Maten Al León

THE CIVIL WAR



A BROTHER’S WAR


• 620,000 people died
• More people died in the Civil War than all other wars combined
• Example of Brother’s War --- Henry Clay (Kentucky)
3 grandson’s fought for the union & 4 for the Confederacy




FORT SUMTER MARCH 1861


• Located on an island at the entrance to Charleston harbor (South Carolina)
• Commander was RobertAnderson
• The South wanted the U.S. to evacuate the fort
• Lincoln decided to hold the fort
• On April 9, 1861, the Confederate cabinet made a fateful decision to attack Fort Sumter. Davis ordered Beauregard to demand the Fort’s surrender
• Anderson refused to surrender
• On April 12, 1861, Confederates opened fire. Edmund Ruffin fired the first shot
• Outmanned & outgunned, the Uniongarrison surrendered after 34 hours of bombardment that destroyed large portions of the Fort
• Casualties----- No one on either side was killed
• The war had begun
• It was the start that would kill at least 620,000 lives
• War fever swept the North & the South
• The bombardment of Sumter united a divided North. Stephen Douglas rose from his sick bed to call on Lincoln to assure him ofDemocratic support for a war to preserve the Union. He stated “there can be no neutrals in this war, only patriots or traitors.”






BALANCE SHEET OF THE WAR



• Union had 3 ½ times as many white men of military age 2.1 million to 800 thousand
• Just over 50% of men of military age from the North served
• Just over 75% of men of military age from the South served
• April1861----The Confederate Congress passed legislation making able bodied white males aged 18 –35 (later 50) liable to conscription for 3 years of service. The law exempted persons in several war-production occupations --- civil servants, clergymen, teachers. Also, drafted men could hire substitutes (A$6,000 in Confederate money or $300 in gold). It was “a rich man’s war but a poor man’s fight.” Over70,000 men hired substitutes
• North possessed 90% of nation’s industrial capability
• 11 times as many ships & boats as the South; 15 times as much iron; 17 times as many textile goods; 24 times as many locomotives; 32 times as many firearms
• Food production--- 2 to 1 in favor of the North


MOBILIZING FOR WAR

• 1/3 of the army’s officers were resigning to join the Confederacy
•On May 3, the President (Lincoln) called for 42,000 three year volunteers


ARMY ORGANIZATION



• Basic unit was the regiment; 3 combat arms were the infantry, artillery, & cavalry
• Infantry was the backbone of both armies. The Union raised the equivalent of 2,047 regiments, 1696 infantry, 272 cavalry, & 78 artillery
• Each of the 10 companies in an infantry regiment had an officialstrength of 82 privates, 13 sergeants & corporals, 2 lieutenants, 1 captain. The regiment was commanded by a colonel, with a lieutenant colonel & majors as 2nd & 3rd in command
• Official strength of an infantry regiment was about 1,000 men



GENERALS


• Majority of generals on both sides came from civilian life
• 583 attained the rank of general in the Union army ( Only 194-33%were in the regular army when the war began
• In the Confederate army 125 of the 425 generals came from the regular army; 16% (69) had attended a military academy


WAR AIMS


• To win, the Confederacy did not need to invade the North or to destroy its armies; they needed only to stand on the defensive & to prevent the North from destroying the Southern armies
• To win the war, the Northhad to invade, conquer, & destroy the South’s capacity & will to resist. Invasion & conquest are logistically far more difficult than to defend one’s territory
• South---- Home field advantage


GEOGRAPHY


• The Confederacy covered a large territory--- 750,000 square miles
• The South was laced with obscure country roads not marked on any map. Only local knowledge could guide troops...