The War Has Come to Georgia

So far most of the Civil War had been fought in the North aka the Union's territory, but in the spring of 1864 it came to Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta was a hub for manufacturing and railroads in the South. If the Union was able to capture it, Lincoln would almost be guaranteed reelection. Union blockades would make the capture easy. Additionally, Confederate General Lee had replaced Confederate President Davis' head General Johnston; showing a weakness within the government's structure.This became known as the Atlanta Campaign. In a matter of weeks, Atlanta was completely taken over by the Union Army. Soldiers camped in tents inside parks while generals slept in the mansions downtown.

But, this wasn't enough to drive the Confederates out of Atlanta. Union General Sherman orders his army to destroy all Confederate assets and public buildings burned. The soldiers start tearing apart railroad tracks and buildings then, burning them in a montrous bonfire. All is well until soldiers forget their orders and start burning civilians' homes. More than 30% of the city is burned. Now the war has truly become a "total war" like Union General Grant had originally stated. General Sherman had advised the citizens of Georgia to evacuate the city. He didn't want to have the expense of feeding and protecting these people. Sherman also told the citizens that Atlanta would become a war zone. Atlanta's mayor James Calhoun surrendered the city to the Union. Sherman sends an excitable telegraph to President Lincoln stating ,"Atlanta is ours, and fairly won." They stayed there for 2 months.

Then, Sherman decided to march throughout the state to the sea. This was called Sherman's March to
the Sea. Sherman and his army started the dangerous march to the sea. There were no railroads, no telegraph lines, and no extra supplies in Southern Georgia. Soldiers ransacked farmers' houses for food sometimes killing their livestock. Some also had their first encounter with slaves. The slaves were often encouraged to join the march even though its more moths to feed. Sherman was a role model to these slaves. On occasion he would shake their hands. At this time in history a white man shaking a black man's hand was unheard of. Though Sherman seems like a abolitionist, his personal view on blacks is pure hatred.

Sherman and his army slowly make their way to Savannah. When they arrive, the mayor willing gives up the city without a fight. This shows the effect "total war" has on people.

Burning of Atlanta
General Sherman
Slavery

Union Blockade

In the beginning of the Civil War, and the Union needed to come up with a plan to halt the growth and expansion of the Confederacy. So Union General Winfield Scott came up with a plan. He states that the Union should blockade Southern ports, divide the Confederacy in two, and raise a HUGE army. Southern ports were major trade centers for imports and exports. After General Scott blocked them, the economy dropped causing drama throughout the Confederacy. Civilians living there relied on the blocked supplies to survive.The Union's navy was skilled enough to capture the Mississippi River, which split the Confederacy in half. The North's enormous population also gave Scott the supplies to train over 50,000 troops to fight. 

The Union was successful in completing this plan. The blockades would create an opportunity to capture the booming city of Atlanta, GA. Atlanta was a center for Confederate weapons and ammunition manufacturing. If the UNion could capture it, they would have the upper hand in the war. Additionally, ending a "total war" that now involves civilians.

General Winfield Scott

Chickamauga and Chattanooga

The Civil War has come to Georgia. This was the first major battle to happen in the "peach state". Union General Grant was trapped inside the city of Chattanooga with his army. A supply line opened and he made his way into Georgia. Chattanooga would later become the center for the Atlanta Campaign. Grant slowly made his way down to Chickamauga. When he got there, Grant was met by Confederate General Braxton Bragg and his army. A bloody 2-day battle occurred. The Union suffered over 16,000 causalities while, the Confederacy had 20,000 men wounded/killed/missing. Towards the end of the battle, the Union started to retreat. General Thomas realized this and held the approaching Confederates back, so that the Union troops could escape. This brave feat earned him the nickname "The Rock Of Chickamauga". The Battle of Chickamauga and Chattanooga would go down in the history books as one of the worst Union defeats ever.

General Braxton Bragg
General Ulysses S. Grant

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg

The first thing that comes to mind when you think about the Civil War is the abolishment of slavery. However, many people don't know that slavery wasn't even related to the war until it was almost over. President Lincoln did not address the controversial topic of slavery for so long because of 3 reasons: border states, rights in the Constitution, and Lincoln's re-election. The border states were the states that separated the Union from the Confederacy. Even tough they were slave states, they supported the Union. If Lincoln would have freed slaves early, the border states of Kentucky, Delaware, Missouri, and Maryland would have most likely seceded. This would have given the Confederacy the upper hand because most of these states were industrial. Additionally, the Constitution of the United States mentions the right to own slaves in it. Northerners would be upset if they were denied that right. Lincoln had to another election looming over his head, and he wants to win it. Therefore, he has to make smart choices concerning slavery - otherwise, it might cost him the election.

After a long wait, Lincoln decides that the topic of slavery has been cast aside for too long. He writes a speech called The Emancipation Proclamation; that frees all slaves in the "rebelling states" or the Confederacy. Lincoln was very specific about the slaves that he freed because the border states were still allowed to have slavery. Also, the proclamation requested that all able-bodied black men should join the Union army. Many men joined to show thanks and appreciation for freeing them. One example is the Massachusetts 54th Infantry. It was made up completely of free black me. "Those men fought harder than some of the white men,"stated one Union general.

This was not Lincoln's only famous speech that year. On November 19, 1863, the Gettysburg Address dedicated  the National Cemetery to the fallen Union soldiers. No Confederate troops were allowed to be buried there. This address also mentions how the men died for their country and its success.

Although these speeches were given for completely different reasons, they both had significant purposes that effected the Civil War and everyone that lived through it.

Slaves in the Cotton Fields

Fort Sumter, Bull Run and Antietam

Fort Sumter is located in Charleston, South Carolina (Confederacy) but is occupied by Union soldiers. After SC seceded, it demanded that Union troops abandon Ft. Sumter because it is in the Confederacy. Union troops refused, causing a standoff between the two sides. On April 12 1861, a Confederate soldier fired the first shot of the Civil War. They fought hard for two days until the Union troops gave up and left the fort.

Only one minor battle has occurred so far, and the Union believed that the war would be over in a few months. They also felt confident that the Confederacy would be "crushed like a bug". So on July 21 1861, civilians flocked to the battlefield to witness the Union's victory at Bull Run (aka Manassas). Once the battle began, these visitors realized that the Union was in deep trouble. The Union's army's generals were called "gentleman generals" by President Lincoln. They were called this because the war was all about politics to them. These 'generals led to the Union defeat. The Union had over 3,000 causalities while the Confederacy's well led army only had 2,000. This battle gave the Union an idea of what war really is.

General Robert E. Lee (Confederacy) decided to take a chance and invade the Union. Lee did this to gain recognition from Europe. However, one Confederate officer made a fatal mistake of dropping Lee's war plans. The Union found it.  The two armies ran to each other at Antietam (aka Sharpsburg). There, they fought the bloodiest single day of battle in the US history. The Union had 12,000 causalities while the Confederacy had 10,000. The Union knowing the Confederacy's plans, where able to hold their own. Eventually, the Confederate arm retreated but were not chased by Union General McClellan. President Lincoln removed McClellan for that reason. Neither side won, but the Confederacy lost the chance to show Europe their independence.

Fort Sumter
Bull Run
Antietam

Strengths and Weaknesses

Both the Confederacy and the Union had strengths and weaknesses that won and lost battles. Below are some examples that impacted the Civil War the most:

Election of 1860 and Secession in GA

The Election of 1860 was one of the most important in the United States' history. This election was the first election were a Republican was on the ballot. The Republican Party was created in 1854 to stop the spread of slavery.The Republican from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, eventually won the election by a landslide in both the electoral and popular. He won legally but, he was not on 10 states' ballots. This controversy cause a chain reaction of secession started by South Carolina in 1860. Secessionists and cooperationists in GA could not decide on whether to secede or stay. Finally, they decided to secede, being 4th in the country. Later, after multiple states had seceded, a new country was formed. It was called the Confederate States of America, headed by Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stephens.  Davis was from Kentucky and Stephens was from Georgia.  Davis was chosen as president because of his loyalty to the Confederacy. Stephens was chosen because of his involvement with both sides. Originally, he was a cooperationist (wanted to stay) because of the Compromise of 1850's Fugitive Slave Act; which requires that all runaway slaves must be returned to owners. Over time, Stephens realized that slavery was inevitable and became a secessionist (wanted to leave). Stephens involvement on both sides awarded him the position of Vice President of the Confederacy.

President Lincoln
Confederacy