Sherman's March to the Sea

To try to end the war and severely weaken the Confederates, Sherman ordered a march throughout the south, destroying land, and anything that could aid the Confederates during war.  Starting in Atlanta, Sherman and over 50,00 soldiers marched through Georgia burning buildings, homes, and land.  The soldiers took a major risk joining this march because they were not ensured food or shelter.  When soldiers passed homes or farms, they would take food and any necessities; and the owners had no choice but to hand it over.  The Union's main goal/ reasoning for doing this was to scare the south, to show them total war.  This march ended in Savannah, Georgia where the city surrendered before there was any major fighting.  Sherman left Atlanta in ruins bringing down the civilians pride and moral.

Sherman and his soldiers.
Sherman's March to the Sea. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 4 Feb 2014. <http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/grimsley1/dialogue/postcolonialism/war/war_is_hell.JPG>.

Sherman's Atlanta Campaign

The Atlanta Campaign was setup to help accomplish many goals for the Union army.  First, capturing Atlanta would boost the Union's pride and moral, and would also bring the Confederate army down because Atlanta was a city that Georgia idolized.  Lincoln also needed an ensured election because even northerners were starting to doubt Lincoln because they were so tired of war and just wanted it to end.  Sherman was asked to lead this campaign, and the first thing he told the citizens of Atlanta to do was to evacuate.  He did this because he knew Atlanta would be turned into a supply hub and that it was not a place for families; as well as the fact that he didn’t want the citizens to ruin his military plans.

Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 3 Feb 2014. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/Atlanta_campaign.svg/900px-Atlanta_campaign.svg.png>.

Andersonville

Andersonville was the Confederate prison camp where they help captured Union soldiers.  It was one of the largest and worst prison camps during the Civil war.  The Confederate army was suffering from lack of supplies already, so the prisoners suffered to the extreme.  There was a limited amount of food for the soldiers, so the rations of food and water for the prisoners was very small until a miracle happened.  There was one small creek running through the middle of the camp that was used for just about everything; during a big thunderstorm, lightning struck the creek and it seemed like there was a fountain with endless, clean water.  Many died everyday but the clean water saved many lives.  As prisoners entered the camp they were told they had to build their own shelter with whatever they could find, as well as a couple of guidelines/ rules.  Most important of the rules was to not pass the dead line, if you crossed if with even a finger, a guard would shoot you, therefore giving it the name dead line.  Many guards would torture the starving Union soldiers by placing food right outside the dead line to taunt as if they were animals.  Andersonville was a very cruel place that created controversy throughout even the southern states.  

The Dead Line in the Andersonville prison camp.
Dead Line in Andersonville. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 3 Feb 2014. <http://www.civilwar.org/education/assets/images/prisoners_web.jpg>.

Chattanooga, Chickamauga, and the Union Blockade of GA's coast

The battles of Chattanooga and Chickamauga were very important events/ battles in Georgia; the Union army came down south where hey ended up trapper in Chattanooga.  The Union army was able to open a supply line and kept traveling south to Chickamauga.  The Union army had enough confidence from conquering Chattanooga that they decided to go down to Chickamauga where one of the first major battles in Georgia took place.  The Union army lost the battle and ended up retreating back up north towards Chattanooga.

Battle of Chickamauga
Battle of Chickamauga. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 2 Feb 2014. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Chickamauga.jpg>.

The Union had a very intelligent battle plan that would cut off the Confederate army; they decided to blockade Georgia's coast.  This meant cutting off supplies coming through Savannah, which was a major port.  The south still managed to import and export a limited amount of supplies with the help of smaller ships.  This gave a major advantage to the Union army and was a crucial step in winning the war for the north.

Union Blockade of Georgia's Coast
Union Blockade of Georgia's Coast. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 2 Feb 2014. <http://pascocemeteries.org/brooksville_bayport_raid_11.jpg>.

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg

The Emancipation Proclamation was a Proclamation that Abraham Lincoln wrote, that completely changed the war.  In this Proclamation, he stated that all slaves in the rebelling states would be free.  Since those rebelling states were frighting to become an entirely different country, Abraham Lincoln could not just simply tell them what to do.  Before the Proclamation was put in place, the main war issues was to try and keep the Union together, after it was put in place though, one of the bigger war issues was concerning slavery. 

Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 29 Jan 2014. <http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Images/proclamation.jpg>.

Gettysburg was one if not the most important battles in the Civil War, this battle lasted 3 days, and more soldiers were killed than in any other battle.  The rebels traveled into enemy territory hoping to surprise the Union army and call for peace.  They were hoping to do this by either capturing a huge northern city, or to destroy part of the Union army.  The Confederate Army ended up retreating back to Virginia, leaving the Union with a victory title. 

Gettysburg
Gettysburg. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 29 Jan 2014. <http://capitolbadgers.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/gettysburg.jpg>.

Antietam

Antietam is known as the bloodiest one day battle in the Civil War.  Over 22,000 men were killed in battle.  This battle was more of a way to prove the Confederate's power to possible countries overseas in return for support.  General Lee gave orders to invade in the north, and did so, one to prove how strong his army was, and two, because he believed he had enough confidence to win.  Plans completely changed when a Confederate Soldier dropped the battle plans, later picked up by a Union soldier.  When the Confederate army was getting ready for action, the Union army was ready and waiting.

Antietam Battlefield

Antietam Battlefield . N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 26 Jan 2014. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Battle_of_Antietam.png>.

Confederate/ Union strengths and weaknesses, First Battles- Ft. Sumpter/Bull Run

Confederate Strengths: 

The Confederate Army was fighting defensively, meaning all they had to do was defend their "territory"; they also knew the land they were fighting on.  They had amazing generals with great battle plans.  The rebels were very resourceful and had to use crops that they grew in the south.

Confederate Weaknesses:

The Confederate army had a smaller army than the Union which caused them to have to be more careful with each battle.  They were also not as up to date technology wise as the Union was, meaning they did not have a fast way of spreading news, or transporting soldiers to the front line.  Finally, the south was not the industrial part of the country, meaning that once the war started all supplies imported from the south stopped, and they were left with what they already had.

Union Strengths: 

The north was the industrial part of the country which was a huge help to winning the war.  The north stayed up to date with technology using the telegraph and railroads.  The Union army was almost double the size of the Confederate Army, and controlled the Union.

Union Weaknesses:

The Union army was fighting in enemy territory and on the offensive side, meaning they not only had to fight against the rebels, but also had to capture and take over them.  They also had bad generals with terrible battle plans.

Comparisons
Comparisons. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 21 Jan 2014. <http://www.kalmus.dk/civilwar/wzpic/Illll.JPG>.

Ft. Sumpter:

When South Carolina seceded from the Union, the Federal government was still in control of Ft. Sumpter, located in the Charleston, SC bay.  This made them very upset and caused major conflict.  The Federal Government refused to move out, leading to the first shots fired in the Civil War.

Bull Run: 

Bull Run was the first battle of the Civil War.  Both the Union and the Confederate army went into the battle thinking that the war would only last a few battles and that the other side would surrender, they both also had a lot of confidence.  The Union army almost had a victory at the battle of Bull Run, or Manassas until Confederate reinforcements showed up and saved the day for the south.

Secession in Georgia and Alexander Stephen's Role

Alexander Stephens was a politician in Georgia as well as the Vice President of the Confederacy.  At first he agreed that secession was not the right thing to do, with a few exceptions.  He believed that the Compromise of 1850 was acceptable as long as the Fugitive Slave Act was strong and in place.  Cotton was a major cash crop in the south, and the confederacy believed they needed slaves to care for it.  Slavery is a primary reason that states seceded from the Union, including Georgia.  Alexander Stephens made the final decision that Georgia would secede from the Union even though Georgia's vote wasn't unanimous like the other Confederate states, causing a huge change throughout the country. 

Secession in Georgia
Secession in Georgia. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 21 Jan 2014. <http://www.illinoiscivilwar150.org/images/chronos_images/1861 Jan 19 Georgia secession LOC.jpg>.

Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott Case, and the Election of 1860

The Kansas-Nebraska act started when two different territories, now Kansas, and Nebraska, were deciding weather to join the union as a either a pro-slave state or a non-slave state.  Kansas decided to join as a pro-slavery state, which broke the (36, 30) line.  The (36, 30) line is an act where any state north of that line must join the union as a non-slave state, and any state south of that line would join the union as a pro-slave state.  When Kansas chose to join the union as a slave state, the north became very upset because Kansas was north of the (36, 30) line.

(36, 30) Line

36 30 Parallel. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 17 Jan 2014. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/62/37th_parallel_US.svg/220px-37th_parallel_US.svg.png>.

Dred Scott was a slave that traveled with his owner to a non-slave state.  He believed that since he lived there with his owner, in a state that slavery was illegal, he should be considered a free person.  He created a case that ultimately went to the supreme court, but the final decision was not in his favor but rather favored slave holders.  They ruled that since he was considered property, not a citizen,

 he could not sue anyone in court, and he should not have been able to bring that case to court.  Therefore opening the way for slave owners to take their slaves anywhere they wanted.  

Dred Scott
Dred Scott. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 19 Jan 2014. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/Dred_Scott_photograph_(circa_1857).jpg>.

The Election of 1860 was known as the breaking point for the secession of South Carolina, as well as the starting point of the Civil War.  When Abraham Lincoln was elected, the south was very upset; because he was not even on the ballot when they voted.  They were very mad because they felt that they would always be unheard by the country and that they weren't important.  This led to the secession of South Carolina, and the start of the Confederacy as its own country.

Election of 1860
Election of 1860. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 21 Jan 2014. <http://www.personal.psu.edu/users/j/a/jal5056/Election 1860.gif>.

Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Act, and the Georgia Platform

The Compromise of 1850 kept both the north and the south happy and at peace despite their differences over slavery and economy; stating that whenever a free state was added, a slave state would be added, (and vice versa).  The north and the south wanted to have equal power in Congress to make sure neither side could dictate the other.  A new state wanted to join the Union as a non-slave state, which upset the southern states very much.  The north gained California;
while the south gained the promise that other territories could come in as slave states, and the Fugitive Slave Act.  Then, to appease the southerners, Congress said that they would enforce the Fugitive Slave Act.  This was an act where if any slaves escape to the north, they had to be sent back to the south instead of helped.  This made abolitionists in the north very upset, and slave owners in the south very happy.  As for the slaves trying to escape, it changed everything; they started trying to escape to Canada, and started traveling through the Underground Railroad.  The Georgia Platform was created, stating that whatever congress did that had to do with Slavery and Slave trade in Georgia should be ignored, and that the expansion of slavery into new territories cannot be banned.  All of this helped delay the war for a couple of years.

Fugitive Slave Act

Fugitive Slave Act. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 15 Jan 2014. <http://new.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/imagecache/inline-2col-full/content-images/01862.jpg>.

States' Rights, Nullification, and The Missouri Compromise

In 1820 the Missouri compromise tried to solve the problem of states threatening to secede unless they had states’ rights but instead did not help at all.  States’ Rights are when a state feels that their states needs should come before the federal government’s needs.  The Missouri Compromise is a compromise that the number of slave states and non-slave states stay even.  So as more states were joining the north (non-slavery), the south felt that the north would soon take over.  A tax was set in place by congress that only benefitted the north, which made the southerners, especially in South Carolina very upset and angry.  The people of South Carolina then came up with this idea of nullification: the right to refuse to enforce or recognize a federal law.  This made President Jackson so mad that he wanted to send troops to South Carolina to enforce the laws; which congress denied.  

The Missouri Compromise

Missouri Compromise. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 12 Jan 2014. <http://www.historicfortsnelling.org/sites/historicfortsnelling.org/files/images/800px-Missouri_Compromise_Line_svg.png>.

States' Rights and Nullification

Nullification. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 12 Jan 2014. <http://polizeros.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Nullification-Ticket.jpg>.