This document provides an overview of events leading up to the American Civil War from Lincoln's election in 1860 to early 1863. It summarizes that Southern states began seceding after Lincoln's election, forming the Confederate States of America. The Civil War began with the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861. Early battles like Bull Run were Confederate victories, but the Union blockade and victories in the Western Theater increased Northern momentum. The Emancipation Proclamation transformed the war's focus to ending slavery and cutting the Confederacy in two at Vicksburg.

2. Source: The Freeport Wide Awake
Date: November 17, 1860, p. 3
Cartoonist: Unknown

3. SecessionSecession
 South Carolina
 After Lincoln’s election there was a special convention
 The convention voted unanimously to secede
 Official on Dec. 20, 1860, before Lincoln even took office
 By February 1, 1861, six more states joined SC
 Mississippi: Jan. 9, 1861
 Florida: Jan. 10, 1861
 Alabama: Jan. 11, 1861
 Georgia: Jan. 19, 1861
 Louisiana: Jan. 26, 1861
 Texas: Feb. 1, 1861

4. Attempt at CompromiseAttempt at Compromise
 Congress tried to get the Southern representatives back
to discuss a compromise
 Southern states refused to talk and seized all federal
property in their states
 A few pieces of federal property remained in the union
 Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
 Fort Pickens in Pensacola Harbor, Florida
 A couple of islands off the coast of Florida

5. Lincoln’s Inaugural AddressLincoln’s Inaugural Address
 March 4, 1861
 If you were preparing your inaugural address, what
policy would you choose and why?
 Abandon the Forts Under Your Control?
 Reclaim the Forts Taken by Southern States?
 Hold Only Those Forts Still in Federal Hands?
 Or Choose Some Other Course of Action?

6. Lincoln’s Inaugural AddressLincoln’s Inaugural Address
 "The power confided to me, will be used to hold, occupy, and
possess the property and places belonging to the Government.“
 “…there will be no invasion, no using of force against or among
the people anywhere."
 He said nothing about reclaiming property now under
Confederate control
 He explicitly offered reassurances to the South that slavery was
safe in its present limits and that he would enforce the fugitive
slave law
 Resistance to the federal government constituted rebellion

7. Crittenden’s CompromiseCrittenden’s Compromise
 Proposed by Kentucky Senator John J. Crittenden
 Proposed constitutional amendments
 Guarantee slavery where it already existed
 Extend the Missouri Compromise to California
 Lincoln told Congressmen to stay strong
 The compromise was defeated

8. Peace AttemptPeace Attempt
 Virginia, a slave state still in the union, hosted a peace
conference
 21 delegates attended
 Mostly Northern and border states
 NO delegates from the secession states
 Resolved nothing

9. The ConfederacyThe Confederacy
 Delegates from secession states met in Montgomery,
Alabama
 They declared themselves a new country
 The Confederate States of America was formed
 A constitution was drafted that guaranteed the right to
slavery
 Jefferson Davis was chosen as president

10. Fort SumterFort Sumter
 Lincoln vowed to protect all federal property in the south
 Davis vowed to take Fort Sumter before its defenses could
be strengthened
 Davis demanded the fort surrender by April 12, 1861, they
did not
 Confederate forces fired cannons at the fort for 34 hours
before it surrendered
 The Civil War had begun

11. A picture of Fort Sumter soon after the original
Confederate flag was raised on April 13, 1861.
A picture of Fort Sumter soon after the original
Confederate flag was raised on April 13, 1861.

12. The Rest of the SouthThe Rest of the South
SecedesSecedes
 Upper south slave states felt they had no choice but to
join the Confederacy
 Virginia on April 17, 1861
 Robert E. Lee is appointed as Commander of Virginia’s
Army
 Gained fame as a brilliant military leader in the U.S.
Marine Corps
 Arkansas, N. Carolina, and Tennessee by early June,
1861

13. The Confederate
States of America

17. The Union’s Grand Strategy

18. Lincoln Strikes FirstLincoln Strikes First
 Lincoln was under pressure to attack quickly
 Most northerners felt that a quick attack would make
the south realize their mistake and force them to
compromise
 General P.G.T. Beauregard was gathering
Confederate troops 25 miles south of Washington
D.C., near Manassas Junction, VA
 A strategic railroad center in northern Virginia
 Lincoln approved an attack on these forces
 Lincoln hoped a victory would bring an end to the war

19. First Battle of Bull RunFirst Battle of Bull Run
 July 21, 1861
 Union forces pushed the Confederates across a stream called Bull Run
 A large force of Confederate reinforcements lead by General Thomas J.
Jackson arrived from Virginia
 Jackson’s men gave a morale boost to the Confederates and they stopped
retreating
 One Confederate commander yelled, “There is Jackson standing like a
stone wall!”
 From then on, the general was known as “Stonewall” Jackson
 Union troops retreated when Confederate reinforcements arrived
 The first battle of the war was over and the South had won

20. The Henry House, as it appeared soon after the First Battle of Bull Run

21. The Stone House, March 1862.
Served as hospital following the battle.

22. Results of Bull RunResults of Bull Run
 Lincoln initially thought that a force of 75,000 men
would be needed for a period of three months
 After Bull Run, Lincoln approved the enlistment of
500,000 men for three years
 Both the north and the south instituted a draft to raise
the necessary troops

24. Naval WarNaval War
 Lincoln’s goal was to blockade all Southern ports
 By the spring of 1862, all but two Confederate ports
were sealed off
 The South used “blockade runners”
 Small fast ships that smuggled goods
 The Confederacy used warships operating out of
foreign ports to attack Northern merchant ships

25. War in the WestWar in the West
 Union General Ulysses S. Grant began a campaign to
seize control of the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers
 Control would give Union forces a river route into
Confederate territory
 Grant seized Fort Henry and Fort Donelson giving him
control of all of Kentucky and Western Tennessee

26. War in the WestWar in the West
 Shiloh
 Grant’s forces were camped out near a small church
named Shiloh, outside Corinth, Mississippi
 On April 6, 1862, Confederate forces launched a
surprise attack
 Grant was extremely aggressive on the second day of
the battle and forced the Confederates to retreat
 20,000 troops were killed or wounded
 Newspapers demanded Grant be fired for high
casualties
 Lincoln said, “I can’t spare this man; he fights.”

27. Battle of Shiloh

29. War in the EastWar in the East
 Eastern Union forces were lead by General
George B. McClellan
 Took over after General Irwin McDowell’s defeat at Bull Run
 Peninsula Campaign
 McClellan took his forces up the James River, southeast of
Yorktown, Virginia
 McClellan made some tactical errors and lost a battle outside of
Richmond
 The Confederate commander was wounded in the fighting and
was replaced by General Robert E. Lee

30. McClellan's Peninsula Campaign

31. War in the EastWar in the East
 Seven Day’s Battle
 McClellan was attacked by Lee on the
Peninsula
 Lee forced McClellan to retreat all the way to
the sea
 Lincoln ordered McClellan to evacuate the
peninsula and return to Washington
 Over 30,000 casualties in the seven days of
fighting

33. The Second Battle of Bull RunThe Second Battle of Bull Run
 Lee attacked the Union forces defending Washington D.C.
 The majority of the fighting took place at the same Bull Run
creek
 Again, Confederate forces prevailed and Lee had entered
Union territory
 Confederate forces were only 20 miles from D.C.

35. AntietamAntietam
 Lee thought that only an invasion would convince the north
to recognize the Confederacy’s independence
 Lee’s troops congregated near Sharpsville, Maryland
 McClellan’s troops gathered near Antietam Creek, east of
Lee
 McClellan attacked on Sept. 17, 1862
 The bloodiest day in American History
 8,000 dead
 23,000 wounded

36. AntietamAntietam
 Lee’s retreat made Britain rethink its recognition
of the Confederacy
 McClellan could have chased Lee and destroyed
his entire army, but was too cautious
 Lincoln was disappointed with McClellan’s performance
and fired him
 General Ambrose Burnside replaced McClellan
 Antietam convinced Lincoln to end slavery

39. Battlefield PhotographsBattlefield Photographs
 Alexander Gardner took 70 photographs of the
battlefield starting just two days after the battle. This
was the first time an American battlefield had ever
been photographed before the dead had been buried.
Gardner returned in early October when President
Lincoln visited General George McClellan and the
Army of the Potomac and took another series of
images. Gardner, 41 years old at the time of the battle,
was employed by Mathew Brady who owned of a
photography gallery in Washington, D.C. during the
Civil War.

41. Cumberland Landing, Va. Federal encampment

42. Falmouth, Va. Drum corps of 61st New York Infantry

43. Richmond, Va., vicinity. Engineers building corduroy road

44. Antietam, Md.
President Lincoln and
Gen. George B. McClellan
in the general's tent.

45. Antietam, Md.
Allan Pinkerton,
President Lincoln, and
Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand

48. Antietam, Md. Confederate dead by a fence on the Hagerstown road

49. Confederate dead on the east side of the Hagerstown Pike,
with the photographer looking toward the Dunker Church

50. Antietam, Md. Battlefield on the day of the battle

51. The litter of battle is clearly seen in this image taken just south of the Cornfield
looking west. It was time for the burial crew, pictured here, to take over.

52. Confederate dead gathered for burial

53. EmancipationEmancipation
 Northerners called for and end to slavery
 To punish the South
 To make the soldier’s sacrifice worthwhile
 Lincoln issued a Proclamation on September 22, 1862
 All slavery would be abolished in states at war with the
Union after January 1, 1863
 Did not free slaves in the border states
 Used as a threat to the Confederate States
 Transformed the entire purpose of the war

55. VicksburgVicksburg
 The last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River
 "See what a lot of land these fellows hold, of which Vicksburg is
the key, the war can never be brought to a close until that key is in
our pocket." -Lincoln
 A victory here could cut the south in two
 Attack from the north was not possible
 Forests and swamps prevented it
 Grant planned to cross the Mississippi River, march south, re-
cross and attack the city from the south
 Once Grant had re-crossed the river, he marched his troops 180
miles in 17 days
 5 battles were fought on the way back to Vicksburg
 7,200 Confederate casualties

56. VicksburgVicksburg (cont.)(cont.)
 May, 1863: Grant launched two major attacks on
Vicksburg
 City’s defenses pushed both attacks back
 Grant suffered high casualties
 Grant decided that the only way to defeat Vicksburg
was to put it under siege
 Cut off all food supplies into the city
 Constant artillery bombardment
 On July 4, 1863, the Confederates surrendered
Vicksburg
 The Confederacy was cut in two and its eventual
defeat was inevitable

57. Fredericksburg and ChancellorsvilleFredericksburg and Chancellorsville
 Lincoln ordered Burnside to push into the south and
destroy Lee’s army
 On December 13, 1862 Burnside attacked Lee’s army
outside Fredericksburg, Virginia
 Lee’s army was entrenched in the woods
 Union troops suffered over 12,000 casualties, twice as
many as the Confederates
 Lincoln was upset, he fired Burnside and replaced him
with General Joseph Hooker

59. Fredericksburg and ChancellorsvilleFredericksburg and Chancellorsville
(cont.)(cont.)
 Hooker split his army
 Left most of the troop at Fredericksburg to keep Lee’s troops
occupied
 Took a small force west in the hopes to circle around Lee and attack
him from the rear
 Lee figured out Hooker’s plan and divided his forces as well
 Left a very small number of troops at Fredericksburg
 Took the majority of his army to cut off Hooker’s attack
 On May 2, 1863 Lee attacked Hooker’s forces outside
Chancellorsville
 Lee was outnumbered two to one
 Lee aggressively split his troops and defeated the Union forces
 Hooker retreated on May 5

60. Chancellorsville Day 1

61. Chancellorsville Day 2

62. GettysburgGettysburg
 Lee made one last attempt to invade the north
 In June 1863, Lee moved his forces into Virginia and pillaged the
countryside
 Hooker was unable to stop Lee’s advanced and Lincoln fired him
 Replaced with General George Meade
 Lee sent troops into the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in search of
shoes for the troops
 When the Confederates entered the town, they encountered Union
Calvary
 A small division of Confederated pushed the Union forces out of the
city and into the surrounding hills
 Both sides sent the largest army they could muster to Gettysburg

65. GettysburgGettysburg (cont.)(cont.)
 A pivotal battle
 Involved more than 160,000 combatants from both sides
 Three days of fighting, July 1-3, 1863
 51,000 casualties, the greatest number of any Civil War
battle
 The South's last attempt at a full-scale invasion of the North

66. GettysburgGettysburg (cont.)(cont.)
 General Robert E. Lee’s goals
 Gain European support for the South
 Turn the attention of Union armies away from
Confederate territory
 Find provisions for his army
 Lee’s defeat made Gettysburg the turning point in the
eastern theater of the war
 The Confederate army could no longer sustain an
offensive

68. Gettysburg, Pa.
on Little Round Top; Round Top in distance

69. Gettysburg, Pa. View of Little Round Top

70. Gettysburg, Pa. Dead Confederate soldiers in "the devil's den"

71. Gettysburg, Pa. Dead Confederate soldier in Devil's Den

72. Gettysburg, Pa. Four dead soldiers in the woods near Little Round Top

73. Gettysburg, Pa. Dead Confederate soldiers in the "slaughter pen"
at the foot of Little Round Top

74. Gettysburg, Pa. The battlefield viewed from Little Round Top

75. Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, Trostle House

76. Diary of Private Elisha Hunt Rhodes,Diary of Private Elisha Hunt Rhodes,
2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, U.S.A.2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, U.S.A.
July 4th 1863--Was ever the Nation's Birthday
celebrated in such a way before? This morning
the 2nd R.I. was sent out to the front and
found that during the night General Lee and
his Rebel Army had fallen back. It was
impossible to march across the field without
stepping upon dead or wounded men, while
horses and broken Artillery lay on every side.

78. Grant vs. LeeGrant vs. Lee
 President Lincoln rewarded Ulysses S.
Grant’s success in the west with overall
command of all Union forces in the spring of
1864
 Grant promised to march south and attack
Lee’s forces whenever and wherever he could
 Warfare now continued without pause for re-
supply and reinforcements

79. Sherman’s March to the SeaSherman’s March to the Sea
 General Sherman marched his troops from Atlanta,
Georgia to Savannah on the coast
 He destroyed everything in his path
 His goal was to “make old and young, rich and poor,
feel the hand of war”
 Felt that all people in the south should be punished for
the war
 If all people in the south were demoralized, they would
call for an end to the war

80. Sherman’s March on Atlanta

81. You cannot qualify war in harsher terms
than I will. War is cruelty, and you
cannot refine it; and those who brought
war into our country deserve all the
curses and maledictions a people can
pour out.
--William Tecumseh Sherman
Letter to the city of Atlanta, 1864

83. Election of 1864Election of 1864
 Democrats nominated George McClellan
 Lincoln won 55% of the vote
 Interpreted it as a mandate to end slavery
 On January 13, 1865, with Lincoln’s help, the
thirteenth amendment to the Constitution was passed
by Congress
 Banned slavery in the United States

84. SurrenderSurrender
 Lee’s forces were surrounded near the Appomattox
Courthouse in Virginia
 “There is nothing left for me to do but go and see General
Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths.” –General
Robert E. Lee
 Lee surrendered at the courthouse on April 9, 1865

86. United States War Deaths

87. Lincoln is AssassinatedLincoln is Assassinated
 Lincoln’s plans to incorporate African Americans into
the new Southern governments made him many
enemies
 On April 14, 1865, Lincoln went to the Ford’s Theater
with his wife
 During the third act of the play, John Wilkes Booth
snuck up behind Lincoln and shot him in the head

88. Aftermath of the WarAftermath of the War
 The south was economically devastated
 Bringing the southern states back into the Union will
be a challenge
 What will be the status of the millions of freed slaves?
 The post Civil War era is known as “Reconstruction”