Terms
Fort Sumter- The site of the first shots fired in the Civil War. It was bombarded for 34 hours until the Union surrendered the Fort to the Confederates.
Anaconda Plan- The Union strategy to win the war, which consisted of taking Richmond, then Kentucky and Tennessee, and then taking the Mississippi River and eventually destroying the CSA by “squeezing in” from the sides.
1st Bull Run- Also known as the Battle of Manassas, where the USA army crossed the Potomac River into Confederate territory and then fell apart. It was this battle where General “Stonewall” Thomas Jackson got his nickname.
Morrill Land Grant Act- Law passed by Congress in July 1862 awarding proceeds from the sale of public lands to the states for the establishment of agricultural and mechanical colleges.
Homestead Act- Law passed by Congress in May 1862 providing homesteads with 160 acres of free land in exchange for improving the land within five years of the grant.
Peninsular Campaign- Union offensive led by McClellan with the objective of capturing Richmond, VA,
Battle of Shiloh- A battle taking place in the Tennessee River Bluff over a 3 mile span. General Grant of the Union had almost lost and was almost ready to surrender when General Buell arrived with 30,000 reinforcements which helped spur the Union to victory. This single battle included more casualties than all of the previous American wars combined.
Monitor and Merrimac- Two ironclads that fought hull-to-hull in the Battle of the Ironclads. After about 4 ½ hours, the Merrimac drew off.
Emancipation Proclamation- Decree announced by President Abraham Lincoln in September 1862 and formally issued on January 1st, 1863, freeing slaves in all Confederate states still in rebellion.
Robert E. Lee- The Confederate General who served throughout the war, and eventually surrendered to the Union.
Border States- States which contained slaves and slavery but never seceded from the Union, therefore making them members of the Union.
Legal Tender Act- Act creating a federal currency in February 1862.
Copperheads- A term Republicans applied to northern war dissenters and those suspected of aiding the Confederate cause during the Civil War.
Election of 1864- Election which saved the Republican Party. The polls were strongly in favor of Democratic candidate George McClellan until General Sherman captured Atlanta, at which point President Lincoln’s support went way up. He won the election with 55 percent of the popular vote, and 78 percent of the soldiers’ votes. This election probably saved the Republican Party from extinction.
13th Amendment- Constitutional amendment ratified in 1865 that freed all slaves throughout the United States.
Clara Barton- The founder of the American Red Cross foundation.
New York Draft Riots- Riots in New York City because of anger over the draft and racial prejudice. 105 people, mostly black, were killed.
Gettysburg- One of the turning point battles in the Civil War, where the Confederate army lost 28,000 troops while the Union lost 23,000. It caused a Confederate retreat that signaled a turning of the tides in the war. It took place July 1-3, 1863.
Vicksburg- A battle in Mississippi where General Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederate army. It was after this battle and Gettysburg that France and Britain decided for good not to support the South in the war.
Sherman’s March- After General Sherman of the Union captured Atlanta on September 2nd, 1864, he began a march to the coastal city of Savannah. He burned everything in his path, and effectively cut off Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia from the rest of the Confederacy.
George McClellan- A two-time Union General who was also the Democratic candidate in the Election of 1864.
Appomattox- The court house where General Robert E. Lee formally surrendered to the Union army. The agreement included a clause saying that the Confederate soldiers could not be prosecuted for treason.
Ulysses S. Grant- The final General of the Union army, the one in charge when Lee surrendered.
Abraham Lincoln- The President of the United States during the Civil War era.
Jefferson Davis- The only president ever of the Confederate States of America.
Questions
1) The Union had an overall population advantage, as well as an economic advantage of having a lot more factories and railroads. The South had the advantage of home-field advantage and fighting for their own independence to be recognized.
2) Abe Lincoln was a strong war leader because he did not believe in totally destroying and punishing the South. He was not ruthless like this because he knew they would one day be part of the Union again, and they could not have that bad blood between them. This made his different than Jefferson Davis because Davis was willing to do whatever he had to to win.
3) The Confederacy had to out-manuever the Union so that they could kill a number of Union soldiers exponential to the number they lost, as they had less soldiers to lose. The Union simply needed to occupy the Southern states in order to win.
4) Lincoln waited almost 2 years to free the slaves so that he could ensure that the Union would be able to win the war and that the slaves would be actually free one day. He finally freed them because the war was going in favor of the South, and he believed that by freeing them that he could cause some slave uprisings and he could get extra reinforcements who were ex-slaves. I believe he did do this out of military necessity.
5) Blacks played a large role in their own liberation because they never gave up hope and joined the Union at all opportunities.
6) The major turning points in the war were the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg.
7) The Union won because they had the strength in numbers, in population and fighting force.
Fort Sumter- The site of the first shots fired in the Civil War. It was bombarded for 34 hours until the Union surrendered the Fort to the Confederates.
Anaconda Plan- The Union strategy to win the war, which consisted of taking Richmond, then Kentucky and Tennessee, and then taking the Mississippi River and eventually destroying the CSA by “squeezing in” from the sides.
1st Bull Run- Also known as the Battle of Manassas, where the USA army crossed the Potomac River into Confederate territory and then fell apart. It was this battle where General “Stonewall” Thomas Jackson got his nickname.
Morrill Land Grant Act- Law passed by Congress in July 1862 awarding proceeds from the sale of public lands to the states for the establishment of agricultural and mechanical colleges.
Homestead Act- Law passed by Congress in May 1862 providing homesteads with 160 acres of free land in exchange for improving the land within five years of the grant.
Peninsular Campaign- Union offensive led by McClellan with the objective of capturing Richmond, VA,
Battle of Shiloh- A battle taking place in the Tennessee River Bluff over a 3 mile span. General Grant of the Union had almost lost and was almost ready to surrender when General Buell arrived with 30,000 reinforcements which helped spur the Union to victory. This single battle included more casualties than all of the previous American wars combined.
Monitor and Merrimac- Two ironclads that fought hull-to-hull in the Battle of the Ironclads. After about 4 ½ hours, the Merrimac drew off.
Emancipation Proclamation- Decree announced by President Abraham Lincoln in September 1862 and formally issued on January 1st, 1863, freeing slaves in all Confederate states still in rebellion.
Robert E. Lee- The Confederate General who served throughout the war, and eventually surrendered to the Union.
Border States- States which contained slaves and slavery but never seceded from the Union, therefore making them members of the Union.
Legal Tender Act- Act creating a federal currency in February 1862.
Copperheads- A term Republicans applied to northern war dissenters and those suspected of aiding the Confederate cause during the Civil War.
Election of 1864- Election which saved the Republican Party. The polls were strongly in favor of Democratic candidate George McClellan until General Sherman captured Atlanta, at which point President Lincoln’s support went way up. He won the election with 55 percent of the popular vote, and 78 percent of the soldiers’ votes. This election probably saved the Republican Party from extinction.
13th Amendment- Constitutional amendment ratified in 1865 that freed all slaves throughout the United States.
Clara Barton- The founder of the American Red Cross foundation.
New York Draft Riots- Riots in New York City because of anger over the draft and racial prejudice. 105 people, mostly black, were killed.
Gettysburg- One of the turning point battles in the Civil War, where the Confederate army lost 28,000 troops while the Union lost 23,000. It caused a Confederate retreat that signaled a turning of the tides in the war. It took place July 1-3, 1863.
Vicksburg- A battle in Mississippi where General Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederate army. It was after this battle and Gettysburg that France and Britain decided for good not to support the South in the war.
Sherman’s March- After General Sherman of the Union captured Atlanta on September 2nd, 1864, he began a march to the coastal city of Savannah. He burned everything in his path, and effectively cut off Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia from the rest of the Confederacy.
George McClellan- A two-time Union General who was also the Democratic candidate in the Election of 1864.
Appomattox- The court house where General Robert E. Lee formally surrendered to the Union army. The agreement included a clause saying that the Confederate soldiers could not be prosecuted for treason.
Ulysses S. Grant- The final General of the Union army, the one in charge when Lee surrendered.
Abraham Lincoln- The President of the United States during the Civil War era.
Jefferson Davis- The only president ever of the Confederate States of America.
Questions
1) The Union had an overall population advantage, as well as an economic advantage of having a lot more factories and railroads. The South had the advantage of home-field advantage and fighting for their own independence to be recognized.
2) Abe Lincoln was a strong war leader because he did not believe in totally destroying and punishing the South. He was not ruthless like this because he knew they would one day be part of the Union again, and they could not have that bad blood between them. This made his different than Jefferson Davis because Davis was willing to do whatever he had to to win.
3) The Confederacy had to out-manuever the Union so that they could kill a number of Union soldiers exponential to the number they lost, as they had less soldiers to lose. The Union simply needed to occupy the Southern states in order to win.
4) Lincoln waited almost 2 years to free the slaves so that he could ensure that the Union would be able to win the war and that the slaves would be actually free one day. He finally freed them because the war was going in favor of the South, and he believed that by freeing them that he could cause some slave uprisings and he could get extra reinforcements who were ex-slaves. I believe he did do this out of military necessity.
5) Blacks played a large role in their own liberation because they never gave up hope and joined the Union at all opportunities.
6) The major turning points in the war were the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg.
7) The Union won because they had the strength in numbers, in population and fighting force.