II- The civil war (secession war)

Started in April 1861 and that ended in April 1865, in between we have 4y of battles, killing,
bloody battle.

a) What led to the civil war ?

The election of the new president Abraham Lincoln in November 1860, those elections were
unusual, there were 4 candidates: A. Lincoln (republican: new party), Stephen Douglas
(democratic) & two others.
The fact that there were 4 candidates meant a division in the country and that Lincoln did not get an
absolute majority (39%). The southern states saw him as a threat because his party had adopted in
1854 a program which was against slavery. Lincoln’s opinion on slavery as a future president (the
lame duck period ended in March) is that black people have a right to their freedom and have to be
paid for the jobs they had. He was in favour of containment of slavery were it existed (in the south -
he think that slavery would be existned itself), the slave trade is already finish but they keep on
doing it (illegal); On a personal level slavery was not a good thing but he never believed that black
and white could live together on therms of social & political equality. He was born at the beginning
of the 19th, he was not a modern 19th man. His election was seen as a threat by the southern state.
Some people said the civil war is a 2nd american revolution that saw 2 diff society fighting one
another.

One on hand we have the south which is a rural society, a conservative society with many poor
whites who struggled to live but also big plantation (tobacco and swish to cotton and have slaves).
The plantation owner are powerful people and there are looking at the past w nostalgia (still control
by the french - values like honour, chivalry, gallantry, duels) and another part of USA the north is
an industrial part, a business oriented part and its is looking at the future not at the past: it is a part
were the idea of abolitionist of slavery is making progress and not at all in the south, it led to
misunderstanding and to hatred btw both parts = this atmo started a war.

The southern states started leaving the union, the election of Lincoln was a prblm for them: their
social, economic, political and cultural ways of life were going to be put into question. They
thought if they want to protect this they have to leave the union. The first state was South Carolina
which left in December 1860 thought an “ordinance of secession” would end the term of session
war. Lincoln can not do anything the wanted (lame duck period), the signature at the bottom of
constitution is no longer valid. They called others to join them, by february 1861, 6 others states had
joined them (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas): they declared themselves
out of the constitution by a “ordinance of secession” too. They met in Alabama in Montgomery and
adopted a constitution, they created their own for “the confederate state of America'', and created a
new country and called it “the Confederacy” and they elected their president Jefferson Davis on 9
feb 1861. They also had a vice president, Alexander Stephens and copied USA’s system. They
created their own money, army, flag, uniforms… There were afforded a feb 1861 conference and
Lincoln entered the white house in March 1861 and made the inaugural address and not aggressive
to the south (they can come back) and insisted he had no intention of interfering w slavery in the
state it existed. He would defend one thing as the president insisted that the union of the state is
perpetual and he promised to hold occupied and possessed areas belonging to the federal
government. He also said that the federal army would use force only if it was attacked, not going to
attack. The end of the speech is an appeal to friendship (not enemy but friend talking to the south).
Things had gone so far and hatred so strong that war could not be avoided. It came from the
confederacy besieged Fort Sumter, a federal Fort (south carolina) in april 1861. Lincoln sent
surprise but in the provision decent they were just fuld and clothing (no guns, no munitions), a
gesture of peace. However the confederacy attacked the Fort and the Fort had to sumber on 12 april
1861, the confederacy took the Fort and it is federal property so now Lincoln had to act: it was war.
The following day there were on both sides proclamation of war and calling to volunteers to join the
army, many men went to join. Lincoln ordered something important, a naval blockade of the south
(prblm, a tremendous handicap of the south → the south can no longer import or export goods from
Europe). The confederacy got other states: Alkanso, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia. On the
confederacy side we have 11 states they represent 5.4 millions white people and 4 millions slaves
and then the union have the border state who are slaves but they stated with the union among them
we have Kentucky, Missouri and Maryland (important bc Washington DC - capital city of USA 23
states with 22 millions people they only have 300 000 thousand slaves = huge diff).

The North has 4 times more inhabitants than the South.

Advantages for the North :

• its higher population + immigration since they were not affected by the blockade.
• The North was producing most of the country's shoes, clothing, 97% of the weapons and
ammunitions, they had most of the railway lines and wagons.
• Most of the mechanics were in the North. The shipping companies and financial resources
were in the north.
• In the Great Plains, they increased their farming production to have no problem of food.
Whereas the South was starving.

Why did the war last 4 years ?

They didn't have many experienced military leaders. The first leaders killed too many soldiers and
made bad decisions. It is only in March 1864 that Abraham Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as
General in Chief of the Union Army.

The disadvantages of the South :

• Less populated, lack of soldiers. They mobilised 80% of the South's white male population.
30% of them died.
• The industry doesn't exist, it's a rural area. Before the war, they only produced 7% of the
country's goods. They produced and exported cotton to Europe, but now the blockade
prevents them from trading with Europe.
• Transport : they had some railway lines, but as the war went on, the lines were destroyed
and they couldn't repair them. There were fewer and fewer horses.

The 3 advantages of the South :

• Geography : most of the fighting took place in the South, where they knew the ground and
how to take advantage of it.
• The South had experienced military officers, because they were constantly training in case
of an Indian insurrection or a Black insurrection. There was a tradition in the South for
young men to go to Westpoint military academy to become an officer and have a prestigious
military career.
• They wanted to win and to defend the Confederacy, and they knew the war was about their
survival and the survival of their way of life. Their soldiers were very tenacious.

Focus on both armies :

The Union Army :

They wore dark blue tunics and light blue trousers. They had many volunteers, and ethnic regiments
due to immigration (Scandinavian regiment, Scottish regiment, French regiment 55th NY infantry).
They also turned to conscription or draft as soon as middle 1863.

The Confederate Army :

Wore grey uniforms. They rapidly had to turn to conscription, in April 1862. They started drafting
men from 18 to 35. But at the end of the war, they drafted men from 17 to 50.

Black people during the war :

In the North, the question was to free all black people or not. Some people were in favour of
complete emancipation and social integration of Black people in the American society. Some
people said they should prohibit slavery in the territories and the new States, but slavery is
contained in the South (Lincoln's opinion).
A problem appeared as the war went on. What do Union soldiers do with the black slaves they had
in their camps ? They used the help of the Black people to build fortifications.

Slavery was gradually abolished. Abolition started in the District of Columbia in April 1862. It was
abolished in all the territories in June 1862. Lincoln then chose emancipation, because the Union
troops needed a morale boost, and public opinion became in favour of emancipation.
The Emancipation Proclamation became valid in January 1863. It said that all the slaves in the
Confederate States now were free.
The Confederacy said "fuck you Abraham you loser you're not our President"
9 out of 10 slaves are still slaves in America.
But the Emancipation Proclamation also said that black people in the Union could become soldiers
in all-black units led by white officers. These black soldiers were trained and sent to combat with
old weapons and equipment. They proved they were very good soldiers, despite meeting racism
from some white soldiers, some white people came to respect them because they fought well. About
200.000 black soldiers served in the Union army, and 38.000 of them died.

Foreign countries in the Civil War :

They felt inclined to support the South, because they depended from Southern cotton for their
textile industries : in Lancashire in the UK, and in Normandy in France.
But the blockade created a cotton famine in Europe, and they had to turn to other sources. UK
started cultivating cotton in India.

Europe needed wheat, which came from the Union. It was cultivated in the Great Plains. France and
GB stayed neutral in the conflict. They recognized Confederacy as a place at war where they was a
problem.

The military operations :

3 fronts :
• The Eastern Front : both sides tried to capture the capital city of the other. The Union capital
was Washington D.C., and the Confederate capital was Richmond. Two bloody battles took
place there : the battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862, a defeat for the North. The
battle of Gettisburg in July 1863, where the South was defeated, and where Lincoln made
his speech.
• The Southern Front : rapidly controlled by the Union when they captured New Orleans and
gained control of the Mississippi river, essential to transport goods and soldiers.
• The Western Front : Union troops captured Atlanta, but they burnt the city down. Lincoln
 had agreed on using the "scorched earth" policy. General Sherman progressed in the South,
destroying everything on their path. In December 64, they reached Savannah and started
moving North along the coast to join other Union troops.
In the South, the soldiers are exhausted and some are starving. The Confederate General in Chief
Robert Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant on the 9th April 1865. The other general surrendered to
Sherman on the 18th April 1865.
The confederate president Jefferson Davis was captured in May, and the rest of the troops
surrendered.
Lincoln didn't live to see this victory, because on the 14th April 1865, he was murdered in
Washington by a Southern man named John Wilkes Booth. The vice president, Andrew Johnson,
took over. He was a man from the South, and Lincoln chose him as VP in order to maintain
friendship after the war.