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"THE BATTLES"
Slavery: There was an equal number of free
and slave states until California wanted to join the union. California
was stated to enter as a free state. And so Henry Clay came up with the
compromise of 1850.
Another cause was the Fugitive Slave Act:
This was the law that made it a crime to help runaway slaves, it allowed
officials to catch those escaped slaves. They would also arrest those
in a free state. Slaveholders were permitted to take susceptive
fugitives to us commissioners, who would then decide their fate,
northerners were angry because they couldn’t stop the commissioners from
taking their slaves or giving slaves to them, they thought this was
unfair. This also violated the US Constitution.
Another cause was the Kansas Nebraska Act:
This is a law that allowed voters in Kansas and Nebraska to choose
weather or not to choose slavery. The slavery would not be allowed north
of Missouri’s southern boarder. Antislavery Northerner’s were outraged
by the things that were deducted. This caused violent riots to start in
Kansas which was known as “Bleeding Kansas”.
Then later President Lincoln won the election for
president in 1860, on Nov. 6th. South Carolina was then
withdrawn from the Union. Southern States formed the confederate states
of America.
During the Civil War there were a few other
battles going on at this time.
Fort Sumter: In April of 1861 Confederate
forces began shooting Fort Sumter, which is located on an island in
Charleston Bay. The Confederates fired at it for 36 hours and they
wanted to capture it. After firing at it for a great while, Fort Sumter
surrendered the next day. Luckily no lives were lost.
First battle of Bull Run: This was the first
major battle of the Civil War. The Confederates won. This battle was
also known of the first battle of Manassas.
Seven Day Battle: On June 26th,
Lee attacked a Union Army. This launched a series of clashes known as
the 7 days battle. That forced the Union Army to retreat to Richmond.
Confederate General DH Hill described this battle as not a war but a
murder.
Second battle of Bull Run: Jackson wanted to
defeat Pope’s Army before it could join up with McClellan’s larger army.
Jackson’s troops met pope’s union forces on the battlefield in August
1862. This 3 day battle became known at the 2nd battle of
Bull Run or the 2nd Battle of Manassas.
 McClellan & Lincoln
 Grant & Lee
Siege of Vicksburg: This battle started on
May 18, 1863, the Union Army’s decided to take control of the City of
Vicksburg. But that was a challenge because the city of Vicksburg was on
a hilltop which had deep gorges and it surrounded the island / hilltop.
And their fires failed and so it was up to General Grant. He had the
idea of blocking the hilltop with fire so the people of Vicksburg
couldn’t escape and finally after 47 days the city finally surrendered
after having no food or supplies.
Battle of Gettysburg: This battle started on July 1, 1863, this
battle only lasted for 36 days. It all started when the Confederate
Raiding party and the Union Forces began exchanging fire. The Union
forces looked for the best defensive position. They dug in on top of two
hills south of town, cemetery ridge and Culps Hill. This battle was a
key battle that finally turned the tide against the Federates. It
is known as the largest and bloodiest battle in the civil war. And in
all, nearly 75,000 Confederate Solders and 90,000 Union troops had
fought during the battle of Gettysburg.
Pickett’s Charge: On the 3rd day
of the Battle of Gettysburg, Lee planed too rush the center of the Union
line. This task fell to 3 divisions of Confederate Solders. General
Pickett commanded the largest unit. In late afternoon, nearly 15,000
took part in Pickett’s Charge which was a failed Confederate attack up
Cemetery Ridge. The Confederates tried to run up and break the Union
line. But they were unsuccessful fewer than half of the solders reached
the top.
The Wilderness Campaign: From May – June the
Union and Confederate Army’s fought in Northern and Central Virginia.
Union Troops launched the Wilderness Campaign which was a series of
battles designed to capture the Confederate capitol at Richmond,
Virginia. The first battle took place in early May, in the woods about
50 miles outside of Richmond. Over the next month, Union Solders moved
the Confederate Troops back toward Richmond. The Union tried to break
through the Confederate barriers and they did not give up. They finally
stopped and retreated.
Battle of Raleigh: Union forces decided to
attack Raleigh which was an important Confederate city. Because the
Union army was successful the Confederates surrendered.
What caused the end of the Civil War: When
Lee's army was surrounded by Union Troops they surrendered. On April 9th
1865 General Grant & General Lee went to court at the Appomattox Court
House in Virgina. Grant had agreed to give Lee's troops food and water. The Civil
War had ended in that court room.
After the Civil War: After the Civil War
slavery had ended. Tensions between the North & South are still there
today.
The life of a Solder: The life of a solder
was not fun. Many men and women had joined the Army from a rank of ages
7-90. The medication and hospitals weren’t what they are today. The
surgeons would use a tool kit that looked like a woodshop took kit. The
operations were usually done outside from a mile where the war was
fought. Sometimes they were intense. The surgeons had at least 13 weeks
of training. There were probably more deaths in this war than many other
wars fought. There were about 620,000 solders that had died during the
Civil War. The main reason the number of deaths were so high was because
of all of the infections. Many people died of infections because there
were no good medications or medical tools to cure them. Another was solders had diseases. The
troops would be thrown to the side if they got shot in the head or
stomach. The ambulance was a horse and a wagon. The solders would be
taken in the ambulance to a better hospital if the solders had an
infection that they could not cure.
To Learn More:
Timelines:
Click here for timeline.
Recommended readings:
Steven Mintz:
Moralists & Modernizers: America's Pre-Civil War Reformers
An overview and interpretation of the major reforms of the era,
including abolition, temperance and women's rights.
 Recommended
films:
Top 6 Very good Civil War movies:
Glory - Gettysburg - Gone with the Wind- North & South -
The Red Badge of Courage - Shenandoah
http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarmenu/tp/civilwarmovies.htm
 Recommended
Web site:
For a list of
all "The Battles" of the Civil War:
http://www.civilwarhome.com/records.htm
About Me:
I am a
13 year old 8th grader attending Adams Middle School in Brentwood Ca.
My
interests are American History, Music, Tennis and going to Disneyland.
Thank You for visiting my website!
Shelby@DisneylandUSA.com
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