I. Beginning of the War 1. When and where did the war begin? (443) The war began on April 12, 1861 at a U.S. fort on an island guarding Charleston Harbor, called Fort Sumter. 2. How did the Confederacy plan on winning the war? (454) The Confederacy planned on winning the war by conducting a defensive war, meaning they would hold as much territory as possible. They thought that if they showed determination to be independent, Northerners would tire of the war. They tried to win the support of Great Britain and France, whose economies suffered when the war disrupted the export of southern cotton. 3. How did the Union plan on winning the war? (454-455) The Union planned on winning the war by defeating the south completely. General Winfield When did New Orleans fall to Union forces, and who captured it? New Orleans fell to Union forces on April 25, 1862 under David Farragut. Why was the loss of New Orleans a devastating blow to the Confederacy? (460-461) The loss of New Orleans was a devastating blow to the Confederacy because it meant that the Confederacy could no longer use the Mississippi River to carry its goods to sea. It also left the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi the only major obstacle to the Union’s strategy. 8. Why was the Union victory at Antietam an important victory for the Union? Provide at least two reasons. (462-464) The Union victory at Antietam was an important victory for the Union because it was the deadliest single day of fighting in the war because about 6,000 soldiers died and 17,000 more suffered wounds. Because of the great losses, Lee retreated to Virginia after the battle and his strategy for invading the north had failed. 9. Explain the Emancipation Proclamation. How did it change the War? (464) The Emancipation Proclamation was a decree that freed all enslaved people in rebel-held territory on January 1, 1863. It changed the war because it meant that the government declared slavery to be wrong. It was now clear that the Union victory would end slavery in the United
...ces. The weary Confederate forces were overcome and Van Dorn ordered a withdrawal. The battle had been won by the Union (Battle). Van Dorn went across the Mississippi, abandoning all of the operations west of on the western side of it. Therefore, the Union controlled all of the area to the west of the Mississippi. The Union kept control of this area for 2 more years before there was any dispute. By controlling one whole front of the war, the Union's victory was much easier and more probable than before.
I agree with the idea that the North had won the Civil War before it began to the extent of Lincoln’s conservative political stands. Trying to receive the favor of the South while winning in the North would require Lincoln to take neutral stands in heated political issues like slavery. It wasn’t really wan by the North until he broke away from these stands to enact the Emancipation Proclamation and turn the tides of war in favor of the North. “This Lincoln always publicly condemned the abolitionists who fought slavery by extra constitutional means – and condemned also the mobs who deprived them of their right of free speech and free press.” (Holfstadter, Lincoln and the Self-Made Myth) Other than that, the North had the upper hand in nearly all aspects that really mattered in times of war. With this information it is clear that without Lincoln’s conservative political stands a “Quick War” would have been much more realistic. Either way, the North had won the Civil War before it began. While the North thought about attacking and invading, the South thought about defending and causing attrition.
Why did the southern states believe they could win the civil war? The southern states, known as the Confederacy were very confident going into this war that they could successfully defend their rights' and their way of life. They had many reasons for being so confident. First, the southern leaders were sure the north was not going to have a full-scale military conflict. They thought that a compromise and peace agreement could be reached after a short period of fighting. Second, the south was going to fight a defensive war. Third, the southern lifestyle made them familiar with firearms and horseback riding. Therefore they would be better soldiers than the northerners. Fourth, the south had a great source of wealth in its cotton exports and felt they would be able to fund the war. Last, the south thought that France and Britain would come to its aid. The south didn't want to defeat the north they wanted a compromise. Therefore, the north would not have the authority to govern them. The south did not have to win the war, it just had to keep the north from winning. On March 7, 1861 Jefferson Davis selected John Forsyth, A. B. Roman, and Martin J. Crawford to represent the Confederacy in a meeting with Lincoln's administration. Not trying two overpower anyone, the Confederate leaders said they simply wanted to be left alone. The Confederates thought to defend its region from being taken over and to keep its armies from destruction they would have to fight a very well planned out defensive war. The Confederate armies did not have to invade the north to win that kind of war. They need only to endure long enough to force the north to the decision that th...
Ever since the day the South surrendered to the North in May of 1865, Americans have argued on why the South lost. Others argued that the South never had chance to win the war, yet more than half a million people were killed, homes were lost and destroyed and families were torn apart. There are many theories to explain this, many arguing that the South never had a chance to win the Civil War to begin with, for the North out numbered and had better resources than the South at almost every point, militarily.
When the war began and the union blockaded all their ports the south was out of luck. They had very little industrial workers and manufactured goods compared to the north so during the blockade they could not make their own weapons or food other than corn. (Doc 2) The north had the advantage because they supplied the south with a lot of important items such as cotton-mills and steamships. (Doc 3) They also had better means of transportation. The north had better boats because they had factories equipped to make them and they also had more railroads to transfer weapons and equipment to soldiers. (Doc 1) The north was meant to win from the beginning and even though it took longer than expected they still beat the south and defeated slavery. No one document will tell you that slavery caused the Civil War, but if it had not been for slavery the war would have never
After giving an introduction of the events leading up to the Vicksburg campaign, you see the reasons why they attacked. To gain full control of the Mississippi River. By discussing Pemberton’s action of moving a majority of his army towards Grant’s army. Resulting in great loss of life and moral for his troops. The communication problems which caused Pemberton’s army to be unprepared for Grant’s fast approaching army. That the capture of Jackson, Mississippi was harmful for the city of Vicksburg. Without supplies running through Jackson they had no way to feed themselves. By then going over the large defenses of Vicksburg and how much it mattered to the Confederates. Then going over the remainder of the war and how Vicksburg’s fall effected it. After all of the researching I found the answer. Without supplies an army can’t function and the Confederates relied on one location for that. The battle of Vicksburg was the most important battle in the Civil War because it cut off the supply route between the two divisions of the Confederates. If Robert E. Lee’s army actually did win the battle of Gettysburg but lost Vicksburg, the outcome of the war would have been the same. A Union victory over the Confederate Army. The Union would most likely still win if it was the other way around but it would have lasted longer. We will never know this for sure but a Gettysburg loss was better than a Vicksburg loss. Most people who do not research into this are taught that Gettysburg was more important. It was important but not nearly as important as the Battle of
Of the two posts, Vicksburg was by far the strongest and most important. Setting high over looking a bend in the river, protected by artillery and dangerous swamps. So far the city had defied Union efforts to force it into submission.
At the onset of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln met with his generals to devise a strategy by which the rebellious states of the Confederacy could be brought back into the Union. General Winfield Scott, commanding general of the Union army, proposed a plan of battle that became known as the Anaconda Plan.
The Civil War was the bloodiest, most devestating war that has ever been fought on American soil. It began on April 12, 1861, at 4:30 in the morning. The main reason that the war was fought was because Southern states believed that they should have the right to use African-Americans as slaves, and the Northern States opposed that belief.
... or ending the war, because it was the only rail junction connecting Richmond to the rest of the Confederacy. Faced with the need to defend a line running continuously from north of Richmond to Petersburg, the Confederates were stretched thinner and thinner. Eventually their line broke. Within a little over a week it was over. The final year of the Civil War was something new in the history of warfare - never before had two large armies remained locked in continuous combat for such a long period of time. In the past the armies would fight, retreat, regroup, and usually meet at some later date and place but in 1864-65 even though they moved around some it was almost one continuous fight to the end.
... yet they strongly believed that they could be victorious. Despite numerous disadvantages, the South entered the war with some important advantages. The South adopted a strategy like that of George Washington in the American Revolution. The plan, known as attrition, called for a strategy of winning the war by avoiding losing. That is, the South did not have to match the North's resources, they only needed to avoid full-scale battles and prolong the war making it too costly for their opponents.
Army Chief of Staff Winfield Scott put forth a arrangement to beat the confederacy. He called for a inclusive barricade of South, followed by a forceful army to take hold of the Mississippi and New Orleans. Only after all this was accomplished he suggested launching a significant attack against the center of the Confederacy. He opposed any gradually actions. The demands for action however, could not be deprived of. General McDowell came up with a plan for a direct att...
The response of the North was the blockade on the southern states. This dealt a similar blow to the South that privateering would cause to the North: the loss of supplies. Since the south was a primarily agricultural area, they had few factories to produce war supplies. The goal of the blockade was to cut any supplies and allow the underdeveloped southern states to run out of war goods. Fortunately for the Confederacy, their large coastline was very difficult for the Union Navy to completely blockade.
In the Civil War, the strategy that the Union used to conquer south is called Anaconda plan. The purpose is to block Southern ports, divide Confederacy in two in west and capture Richmond, Confederate capital. The tactics of south are to avoid major battles for letting the north get tired of fighting, invade north if opportunity arose, and they hoped Europe would help them due to their need for cotton.
It wrecked havoc, demolishing everything in its path. Leaving nothing but mounds of trash. The surviving people were forced to leave due to massive flooding and the destruction of their homes. New Orleans was not the only place hit by Katrina, but it was one of the areas that was hit the hardest. Millions of people were affected by this tragedy and the cost range was up in the billions.