Who is fighting in the Civil War?
What are they fighting over?
Section 1: The South Secedes and the War Begins
If YOU were there...
You are a college student in Charleston in early 1861. Seven southern states have left the Union and formed their own government. A war seems like it is unavoidable. Your friends have begun to volunteer for either the Union or the Confederate forces. You are torn between loyalty to your home state and to the United States.
Would you join the Union or the
Confederate Army?
You are a college student in Charleston in early 1861. Seven southern states have left the Union and formed their own government. A war seems like it is unavoidable. Your friends have begun to volunteer for either the Union or the Confederate forces. You are torn between loyalty to your home state and to the United States.
Would you join the Union or the
Confederate Army?
Building Background: The divisions within the United States reached a breaking point with the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Several southern states angrily left the Union to form a new confederation. States such as Virginia and Kentucky were divided because they were located between the North and the South. The question now was whether the United States could survive as a split country.
The South Secedes
People in the South believed their way of life would be destroyed without slavery. They reacted immediately. One week after Lincoln was elected, South Carolina’s legislature called for a special meeting. Many men at this meeting wanted to secede from the rest of the country. Some people thought this was a bad idea. They said that secession was against the law and could cause a war.
While the South Carolina representatives were meeting to discuss secession, Congress was trying to come up with a plan to save the Union and prevent secession. Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky proposed a plan to amend, or change, the constitution in order to protect slavery and avoid a civil war. Lincoln disagreed with Crittenden’s plan. He did not want to compromise on slavery. They voted on Crittenden’s plan and every Republican rejected it because Lincoln told them to.
While the South Carolina representatives were meeting to discuss secession, Congress was trying to come up with a plan to save the Union and prevent secession. Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky proposed a plan to amend, or change, the constitution in order to protect slavery and avoid a civil war. Lincoln disagreed with Crittenden’s plan. He did not want to compromise on slavery. They voted on Crittenden’s plan and every Republican rejected it because Lincoln told them to.
The Confederate States of America
South Carolina voted and left the union on December 20th, 1860. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas joined South Carolina. They formed the Confederate States of America, also called the Confederacy. Its new constitution guaranteed citizens the right to own slaves. Jefferson Davis from Mississippi was elected as president of the Confederacy even though he was more interested in being a general in the army.
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Lincoln Takes Office
President Lincoln was inaugurated, or took office, on March 4th, 1861. When he wrote his speech, he looked to many of the nation’s older documents, like the Declaration of Independence. He said that the South had the right to amend the constitution if they disagreed with the way the country was being run. While he believed that U.S. citizens had the power to change their government, he opposed the idea that southern states could leave the Union because they were unhappy with the government’s position on slavery. He hoped that southern states would return to the Union in time so that they could avoid a war.
Americans Choose Sides
Seven southern states had seceded because they were angry at Lincoln’s election, but Lincoln was desperate to save the Union. In his inaugural address, or speech to the country, Lincoln promised not to end slavery. He tried to calm southerner’s fears. However, Lincoln also stated that he wanted to save the Union. He believed that saving the Union would save democracy. If the Union and its democratic government failed, then monarchs or kings could say that people were unable to rule themselves. Lincoln would not admit that the South had seceded and he stated that the Union was “unbroken.”
In fact, the Union was badly broken. Everyone was heated, afraid, and excited to take action. In this kind of atmosphere, it would take only a spark to start the war. In 1861, that spark occurred at Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter was a federal post in Charleston, South Carolina, and it was attacked by Confederate troops. This battle started the Civil War. Lincoln defended Fort Sumter with troops and supplies, but a Confederate commander, Major Robert Anderson, refused to leave. Before sunrise on April 12th, 1861, the first gun shots woke every soldier and citizen up. After 34 hours of cannon blasts, Fort Sumter and the Union troops surrendered. Lincoln lost hope for saving the Union.
In fact, the Union was badly broken. Everyone was heated, afraid, and excited to take action. In this kind of atmosphere, it would take only a spark to start the war. In 1861, that spark occurred at Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter was a federal post in Charleston, South Carolina, and it was attacked by Confederate troops. This battle started the Civil War. Lincoln defended Fort Sumter with troops and supplies, but a Confederate commander, Major Robert Anderson, refused to leave. Before sunrise on April 12th, 1861, the first gun shots woke every soldier and citizen up. After 34 hours of cannon blasts, Fort Sumter and the Union troops surrendered. Lincoln lost hope for saving the Union.
Reaction to Lincoln's Call
The North was stunned that they lost Fort Sumter to the southern Confederacy. Lincoln asked for 75,000 militiamen from the North to stop the rebellion. States now had to choose: Would they secede with the Confederate South, or would they stay with the Union in the North? Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine volunteered militiamen to support the North. North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Arkansas seceded with the South.
Wedged between the North and the South were the key border states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri- slave states that did not join the Confederacy. People in the border states were deeply divided on the war. Lincoln sent federal troops into the border states to help keep them in the Union. He also sent soldiers into western Virginia, where Union loyalties were strong. West Virginia set up its own state government in 1863.
Wedged between the North and the South were the key border states of Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri- slave states that did not join the Confederacy. People in the border states were deeply divided on the war. Lincoln sent federal troops into the border states to help keep them in the Union. He also sent soldiers into western Virginia, where Union loyalties were strong. West Virginia set up its own state government in 1863.
Preparing for War
The North and the South now rushed to war. Neither side was prepared for the tragedy to come.
Volunteer Armies
Volunteer militias are what created this country, and they were ready to support the Union in battles now. At the start of the Civil War, the Union army only had 16,000 soldiers, but within months there were a half million. Southern men also rose up to defend their land and their ways of life.
Helping the Troops
Civilians on both sides helped soldiers. They raised money, provided aid for soldiers and their families, and ran emergency hospitals. Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a licence to practice medicine, organized a group that pressured President Lincoln to form the U.S. Sanitary Commission in June 1861. This group was able to send bandages, medicines, and food to Union army camps and hospitals. Around 3,000 women served as nurses in the Union army.
Training the Soldiers
Both the Union and Confederate armies faced shortages of clothing, food, and rifles. Most troops did not have uniforms so they wore their own clothes. Eventually, each side chose a color for their uniforms. The Union chose blue and the Confederates wore grey.
The problem with volunteers was that many of them had no idea how to fight. School teachers, farmers, and laborers all had to learn the combat basics of marching, shooting, and using bayonets (sword at the end of a rifle). Many young soldiers were excited to fight because they wanted the glory and action. They would not have to wait long. Discipline and drill were used to turn volunteers into well-trained soldiers. During a battle, the success of a group of soldiers depended on their discipline - how well they responded to orders.
The problem with volunteers was that many of them had no idea how to fight. School teachers, farmers, and laborers all had to learn the combat basics of marching, shooting, and using bayonets (sword at the end of a rifle). Many young soldiers were excited to fight because they wanted the glory and action. They would not have to wait long. Discipline and drill were used to turn volunteers into well-trained soldiers. During a battle, the success of a group of soldiers depended on their discipline - how well they responded to orders.
Summary and Preview: As citizens chose sides in the Civil War, civilians and soldiers became involved in the war effort. In the next section you will learn about some battles and groups of people in the war.