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The Civil War
A work in progress
The Civil War was a major conflict that went on between the United States of America and the Confederate States of America from 1861-1865. This conflict was the bloodiest war ever to be fought in the Western Hemisphere. All the casualties add up to almost as many of all of America's other wars combined. America suffered about 600,000 casualties from this conflict. It had other names, such as the War Between the States. This conflict started on April 12, 1861, when Southern Guns fired on a small fort in South Carolina, by the name of Fort Sumter. The Confederate guns battered the fort for almost 35 hours; finally forcing the Union forces to surrender. Hence, the Civil War had begun.
Throughout the war, we saw people fighting for what they believe is right. Both sides thought that the Lord was with them, and would help them to succeed. People were almost positive that the war would only last a few months. Each side felt quite confident that the other side would surrender soon, and the war would be over. They were wrong. It lasted "Across Five Aprils."
Neither government had to worry about armies at first. The volunteers poured in. From 11 to 60, most were inexperienced farmers.
The first battle, the 1st battle of Bull Run, was fought near a muddy stream called Bull Run. It was also fought near a town called Manasses. Some know it as the Battle of Bull Run, some as the Battle of Manasses. Bull Run was an ideal place to have a battle. It had a railroad junction. This was the first war in which modern methods of transportation were used. All through the war, we saw railroads delivering reinforcements, food, and other necessities to the soldiers. All the armies depended on railways to bring them supplies. Back to the Battle of Bull Run…One of the bravest generals in this battle was General T. J. Jackson. "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall," one Confederate said when he saw Jackson and his company holding up against the Union. From that moment on, Jackson was known as "Stonewall Jackson". Both sides fought courageously. By afternoon the ground was covered with bodies, both gray and blue. In the end, The Confederates won. There was one interesting factor of the Battle(s) of Manasses. Close to the battlefield, there lived a certain man. He moved away from Bull Run after the battle to get away from all the excitement. He moved to a place called Appomattox Court House. In his parlor, in April of 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant!
During the Civil war, there were many brave people who fought for their countries. There were Roberts E. Lee, Abraham Lincoln, Stonewall Jackson, and William T. Sherman, among many.
However, there are some people who may have changed the tide of the war, and no one knew it. They were spies. Yes, there were many spies in the Civil War. Most were men, but some, even the most famous, were women. Ladies like Sarah E. Edmonds for the Union and Rose O'Neal Greenhow for the Confederacy did some of the most daring and amazing things behind enemy lines. Edmonds went behind the Confederate Lines as "Cush" a "black slave" who gathered valuable information and returned it to General George B. McClellan. Another time, she went as an old peddler. Similarly, Greenhow was such a wonderful spy that President Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy credited her for the Confederacy winning the battle of Bull Run. Spies were a major part of this conflict. One spy, Belle Boyd, was captured and was being held on a Union ship. The commander of the ship fell in love with her and asked her to marry him. She agreed, IF he would give up his job and join the Confederacy. He agreed to the terms, amazingly, and the Navy dismissed him on terms of betrayal.
The Confederacy had much more trouble with the war than the Union, because the South was still rather rural, and had very few factories. Therefore, it could not come out with the number of supplies that the Union's many factories turned out. Also, the Union Navy was blockading the South's seaports, so supplies from countries like France and England could not get through. This was known as the "Anaconda Plan", to squeeze the life out of the South. And it worked, too. This blockade held throughout the Civil War. Throughout the Civil War, there was more and more poverty in the South. By the end of the war, the Confederate paper notes were not worth as much as the paper they were printed on.
By 1864, and the South AND their Prisoners Of War (POW) were starving. One of the worst POW camps in the whole US was Andersonville. Andersonville was the worst camp imaginable. This camp, meant for 10,000, at its peak reached 33,000 POW's in the same camp at once. The only source of water was a small stream trickling through the camp, and this was also used as the toilet. There were not many survivors from Anderson, and since there was not much food at all for the people of the Confederacy, there was virtually NO food for the POW's.
Life in camp was usually boring. In between battles, you would usually wake up around 6:00 am to the sound of a bugle call. Then, if you were on guard duty, you would go to your post. If you were a cavalry officer, you would feed and water your horse before breakfast. If not, you would prepare your breakfast rations. Then, you would clean up, doing things like cleaning the dishes. Then, you would drill. And drill, and drill, and drill. In between drills, you would drill. Sometimes men would play baseball during free time. Beer was rare, because it was outlawed. Poker was also rare, as the soldiers had no or very little money. Sometimes the generals held fairs and contests to keep up the morale of the men. Morale was usually quite low during camp life. Rations included hardtack and saltpork and coffee usually. The South had much less food and coffee then the Union did, because of the blockade, so their soldiers got much less food. However, morale was much higher in the Confederate army because they were fighting for their way of life.
In the Civil War, it was amazing that the soldiers normally did not think of the other side as enemies! In camps, during battles, or retreats, the soldiers would trade rations, tell stories, and just talked. Moreover, the two armies were actually glad to see each other sometimes.
Most men thought that the war would be fun, and all were excited. There are countless stories of teenagers and even boys under 12 running away from home to join the army. They wanted excitement and they were right that this war DID bring excitement, just not the kind they expected. Running away from home was common, because most mothers had already lost a husband, and did not want to lose their son, too. Then many a boy deserted because the war was just too much! Not ALL of the armies were made up of volunteers. Hundreds were drafted into the army. Usually these people did not want to fight. The other army may have been a welcome sight to those who thought this whole war was crazy.
This major conflict was very hard on the President, Abraham Lincoln at the time. He was up late into the night trying to figure out what to do. The war gave him virtually no time to rest.
Major Generals of the Civil War
Ulysses S. Grant - Grant was a major general during the Civil War. Lee surrendered to him in Appomatix Court House, Virginia He was made general-in-chief after several other generals had failed to meet Lincoln's desires. He commanded the largest army in the Union, (and the Confederacy for that matter), the Army of the Potomac. It had over 100,000 men in it at the time, and Grant commanded it well. He was a minor general early on in the war, then was discharged, and then became general-in-chief. He was much better than some of the other generals-in-chief, such as McClellan.
Robert E. Lee - Lee was the perhaps the most famous general in the war, and in the author's opinion the most courageous. Lee was in the U.S. Army before the Civil War, but he was from Virginia, and when his home state succeeded from the Union, he got an offer the be General-in chief for the UNION. However, he was loyal to the Confederacy, and he was appointed top general by Southern President Jefferson Davis. He was well loved by his men. At Appomattix Court House at the end of the war, he surrendered to Grant. When he walked into the house appointed for the surrender, he had on his best clothes and was wearing a silver sword at his side. Grant, in contrast, was dressed in mud-splattered clothes, wrinkled and torn, his hair mussed. Lee was a gentleman, and throughout the war, he did not lose that demeanor.
George McClellan - McClellan was the first commander of the Army of the Potomac. This author thinks that McClellan was a jerk. McClellan had many opportunities to finish off the war. However, he was very hesitant and "careful." Every time he was about to finish off Lee's men, Lee would make it seem like he was outnumbered. Now, any sensible general would know that this was not possible. However, in this author's opinion, the general was anything BUT sensible. Lee was glad when he was the commander of the Army of the Potomac, him being so easy to trick and defeat. It is almost unbelievable at how many chances the general had to win the war, but didn't because he wouldn't move. Lincoln finally discharged him. He ran against Lincoln in the 1864 elections, but Lincoln won.
One of the major turning points in the war came in a little Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg. In 1863, the Southern army came upon Gettysburg. What they didn't know was that the Union army was in the city at the time. Once the two armies met, there was a clash that will not be forgotten. It started on July 1, 1863. The Union, under the command of George Meade, and Confederate, under the command of Ambrose P. Hill, forces started battle that morning. It was one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. The fighting was fierce around the hills, Culp's Hill, Little Round Top, and Big Round Top. On the first day, Confederate troops forced Union brigades off Culp's Hill and Cemetery Ridge, southeast of Gettysburg. There were over 4000 prisoners taken by the Confederates, and the battle looked grim for the Union army. The Union also suffered more casualties on that first day of battle. The hills were desired by both armies as prime spots to see and shoot. They were fought over throughout the entire battle of Gettysburg.
To be continued...
This page was last updated on Friday, July 9, 2004