasion of the North and inflicting heavy casualties on his army
• Siege of Vicksburg (May 18 - July 4, 1863) resulted in the surrender of the Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River, effectively splitting the Confederacy in two
  • Union control of the Mississippi River severely hampered Confederate supply lines and troop movements
• Chattanooga Campaign (September - November 1863) secured Union control of Tennessee and opened the door for the Atlanta Campaign
• Atlanta Campaign (May - September 1864) led by Union General William T. Sherman, captured the vital Confederate city of Atlanta, dealing a significant blow to Southern morale and logistics
• Overland Campaign (May - June 1864) saw Union General Ulysses S. Grant engage Lee's forces in a series of bloody battles (Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor) in Virginia, resulting in high casualties but ultimately weakening the Confederate Army
• Shenandoah Valley Campaign (August - October 1864) led by Union General Philip Sheridan, decimated Confederate forces and resources in the strategically important valley

Union's Strategic Advantage

• Larger population provided a greater pool of manpower for the Union army and allowed for sustained campaigns despite high casualties
• Superior industrial capacity enabled the Union to produce more weapons, ammunition, and supplies, giving them a logistical advantage
• Blockade of Southern ports by the Union Navy limited Confederate access to international trade and resources
  • Anaconda Plan aimed to strangle the Confederacy economically by cutting off its access to the sea
• Control of the Mississippi River after the fall of Vicksburg in 1863 divided the Confederacy and disrupted its transportation and communication networks
• Expanding railroad network in the North facilitated rapid troop movements and supply distribution
• Diplomatic recognition and support from European powers remained elusive for the Confederacy, while the Union maintained its international legitimacy

Confederate Desperation

• Dwindling manpower and resources forced the Confederacy to resort to desperate measures, such as arming slaves and considering the use of guerrilla warfare
• Confederate President Jefferson Davis proposed arming slaves in exchange for their freedom, a controversial measure that faced opposition from slaveholders and contradicted the Confederacy's founding principles
• Morale among Confederate soldiers and civilians plummeted as the war dragged on and the Union's strategic advantages became more apparent
  • Desertion rates increased as soldiers faced hardships and grew disillusioned with the cause
• Economic strain caused by the Union blockade and the loss of key Southern cities led to widespread shortages and inflation
• Inability to effectively coordinate and supply remaining Confederate forces hampered their ability to mount a successful defense against advancing Union armies

Political Climate

• 1864 U.S. Presidential Election pitted incumbent Abraham Lincoln against Democratic challenger George B. McClellan, with Lincoln securing a decisive victory and a mandate to continue the war
  • McClellan's platform called for a negotiated peace with the Confederacy, while Lincoln remained committed to reunification and the abolition of slavery
• Emancipation Proclamation, issued by Lincoln in 1863, transformed the war's purpose from solely preserving the Union to include the abolition of slavery, garnering support from abolitionists and shifting international opinion in favor of the Union
• Copperheads, a faction of Northern Democrats, opposed the war and advocated for a negotiated peace with the Confederacy, creating political tensions and divisions within the Union
• Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863) reframed the war as a struggle for the preservation of democracy and equality, rallying Northern support for the cause
• Confederate States' political cohesion weakened as the war progressed, with internal disputes over states' rights, conscription, and the centralization of power under Jefferson Davis's administration

Surrender at Appomattox

• General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, exhausted and depleted, found itself surrounded by Union forces at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, in April 1865
• Lee's attempt to break through Union lines and join forces with General Joseph E. Johnston's army in North Carolina was thwarted by Union cavalry under General Philip Sheridan
• Recognizing the futility of further resistance, Lee agreed to meet with Union General Ulysses S. Grant to discuss surrender terms on April 9, 1865
  • Grant's terms were generous, allowing Confederate soldiers to keep their personal possessions and horses, and providing food rations for the starving troops
• Formal surrender ceremony took place on April 12, 1865, effectively ending major combat operations in the Eastern Theater of the war
• Lee's surrender signaled the imminent collapse of the Confederacy, as other Confederate armies followed suit in the following weeks (Johnston's surrender to Sherman on April 26, 1865)

Aftermath and Immediate Impact

• Collapse of the Confederacy and the end of the war resulted in the reunification of the United States under the federal government
• Abolition of slavery became official with the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on December 6, 1865
  • Freedmen's Bureau established to assist newly freed slaves in their transition to freedom, providing education, healthcare, and legal support
• Devastation of the Southern economy and infrastructure left the region in ruins, requiring extensive reconstruction efforts
• Over 620,000 American soldiers died during the Civil War, with countless more injured or disabled, leaving a profound impact on the nation's population and psyche
• Assassination of President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, just five days after Lee's surrender, plunged the nation into mourning and uncertainty
• Southern states faced the challenges of rebuilding their governments and societies while grappling with the legacy of slavery and the new reality of emancipation

Lincoln's Assassination

• John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer and actor, plotted to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln as an act of revenge for the South's defeat
• On April 14, 1865, Booth shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., during a performance of the play "Our American Cousin"
  • Booth's co-conspirators attempted to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward on the same night, but were unsuccessful
• Lincoln was carried to the Petersen House across the street from the theater, where he remained in a coma until his death on the morning of April 15, 1865
• Booth fled the scene and evaded capture for 12 days before being cornered in a barn in Virginia and killed by Union soldiers
• Lincoln's assassination sent shockwaves through the nation, as people mourned the loss of the president who had guided the country through its darkest hour
• Vice President Andrew Johnson assumed the presidency, facing the daunting task of leading the nation through the early stages of Reconstruction

Transition to Reconstruction

• Reconstruction era began in the aftermath of the Civil War, focusing on rebuilding the Southern states and integrating them back into the Union
• President Andrew Johnson, a Southern Democrat, favored a lenient approach to Reconstruction, granting pardons to former Confederates and allowing Southern states to re-establish their governments with minimal federal oversight
  • Johnson's policies clashed with the more radical Republicans in Congress, who sought to ensure civil rights for freed slaves and punish former Confederates
• Freedmen's Bureau and other organizations worked to provide education, healthcare, and legal support to newly freed slaves, helping them navigate the challenges of freedom
• Southern states enacted Black Codes, laws designed to restrict the rights and freedoms of African Americans, leading to increased tensions and violence
• Reconstruction Acts of 1867 divided the South into five military districts and required states to ratify the 14th Amendment (granting citizenship to African Americans) and adopt new constitutions guaranteeing voting rights to black men
• Ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870 prohibited the denial of voting rights based on race, although many Southern states found ways to circumvent this through literacy tests, poll taxes, and other discriminatory measures