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

Dred Scott Case

Dred Scott, a black slave, was living in a free state. He had lived there for more than two years. Scott believed that since he had lived in a free state for years, that he was free. In 1857, Scott took his case to the Supreme Court. Supreme Court Justice Sanford was overlooking the case. Justice Sanford made his decision; he stated ,"Black people are not citizens. Therefore, they do not have the right to sue in the court." This decision was a major blow to abolitionists. All their support was "tossed to the wind." Dred Scott was also forever commited to slavery.

Dred Scott
Judge Sanford

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Do you remember the Missouri Compromise, in 1820 that created the 36 30 line as divider for free/slave states? It worked almost flawlessly until Kansas and Nebraska both wanted to be admitted to the Union in 1854. They were both above the 36 30 line, unlike California, which the 36 30 split in half in 1850. There were no major problems until, the South found out that two free states were being admitted. They believed that both states being free was unfair...even though the Missouri Compromise made it legal. Eventually, Kansas and Nebraska were allowed to vote on whether to become a free or slave state - thus repealing the Missouri Compromise. This also caused the abolitionists and slavery supporters to fight within their states. Kansas and Nebraska both became free states.

Bleeding Kansas

Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Act, and Georgia Platform

California wants to be admitted to the Union. There's one problem...this would create another imbalance between free and slave states. The 36 30 line will either declare California a slave or free state but, the 36 30 line runs right through the line. The Compromise of 1850 included: California is admitted as a free state, Texas gives up land and received $10 million, slavery is abolished in D.C., and most importantly, the Fugitive Slave Act is passed. The Fugitive Slave Act states that all escaped/runaway slaves must be returned to their owners. This act was a major blow for the abolitionists (anti-slavery supporters). Georgia agreed to the Compromise of 1850 as long as; the Fugitive Slave Act was enforced and there was no attempt to prohibit the expansion of slavery. This was known as the Georgia Platform. Both the North and the South received positive and negative elements.

Fugitive Slave Act

The Missouri Compromise

In 1820, there was an equal number of slave and free states: but, there was a problem. Missouri wanted to be admitted to the Union as a slave state. This upset the balance. As a solution, the Missouri Compromise was created. It split Massachusetts in half, creating Maine, a free state. Missouri was also admitted as a slave state. The most dramatic creation in the Compromise, was the 36 30 parallel line. Anything below it, was to be a slave state. Anything above, was to be a free state. This line, though invisible, would cause controversy in the future.

36 30 Line

Sectionalism, States' Rights, and Nullification

Sectionalism is basically the tensions between regions in a country. States' rights explains its self - it is when a state believes that its rights/needs are more important than the federal government's rights/needs. Nullification is a state ignoring a federal law. How do these have to do with the Civil War? In 1832, South Carolina declared states' rights by ignoring a federal law (nullification). The president at the time, Andrew Jackson, was outraged. He sent troops to South Carolina as a threat. This almost started a war. Jackson eventually pulled back the troops; and also preventing a war by sectionalism.

President Jackson