CWR - Civil War in Georgia (Lesson)
Civil War in Georgia
Introduction
The first official battle of the Civil War was in April 1861 and the war lasted until May 1865. This four year war saw many tragedies. Approximately 620,000 soldiers died from combat, starvation, and disease during the Civil War. This casualty number is higher than any other war in American History. The North’s industrialization with factories gave it an advantage in supplies, but the South were defending their homes which gave them motivation.
Antebellum Population Divisions
| Group | Size | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Large Planters | Less then 1 percent of white families | Owned fifty or more slaves and plantations in excess of one thousand acres; wealthiest class in America |
| Planters | about 3 percent of white families | Owned twenty to forty-nine slaves and plantations in excess of one hundred acres; controlled bulk of southern wealth and provided most of the political leaders |
| Small Slaveholders | about 20 percent of white families | Owned fewer than twenty slaves and most often less than five; primarily farmers though some were part of a small middle class in towns and cities |
| Non-slaveholding Whites | about 75 percent of white families | Most were yeoman farmers who owned their land, which was worked by families. One in five owned no land or slaves; in cities they worked as artisans or day laborers |
| Free Black People | about 3 percent of all free families | Concentrated in Upper South, most were tenants or farm laborers about 1/3 lived in cities and generally were limited to the lowest paying jobs |
Antebellum South
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The Civil War
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter fell to the Confederates in April 1861. The Union leaders reacted by setting up a blockade on all Southern ports. In April 1862 the Union soldiers landed on Tybee Island, Georgia and captured Fort Pulaski, the fort that protected Savannah. This made it difficult for the South to continue to trade with European nations such as Great Britain. This blockade remained in effect throughout the entire war.
The Confederacy
South Carolina’s attack on and defeat of the Union soldiers at Fort Sumter in April 1861 initiated the Civil War when President Lincoln reacted to the attack and deployed Union soldiers.
The Confederate States of America was established in February 1861 and then Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated in March 1861. (At that time presidents were inaugurated March 4 instead of January 20 which is the date for inaugurations now.) The C.S.A. was formed by the secession of seven states in the Deep South: South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Texas. These Deep South states were all heavily invested in cotton cultivation and agriculture and were very dependent upon the enslaved labor of African Americans to make a profit. (The farmers and planters would not have made a profit had they had to pay laborers.)
Many Southerners were convinced that white supremacy and the institution of slavery were threatened by the Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 victory since he was opposed to the expansion of slavery to the western territories.
The first capital of the Confederate States of America was at Montgomery, Alabama and soon the capital was moved to Richmond, Virginia since the city was more centrally located than Montgomery.Jefferson Davis, a former U.S. Senator from Biloxi, Mississippi was elected the president of the C.S.A. Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia was elected the vice president of the Confederate States of America. In his ‘Cornerstone Address’, Stephens put forth the idea that slavery was a “natural and normal condition” for African Americans.
No foreign country’s government ever recognized the Confederate States of America as a legitimate country.
Battle of Antietam
The first Major battle on Northern soil. This is considered the bloodiest battle of the war with over 26,000 men wounded, killed, or missing in one day.
Emancipation Proclamation
On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln issued the Proclamation freeing all slaves in states rebelling against the United States. Lincoln believed this would hurt the South economically and help influence the British to support the North. When the Confederates refused to obey the order, the focus of the Civil War shifted for the Union Army as they now had a mission of freeing all of the Southern slaves.
Gettysburg
This battle is considered the turning point of the war. From July 1 to July 3, 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee fought to hold onto the small Pennsylvania town. The larger union overwhelmed the troops and won the battle. President Lincoln then visited in November 1863 where he gave his famous Gettysburg Speech.
The War Comes to Georgia: The Georgia Campaign
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The Civil War in Georgia
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Civil War Cause and Effect
Causes:
- Issue of slavery in the territories divides the North and South
- Abolitionists want slavery to end
- South fears it will lose power in the national government
- Southern states secede after Lincoln's election
- Confederate bombard Fort Sumter
Effects:
- Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation
- Northern economy booms
- South loses its cotton trade with Britain
- Total war destroys the South's economy
- Hundreds of thousands of Americans are killed
Review
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While the battlefield fights of the Civil War came to a close, Georgia and the rest of the South now had to deal with the consequences facing them in Reconstruction. The Civil War is often called the first “modern war”. It saw many firsts such as the first successful submarine, ironclad naval vessels, flame throwers, repeating rifles, organizing black troops into combat, wide scale use of rail service, bugle calling taps, first photographs taken during battle, and many more. The United States would now rebuild and reconnect as a whole country.
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