The firing on that fort will inaugurate a civil war greater than any the world has yet seen…you will lose us every friend at the North. You will wantonly strike a hornet’s nest which extends from mountains to ocean. Legions now quiet will swarm out and string us to death. It is unnecessary. It put us in the wrong. It is fatal. –Robert Toombs. (Boerner paragraph 2). The Civil War impacted the course of history forever. But it had to start somewhere and the Battle of Fort Sumter marked the start. The Battle of Fort Sumter had various causes and effects. Before the start of the Civil War, conflict had been brewing between the states of the North and South. The election of Abraham Lincoln did not enhance the situation at all. Lincoln was a noted abolitionist and he wanted to abate the expansion of slavery into the Western states. The Southern states saw this as an infraction to their way of life by controlling their economy. How could the Northern states regulate the Southern states? The economy of the North was very different than the South. Especially since slavery was vital to farmers in the planting and harvesting the crops. Secession was on the horizon and Lincoln knew he had to do something to prevent this. To help build the Union Army, Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to serve for 90 days. Every state was asked to fill a quota based on its population. This did not help Lincoln’s and only hurt the Union cause. This only enraged the Southern state more and seceding for the Union was becoming a reality. Fort Sumter was one of many forts during the Civil War in the United States, and was named after General Thomas Sumter who was a hero in the Revolutionary War. Plans for the fort were originally develope... ... middle of paper ... ...l War officially ended on April 18th, 1865. Was it by chance the initial battle started at Fort Sumter? Did President Lincoln use the situation at the fort to gain support in the North? Or was the battle initiated by the Confederates to gain supporters in the South, knowing they had the advantage in this battle? Historian will debate this topic for years to come. One thing is for certain, the outcome of the Civil War resulted in the reunification of the United States. Sadly, it took a war to reunite the nation and that war began at the Battle of Fort Sumter. Works Cited Atlas of the Civil War, the Everything Civil War Book, the www.boerner.net/jboerner/?p=10867 Fort Sumter:How Civil War Began with a Bloodless Battle An Illustrated History of the Civil War Images of an American Tradegy Civil War, the www.civilwar.org/battlefields/fort-sumter/html?tabfacts
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Show MoreThe famous Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1 to July 3 of 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle proved to show the most casualties of the entire war and resulted in a crushing defeat of the Confederates. The Battle of Gettysburg is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. This paper will demonstrate the various reasons as to why the Confederates, led by General Robert E. Lee, were unsuccessful in the Battle of Gettysburg during their invasion of the north. General Lee’s over-confidence, the confederate army’s disorganization and failed coordination, and the shift of intelligence all contributed to the crushing defeat of the confederates at Gettysburg. Following his “flawless” battle at Chancellorsville, General Lee was instilled with absolute confidence in his men and failed to see any deficiencies in his army’s offensive capabilities. Lee was not only over-confident, but also knew less than his opponent during the most crucial stages of the battle. The final contributing factor as to why the confederates were defeated was Alexander’s failure to provide effective artillery bombardment and his failure to advise General Pickett not to make the charge after the ineffective bombardment.
The North region, also called the Union, was already different from the South before the Civil War even started. The North side did have their disadvantages as well as benefits. One disadvantage was the lack of favorable soil and climate. Their type of conditions only allowed for small farmsteads rather than the big plantations the South had. This weakness handicapped the North side from producing more resources such as cotton, but they were considered to have more food and money than the South. The North had some good leaders but they did not have as many leaders as the South. President Lincoln was one of their leaders, as well as their biggest supporter. “His utter determination to win was key in the Civil War; having the support of the President, although things weren't always in the favor of the Union states, is a major point in the pursuit of victory” (internet 4). Having the President on their side helped with morale as well. They had a bigger population due to immigrant labor from Europe to wor...
The town of Manassas, Virginia was no stranger to local conflict. In the summer of 1861 the Confederate Army, commanded by Brigadier General Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, was in solid control of northern Virginia. This put Confederate forces within 50 miles of the capitol of Washington D.C. President Abraham Lincoln ordered Brigadier General Irvin McDowell to take his army south and displace the Confederate forces to a more southerly local...
The ending of this battle is tragic and enlightening as well, the great idea of sneak attacks at dawn by the Confederates and the righteous timings of reinforcement by the Union, brought this story to my attention. Gathering this information brought me believe that this is a movie, a novel, but this was actual real life. Losing lives in a battle like this one bring only one thing to mind, that each side was fierce on fighting for what they believe in. No other battles before this have had this much bloodshed in less than a day, the planning done by Grant and Johnston was phenomenal. The steady mind of Johnston and the brave hearts that were under Grant is what brought this battle to what is today’s history. Working on this essay has been excellent in my learning process and I hope to be doing another one soon.
This is only two battles in the whole Civil War yet countless lives were lost in each one. These battles were only two months apart. The goal of this paper is to give information on these two Civil War battles Chancelorsville and Gettysburg.
The actual battles that took place in Fredericksburg were fought at Prospect Hill which was a devastating loss. In order for the Union to reach the Confederate army and attack, they had to cross a seven mile expanse in the open. The Confederates had hid behind a stone retaining wall that had been built around the main thoroughfare to Richmond. Before the Union soldiers started the battle they had gone through the town, ravaged it, broke windows, and stole property to try and coax the Confederates out of there place. During this battle so many draft animals were killed that the battle was nicknamed ‘Dead Horse Hill’ due to the vicious artillary battle that occurred for more than an hour. The next place the battle occurred was at Marye’s Height.
When South Carolina seceded from the union, the united states Maj. Robert Anderson and his force were positioned at Fort Moultrie near the opening of Charleston Harbor. Fearing for their safety they were moved to fort Sumter. Just after the presidents inauguration he had only six weeks to supply food. Just after confederate Brig. Gen P.G.T. Beauregard sent a threatening letter for Anderson
MAJ George Anderson was left in charge of Fort Macalister and he did everything he could to prepare it for battle. Major Anderson had his troops clear the trees, buildings and anything that could obstruct the confederate troop’s field of fire on troops advancing from the only available attack point, the rear of the fort . General Anderson instructed his men to construct a palisade around the fort as well as an abates obstacle around the Fort to hinder the movement of any advancing force. Along with the obstacles intended to hinder the movement of union forces up the avenue of approach Major Anderson had his troops place torpedo’s what we now know as landmines around the fort. When placing the torpedo’s the confederate troops attached them to railroad ties, meaning that an opposing force only had to step on the railroad tie to detonate the device, greatly enhancing their
No other war seems to hold our focus like the Civil War. Scholars have chosen to make it their life's work, authors have written reams about it, and we all feel some kind of connection to the Civil War. This paper was created to highlight some of the major battles that took place during that conflict. Major battles usually marked a drastic change in the momentum from one side to the other or led to massive losses of troops. These battles and their results all played a huge part in the outcome of the war.
The leader of 100,000 troops, became the most hated man in Georgia but honored in Lancaster, Ohio. William Tecumseh Sherman was known as a major architect of modern war. William Sherman was a strong military leader who changed the course of the Civil War. William Tecumseh Sherman was born in a family in Lancaster, Ohio, on February, 8, 1820, one of 11 children. When William was 9 years old, his father died suddenly. Because his mother was now widowed, she sent William to be raised by his father’s friend Thomas Ewing, who was an Ohio senator.1
Hassler, Jr. Warren W. "American Civil War (United States History)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.
"Battles of the Civil War". Civil War. 2013. Civil War Trust. Web. 9 Dec 2013.
The American Civil War was fought between the North (The Union) and the South (The Confederates), because of the South wanting to secede from the North. Lincoln's election as president in 1860, triggered southerners' decision to secede believing Lincoln would restrict their rights to own slaves. Lincoln stated that secession was "legally void" and had no intentions of invading the Southern states, but would use force to maintain possession of federal property. Despite his pleas for the restorations of the bonds of union, the South fired upon the federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter, in Charlestown, Virginia. This was the event that decided the eventual beginning of the Civil War. Despite the advantages of Northerners, their victory in the ...
Today we have mind blowing news with the Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard began bombarding Fort Sumter at exactly 4:30 AM on April 12, 1861. Heavy Confederate guns, rang around Charleston Harbor, shattered Fort Sumter with bullets for approximately 34 hours, before Major Robert Anderson of the Union, the commander of Sumter, surrendered the fort to the Confederates.This will brand the beginning of a civil war that will divide the nation, between the Union (North) and Confederate (South). President Abraham Lincoln is now calling for 75,000 militiamen from Union states to put down the Southern rebellion, anybody who is willing to fight and die for their cause must report to the nearby post office.
The main Union commander was Major Robert Anderson. After the fall of Fort Sumter he was promoted to Brigadier General. He was formerly a slave owner but now loyal to the Union.