5.8 - Explain the various factors that contributed to the Union victory in the Civil War.

5.9 - Explain how Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War impacted American ideals over the
course of the war.

5.8:
The Battle of Appomattox ended in the surrender of Robert Lee’s army to Ulysses Grant at
Appomattox Court House. The Civil War was considered a total war because it involved every
aspect of society. The South counted on support from Britain due to their cotton production,
but Britain turned to Egypt and India for cotton instead. The North was outfitted with the
Anaconda Plan, which was to block the South’s access to its ports- and thus trade - through
naval blockades.
The North had a greater number of free whites than the South, as well as better economy. The
South, however, had the advantage of starting the war with the strong military leadership of
Robert Lee. But the South was forced to depend on the outside world for resources due to its
weakness of industrial base. The following wars proved to be important turning points,
especially as a positive for the North: Antietam (1862), which led to the Emancipation
Proclamation; Gettysburg (1863), which led to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address; Vicksburg
(1863), in which the Union gained control of the Mississippi, and during which General Grant
was promoted; Atlanta (1864), a victory that led to the re-election of Lincoln; and Sherman’s
March (1864), during which a scorched-earth tactic was implemented.

5.9:
Drafting was introduced, causing outrage among those who disagreed with the war and those
who were against being forced to fight. The Copperheads/Peace Democrats were a Northern
group that was opposed to the war, and New York Draft Riots erupted in response to the
conscription. Bread Riots in the South were the result of a lack of supplies and much-needed
food. During the election, Lincoln narrowly beat the Democratic candidate, former General
George B. McClellan, who used and manipulated the opposition to Lincoln’s aggressive
tactics to the length of the war, to the draft, and to fighting for African Americans. Lincoln
declared martial law - military rule - and suspended habeas corpus - the right to have a trial
and know the charge - in order to keep the border states in the Union. Missouri, Kentucky,
Delaware, and Maryland remained loyal to the Union despite being slave states. The
Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in areas of rebellion, but it didn’t apply to the border
states, as it was partially another tactic to keep a grip on their loyalty. Slaves that ran away to
join the Union could, in essence, free themselves, and this also led to the African Americans
in the Union Army, such as the 54th Massachusetts.