Southern Leaders
Gen. Robert E. Lee was a brilliant leader who had the unusual ability to [“read”/predict] his enemies moves. Due to the limited size and supplies of his army, Lee was force to take [long chances] in battle, which led to many impressive victories. Gen. [“Stonewall”] Jackson was fearless in battle, which is how he earned his nickname. He was also a deeply [religious] man. This is confirmed by the fact that he was happy to be dying on a [Sunday].
Early Events
The Battle of Bull Run (called the Battle of [Manassas] by the South) was the first big battle of the war. It was here that Gen. Thomas Jackson earned his nickname by standing in battle like a [stone wall]. After this battle both sides realized that their soldiers needed [training] and that this war would be long and bloody.
The Moniter and Merrimack were two [ironclad] warships. Once they were made, they made all [wooden] ships obsolete (useless).
Gen. Grant had some early victories, but due to heavy [losses/deaths] at [Shiloh] he was sent back to desk duty.
Emancipation
Going a long time without a Northern win, it looked as if [Britain] or [France] might help the South. In order to avoid that, Lincoln realized that he must [free] the slaves, since Europe is against slavery. The battle at Antietam was the [bloodiest] day in U.S. history. The gunfire was so thick that a man lying on the ground wondered how long he could hold his [finger] up before it would get shot off. After the Northern victory at [Antietam], Lincoln was able to do this by passing the [Emancipation Proclamation].
Fredericksburg
At the Battle of Fredericksburg the [North] attacked across an open field while the [South] fought from behind a [stone wall]. As the [North] attacked, they were hunched over as if they were walking into a [storm/snow/rain]. One onlooker said that the men attacking looked like [snow] falling on warm ground.
Gettysburg
In 1863, Lee had his men attack in the [North] to try and force Gen. U.S. [Grant] from his siege of [Vicksburg]. This led to the battle at [Gettysburg], which was started because the South was looking for [shoes]. As Lee prepared to attack the North at Gettysburg, the [North] held the high ground and the [South] held the low ground. This gave the [North] a huge advantage.
On the first day of fierce fighting, the South tried to take Little Round Top so that they could attack the rest of the Northern force. Only a small force was on Little Round Top, led by Joshua Lawrence [Chamberlain]. After the North ran out of [ammo/bullets], the order was given to fix [bayonets] on the ends of their guns and to attack like a "swinging [gate/door]". This courageous move won the battle and protected the North.
The following day was the infamous [Pickett’s Charge], where the [South] marched across an open field to fight the [North], which was waiting behind a [stone wall] (similar to [Fredericksburg] but the sides were switched).
Vicksburg
The day Lee's army retreated back South, the city of Vicksburg surrendered to Gen. U.S. [Grant]. Vicksburg, nicknamed the "[Nail] that [holds] the [Confederacy together]" had been under siege for 48 days, and the citizens of Vicksburg lived in [caves] (in fact the North referred to Vicksburg as "prairie dog town"). The city surrendered on [July 4], 1863 and didn't celebrate [Independence Day] until 1945.
Status
At this point the North was successful in two of their three strategies:
· They took the [Mississippi] River.
· Had a successful [naval blockade] (in fact simple things like a needle, some flour, and fire wood became extremely difficult to find).
Grant was then given charge of the Army of the Potomac (North) and he decided to attack Lee and to keep [attacking] Lee even if it resulted in a loss. Grant pushed Lee back towards [Richmond], the capital, but eventually Grant stalled for about 9 months outside the city of [Petersburg]. Meanwhile Gen. Sherman was trying to take the key Georgian city of [Atlanta], but he too was stalled
Election of 1864
As the presidential election approached, things looked [bad] for Lincoln. Running against Lincoln was [McClellan] with a campaign pushing for [peace] with the South. In order to win the election Lincoln had to have a victory at either [Atlanta] or [Petersburg]. Eventually Gen. Sherman was successful in taking [Atlanta], which led to [Lincoln] being elected.
Andersonville
[Andersonville] was the worst Prison of the Civil War and was controlled by the [South]. Many prisoners died due to malnutrition because they were fed little and got sick. The reason they got sick was because of the [river] that went through camp. People used it for [drinking], [washing], and as a [toilet]. Some people chose to get shot and die rather than suffer. Many prisoners looked like [skeletons] when they were finally free.
The War Ends
Sherman then decided to begin an unusual military campaign. He and the Northern army would move through the state of [Georgia] and [destroy] everything in their path.
During the siege at Petersburg, Gen. Burnside attempted to break the siege by digging a [tunnel] and packing it with [dynamite]. This was a terrible failure because the North ran [into] the crater and were trapped and killed. Eventually the siege ended and Grant quickly moved on to the city of [Richmond]. The city of [Richmond] quickly fell, which was the last of the North's three war time goals.
Lee was then trapped at [Appomattox], which was ironically owned by Wilbur McLean - the man whose house was used in the first battle of the Civil War. There [Lee/the South] surrendered to [Grant/the North] and the war was over.
Themes
The North had trouble finding good [generals] to lead them in battle.
People on both sides of the war had a need to be [“normal”].
· The South didn't attack the North when they were celebrating the new holiday of [Thanksgiving].
· People on both sides paused to listen to the [trumpeter] outside of Atlanta.
Basics of Civil War Places
[Vicksburg] – [“The nail that holds the Confederacy together”], [July 4 surrender]
[Gettysburg] – [Turning Point, Pickett’s Charge]
[Atlanta] – [Victory here meant Lincoln was re-elected]
[Fredericksburg] – [South behind a stone wall]
[Petersburg] – [Crater], [9 month siege]
[Antietam] – [bloodiest day], [victory = emancipation]
[Andersonville] – [Worst prisoner of war camp]
During the Civil War, [Abraham Lincoln] was the President of the United States of America while [Jefferson Davis] was President of the Confederate States of America.
Strategies
The North's Strategy was:
· To create a [naval blockade] to cut the South off from the rest of the world
· Control the [Mississippi] River
· Take [Richmond], the capital of the Confederacy.
The South's Strategy was to simply [outlast/survive] the North.
Northern Leaders
General George McClellan was great at [training] his men, but was terrible at [fighting] with them. Gen. Grant, on the other hand was a bold [fighter] who would continue [fighting/attacking] even if the North had [lost]. William T. Sherman was famous for his [“crazy predictions”], which were fairly accurate, and his hate for [journalists]. George Armstrong Custer is more than just bold; he is [reckless]. Eventually this got him in trouble and led to Custer's [Last Stand].