The+Civil+War

June 2nd, 2011


 * Do Now:**


 * **I See** || **It Means** ||
 * -Two men holding cigars or pipes for each other to smoke. || -They are possibly close friends or related in some way. ||
 * -There are latches on the border of the photo. || -The picture could be in a box that can be locked. ||
 * -The men are wearing matching clothes. || -This could've been their uniform, they could be soldiers of the Confederate States. ||
 * -One man has 3 stripes on the sleeve of his shirt and the other one doesn't || -The man with the stripes can have a higher ranking in the CSA army compared to the other man. ||
 * -There is a gold frame around the photo. || -This is a photo that is in a case or a box. ||
 * -They are twin brothers || ﻿Both from Marylan ||
 * -The have different uniforms on || ﻿Fought on different sides of the war. Right side man was for the Union and the one on the left was for the Confederacy. ||

I think this is really weird because the brothers are from the same family but one for the Union but the other is fighting for individual independence of the CSA. Brothers naturally fight but I never thought that they would go to the extent to fighting a war against each other.

Civil War was SPLITTING FAMILIES APART!

The photo was taken in Antietam, Maryland. Their home town but also a fighting site of the Civil War. 34,000 Americans died --- Bloodiest day of American history.

One fought for CS and one fought for US. Both were against slavery. Lived in different countries. (both in Maryland but different towns. CS and US were in different territories) Everyone had to have a role in Civil War.


 * Robert E. Lee:**


 * Task:**

If I was in that position, I would choose to go back and defend the state of MA instead of forcing them to return to the Union. There are many people that I know living in the state of MA, and Robert E. Lee most likely knew people that were also living in the state at that time. If someone was to go out and become a success and come back to kill their friends and family. You can just go back to where you were born and raised, where people you know watched you grow up and supported you, and just kill them.

^^ Doing that is technically committing treason. Once people start to fight against the Union, they are not protected by the Constitution and they no longer have rights. The Union now has all rights to kill them, Robert E. Lee has been an abolitionists but he had to fight with the CSA.
 * They are not fighting for slavery any longer but now they are fighting for their lives!!! **

Guess their age!!



Photo 1: 6 yrs Photo 2: 10 yrs Photo 3: 12 yrs Photo 4: 15 yrs

June 6, 2011


 * Civil War Themes**

‍1) Morality (conscience) vs. Financial Stability
The Confederates chose to blackmail the British to guarentee their attention. This isn't right, the British and the south trade for cotton. The British pays for the cotton and the south is being selfish for closing off the trade between it and the British. They are making the British lose resource but they are also hurting themselves because the British will end up resenting them.

‍2) Defend a home state or a home country? Either way you're losing part of your home.
This is like what Robert E. Lee went through. He had to choose whether to stay in power or go back and fight for his home. He chose to go back and fight. If he didn't he would be the one going into his own homeland and kill the friends and family that he knew there.

‍3) Morality vs. Military Strategy
The Union didn't care about what the south had to say. During the Anaconda Plan, they were planning to seal off the south. This would make all resources hard to get. This would kill many people, not just because of war but the lack of food and other traded goods that they need.

‍4) Fellow Americans or Traitors ... or both?
Secession Acts of the Thirteen Confederate States:


 * Similarities || Differences ||
 * * These states seceded and made up the Confederate States.
 * They have all created an ordinance or an authorative order.
 * They passed the acts between late 1860 and to the end of 1861.
 * All the acts states in one way or another that they are withdrawing from the United States and from its government.
 * The states said that the Consititution no longer has anything to do with the members of the seceded states. || * Each passed their Succession Acts during different months.
 * Only Alabama mentions that ever since the election of Pres. Lincoln did they mention that they felt violated and wanted to remove themselves from the U.S.
 * Missouri states that the U.S. completely ignored the Constitution based on the right of the Missourians. ||

APPARTS Charts:


 * Mississippi:**
 * **Author** || The author, or the government of Mississippi felt that they were not being heard in the Union so they chose to withdraw. ||
 * **Place and Time** || This act was declared on January 9th, 1861. It was made in the state of Mississippi at that time. ||
 * **Prior Knowledge** || Mississppi holds one of the longest river that was used to transport goods to and from the states. Mississippi is a slave states and they did not like how the Union was trying to stop slavery. ||
 * **Audience** || This secession act is aimed towards the U.S. government and Congress. ||
 * **Reason** || Mississippi felt that the U.S. government was taking away the rights of the state by abusing the Constitution. Based on this, they felt that it was unfair and seceded from the Union. ||
 * **The Main Idea** || Mississippi felt that the U.S. was being unfair so it declared itself withdrawn from the Union. The U.S. Constitution does not apply to the people of Mississippi any longer and Mississippi is now its own independent country ||
 * **Significance** || Mississippi declared itself its own country so by creating this act, the country of Mississippi is putting its own government into action. The government of Mississippi created the act to prove that Mississippi has withdrawn from the Union and became its own independent country. ||


 * Alabama:**


 * **Author** || Now known as the country of Alabama, the independent country states that it has removed itself from the Union and any other states under the Constitution. ||
 * **Place and Time** || This was declared on January 11th, 1861. This was carried out during the Convention of the people of Alabama in Montgomery, Alabama. ||
 * **Prior Knowledge** || Alabama is located in the south and it is a slave state. Alabama was part of the cotton belt and traded with the British and French. Since Alabama seceded, it is no longer allowed to trade with those countries or else the Union has the right to declare war. ||
 * **Audience** || The state of Alabama is trying to aim this act at the government of the United States. ||
 * **Reason** || They were unhappy how the Constitution was interpreted against them so Alabama declared its own independence. Alabama was a slave holding state and it wanted to remain that way without the U.S. getting involved and telling it otherwise. ||
 * **The Main Idea** || Alabama did not agree with how the U.S. was carrying out the Constitution so it seceded. When it seceded it created its own government and it is now its own country, with its seperate Constitution. ||
 * **Significance** || Since it was so unhappy with the U.S. the state of Alabama gave up all of its right that were protected under the U.S. Constitution. Withdrawing from the Union meant Alabama had its independence but now the state has to maintain its own government and find an alternative way to get resources. ||


 * Reflection:**

The reasoning behind these acts do not make sense to me. These are minor problems that almost every nation faces. The laws cannot please every state and everyone living in the nation but the people have to learn how to deal with problems the right way. These states that seceded were unhappy but since they weren't the only ones, they took advantage and all seceded at similar times. They all said that the government was interpreting the Constitution in a way that went against them but at the same time the government had to because the law cannot completely please everyone.

Link to the Glog

Northern v. Southern War Strategies:

I think that the southern strategy is better because they are taking things easier and they are just fighting to defend their home. The Union is just charging into fighting regardless how many men they lose. They want to completely take over the Confederates when in reality the Confederates were using a smart strategy to just stay alive. If they stay alive then there is still war and that means that they did not lose
 * Northern Strategies || Southern Strategies ||
 * * Anaconda Plan
 * Invade the South
 * Had more industries so they could produce more war supplies.
 * Union uses the Navy to block the South from trading with other countries. || * Just trying to defend their homeland--defensive war
 * They are just fighting for freedom
 * They had strong military leaders
 * South had cotton and the North didn't so the Confederates used it to their advantage. ||

New Weapons/ Technology:

-Camouflage tents -Observation balloons -Machine guns -Wire entanglements -Flamethrowers -Gas shells/ stink bombs -Telegraphs -New bullet shape -Shrapnels

1) The new technology improved the way the people were fighting the war. The technology allowed the generals to contact each other and the president much more efficiently. This made messages quickly received and carried out, unlike the revolutionary war. The U.S. agreed to peace with the British but before the message was receive, they already started fighting the war.

2) This made the war become a modern type of fighting. This was the first time that many new technology and weapons were used to fight the war. This made the Civil War the first war to use modern technology as well as use the old war strategies. The soldiers now had better aim for their enemies and this led to more destruction and even more bloody battles.

3) These weapons led to the modern Civil War. None of these new weapons were used when fighting before and this gave the soldiers fighting the Civil War an advantage. The bad part of this is that they used the same weapons and the same tactic. This quickly killed the men fighting, making it so that the first few thousands of soldiers fighting in the war the bait. They were meant to die in order for the more experienced soldiers to come out and fight.

The new technology can take the place of good soldiers because most of the men fighting in the Civil War were inexperienced anyways. As long as the men knew how to hold the guns and shoot at the enemies and not themselves then they were pretty much soldiers. The technology just made it easier for the men to kill their enemy without using too much of their own minds to do it. The new technology made it possible for average men to hold a gun and be able to say that they are a soldier fighting for what they believe in.

June 7, 2011

Do Now:

1) The strategy for the Union fighting the war was to just fight. They took after Napoleon's plan and just charged forword. One of those plans included the Anaconda Plan to try and "suffocate" their enemy. The Confederacy blackmailed the British and the French to make sure that they would defend the CSA. I think that the Union's plan would be more effective because this would not anger their allies and this would help them win the war. The Confederate's strategy would create more tension between the trading nations.

Union: Anaconda Plan - Blockade the south so trading ships carrying could not be exported. Union navy stopping ships from going to Britain. ---Cotton diplomacy

Confederate: Defend their home - Robert E. Lee (General) turned down AL for general of the Union position Confederate spent most of their time kicking the s**t out of the Union.

2) So many people died during the Civil War because the new technology made it easier to target the enemy. The Gatling Gun allowed opposing sides to take out mass number of soldiers because they were fighting in a line. This made an open fire and the men easily exposed. With the 200 rounds, the soldiers could fight nonstop and take out their enemies.
 * Support || Opposing ||
 * * The guns now have better aim and can create more damage when shot.
 * Telegraphs could be used to transport messages instead of sending messngers would could've taken days to deliver.
 * The balloons made it so the soldiers could have better aim and know where they were shooting at
 * Camouflage tents to hid away from their enemies
 * Gatling gun - 200 rounds a minute, took less time to reload and made fighting
 * Ironclad- navy ship that had metal plate. This protects the ships it rebounds.
 * New shapes of bullets allowed them to travel much straighter. They were called mini balls.
 * Rifled muskets || * The new technology caused more damage during the war, leaving battles more bloody and violent.
 * The new technology costs more so the funding of the army was devoted more to the technology.
 * They fought in a straight line. The Gatling gun wiped out more people at once.
 * People were overheating in the ironclad because it is made of metal and they are shooting cannons out from the ships. They were cooking themselves.
 * Balloons could catch on fire or if they put out the fire too fast, they literally drop dead. ||

3) By 1863 I think the Confederates were winning the Civil War because they were more organized compared to the Union. The Union had more people but the casualty number of the Union was greater than that of the Confederates. The Union had to constantly change commanders during the war and the strategies were not always the same. The Confederate army were just as inexperienced as the Union volunteer army but the Confederate were fighting for their lives. The north, just wanted a short war to get it over with. The Confederate States of America were fighting to prove their independence and defend their homes.

**Confederacy:**

2 advantages

1) Trying to defend/survive on their homeland 2) Competent (effective) officers -Most of the Army officers are from the South.

June 8, 2011

Do Now:

In 1863 the Confederacy started fighting back. Lee knew that the Union were losing a lot of men so he took advantage of the Union when they were split apart to attack them.

They were walking through their shoes. They were practically barefoot and they could not get shoes. Lee has to invade the north to get shoes. There was a shoe factory in Gettysburg, PA. Battle of Gettysburg, biggest, bloodiest battle in the US History. It was the turning point of the Civil War. The Confederacy was winning but after the Battle of Gettysburg, the Union started to win.



1) The Confederate Army had the advantage the first day of fighting because they had more soldiers. The Union was overpowered and they had to retreat while the Confederates were still standing strong during that first day of fighting. They couldn't have been more successful because they were winning during the first day and they lost less men that the Union had.


 * Part A :**




 * Main Idea :**

A soldier of the Union army became in command of his regiment and he was to march his unit to Gettysburg. They marched nonstop in harsh conditions, by the time they go to Gettysburg, the men dropped onto the field where they slept. Surrounding them were bodies of dead and wounded men. They did not fight much during the first two days but then they were really hit. The men fought back until General Lee and his army fled to Virginia.

**//Part A: A Soldier's View of Gettysburg//**

**1.** What part did Elisha Hunt Rhodes play at Gettysburg?

Elisha was a private in the Union army but then he became commander of his regiment. He was leading the men of the Union army to fight at Gettysburg. Here, because of his exhausted men, he expresses how they fought continously until the men dropped to the ground to sleep next to the dead and wounded men.

**2.** How was he able to justify the suffering endured by the Union troops?

He contiously told how exhausted the men were and how they just dropped to the ground due to exhaustion. The men march 34 miles nonstop and that was when they just dropped to the ground next to the dead and wounded men along with the horses and weapons on the field. The Union troops had to march in the rain, with muddy conditions and then to rest in wet clothing with nothing to cover themselves with. **3.** How did he respond to the Union victory?

Rhodes was extremely happy about the Union's victory. They Union army started to march back slowly due to the terrible conditions. Rhodes mentions that he wants to know what the South are thinking of the "yankees" now because of the victory. He thinks that the South wouldn't dare to invade the North again.

//**All Parts**// **:**
 * 1.** How does reading these personal accounts compare with reading summaries of Civil War battles in textbooks? Do they make you more aware of the personal suffering of the participants?

Reading the personal accounts allow us to see what is actually happening during the battles or events. When reading the summary in the textbook, we are learning from what someone else heard and learned about. Withthe personal accounts, we get a direct reading from the person or people who were actually there. This does make me more aware of personal suffering of participants because they can make a reader feel it with the tone and mood of their writing. I think that by reading personal accounts, I can make connections to the reading better than reading book summaries.

**2.** What are some disadvantages of relying on personal accounts of historical events?

Relying on personal accounts of historical events means that we are taking a risk that all of the information given could be false. Just like how Olaudah Equiano wrote about the Middle Passage of the slave trade. We don't know if he really did take the trip himself or he completely made it up. Personal accounts gives us a deeper look on things but this means that we have to take the risk of believing the source.

**Part B: The Call to Duty** In 1861 Georgian Edward Porter Alexander was an officer in the U.S. Army stationed in Washington Territory. He commanded the 1st Corps, C.S.A. Reserve Artillery at Gettysburg, and later in his career took command of the entire First Corps' artillery. He was responsible for mounting the large bombardment preceding Longstreet's assault on July 3. Alexander rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the Confederate army and survived the war. He later wrote:
 * Part B : (Vicky)**

Of course as soon as the news of the secession of Georgia reached us at Fort Steilacoom, some three or four weeks after the event, I knew that I would finally have to resign from the U.S. Army. But I did not believe war inevitable & I felt sure I could get a place not inferior in a Southern army, & I really never realized the gravity of the situation. As soon as the right to secede was denied by the North I strongly approved of its assertion & maintenance by force if necessary. And being young & ambitious in my profession I was anxious to take my part in everything going on. As it soon became clear that our detachment would be ordered to return to the East...I waited for the orders to come & to get back to the East before resigning.

I did not feel any doubt about what I had to do under the circumstances. Georgia had seceded. All the seceded states had united & organized a Confederacy, & the Confederacy was raising an army. The only place for me was in that army. [this soldier believed that he too, like Robert E. Lee, would serve not the U.S. Army now that his home state of Georgia has seceded.] So in the course of a day or two I had a talk with [his Commanding Officer] McPherson, telling him that I felt bound to resign & go home, & asking that he would receive & forward my resignation & give me leave of absence that I might sail on same steamer taking it & not be required to wait in California to receive its acceptance, which would detain me about two months.

McPherson's reply was remarkable....He said: ' Aleck if you must go I will do all I can to facilitate your going. But don't go. These orders, sent by Pony Express to stop you here, are meant to say to you that if you wish to keep out of the war which is coming you can do so. You will not be required to go into the field against your own people, but will be kept out on this coast on fortification duty. Gen. Totten likes you & wants to keep you in the corps & that is what this order means'....His earnest talk impressed me deeply & made me realize that a crisis in my life was at hand....I could only answer this: ' Mac, My people are going to war, & war for their liberty. If I don't come & bear my part they will believe me a coward--and I will feel that I am occupying the position of one. I must go and stand my chances. [He too feels that it is a duty and if he doesn't it will make him seem like a coward. He is a soldier and wants to fight for his home state.] ' ...I told McPherson we were going to fight for our ' liberty.' That was the view the whole South took of it. It was not for slavery but the sovereignty of the states, which is practically the right to resume self government or to secede. [He says that the fight is about the right to secede. So, whwat happened to the fight practically based on slavery?]

//Reprinted from// Fighting for the Confederacy: The Personal Recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander. //Edited by Gary W. Gallagher. Copyright 1989 by the University of North Carolina Press. Used by permission of the publisher.//

Main idea: When a soldier's home country is seceding and is leaving the Union, there seems to be a feeling of duty to battle alongside your people for liberty. (There is a hard conflicting feeling to stay in the Union Army or go battle with your people, either way, a choice must be made.)

**1.** How did Edward Porter Alexander feel about Georgia's secession? I think that Alexander's feelings about Georgia's seession seems to be no for the secession: "As soon as the right to secede was denied by the North I strongly approved of its assertion & maintenance by force if necessary." **2.** What option did the U.S. Army provide Alexander to avoid becoming involved in the conflict? They told him that to avoid being involved in the conflict, all he has to do is not get out in the field because he is not required to fight the people in his home state. This means that he doesn't need to be part of this war; he doesn't have to battle. They allowed him to take fortification duty. **3.** How did he justify his choice? Alexander justified his answer by saying that he wants to be part of the battle on the side of his people. They are fighting fo their liberty and if he isn't part of it, the may be seen as a coward. //**All Parts**//

**1.** How does reading these personal accounts compare with reading summaries of Civil War battles in textbooks? Do they make you more aware of the personal suffering of the participants?

I think that it gives me a better and more personal perspective of the Civil War. The battle in the text book seems so dull, nothing of interesting experiences. I like that I can get a whole new perspective of the Civil War.

**2.** What are some disadvantages of relying on personal accounts of historical events?

I think that a disadvantage of relying on personal accounts is that they might be a fake and not true. The accounts might also have exaggerated facts.


 * Part C : (Kristen)**

**" ** Andrew Baker was a soldier in the 22nd North Carolina Infantry, C.S.A., Pettigrew's brigade . He participated in the brutal fighting that opened the battle on July 1 and in the culmination on July 3 . He wrote about his experience on the final day of fighting for the magazine of a Confederate veterans' organization. The Capt. W. T. Magruder to whom he referred was a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and fought for the Union as a captain in the 1st U.S. Cavalry until October 1, 1862. Magruder then joined the Confederate army, became a captain in the 26th North Carolina Infantry, and died at Gettysburg at the hands of his former comrades. Baker wrote about that action:
 * Part C: Changes in Loyalty **

//When we reached to within one hundred yards of the plank fence, which stood on the opposite side of the road passing the cemetery to that of the stone fence, the officers of the Eleventh Mississippi had been largely killed or wounded,  and the  officer who seemed to be in command was Capt. John V. Moore , of the University Grays. He was then in front of Company D, endeavoring to hold the regiment back in line with the troops on our right. I hallooed to him, saying: ' John, for heaven's sake give the command to charge.' He replied that he could not take the responsibility. I then, without authority, gave the command myself, which was promptly repeated and responded to, at which time a run was made for the fence and over it . Just after getting over the fence, and when about half way across the road, I was shot down . The balance of the command which had not been killed or wounded rushed on and jumped the stone fence, charging rapidly to the top of Cemetery Ridge, in line with the Twenty-sixth North Carolina on the right. ////Just after I had fallen I looked to my right, where a little house stood, just against which the end of the stone fence rested on either side. Behind this house some ten or twelve of the Twenty-sixth North Carolina boys for a moment halted, with Capt. W. T. Magruder, who had been formerly a colonel of cavalry in the U.S. army, and who had resigned after the emancipation proclamation and had joined our army, said to them: ' Men, remember your mothers, wives, and sisters at home, and do not halt here.' All responded in a moment, and rushed on to rejoin the regiment, then going to the top of Cemetery Heights. Capt. Magruder himself leaped the stone fence on the western side of the house, and was shot down at once, either as he went over the fence or just after getting over it. //"

//"Main Idea: This was a soldier in the Confederate Army who was at the third day of the Battle of Gettysberg. During battle he was shot. As he was lying on the ground wounded he saw a captain named Capt. W.T Magruder get shot down in battle also. Magruder died at this battle. // 1.Consider Andrew Baker's vivid descriptions of the valiant behavior exhibited in the chaos of battle. Describe the actions of Captain W. T. Magruder. Speculate on his motivations for fighting in both armies before his death at Gettysburg.

A: Magruder was a Valient soldier. He fought in both armies during the Civil War. I think he did this because he was pro slavery. Magruder also was a good guy for telling the soldiers who were just standing there to move. He also trusted Baker and hopped the wall like Baker did.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**2.** Why did Captain John Moore not give the order to charge? How might you have felt in his place? <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">A: I think Moore did not give the order to charge because he knew it wasn't safe. He knew that if any soldiers did they would get shot which is what happened. I think I would've felt pressured and scared in his place because he had to make a decision that could cost someone their life."

The Gettysburg Address:



**1.** How long after the battle did Lincoln give his address? Lincoln gave the address three months after the Battle of Gettysburg. **2.** What did he say about the men who were buried in the cemetery? Lincoln said that the men that are buried in the cemetery didn't die for no reason. They died because they help form the nation that we are living in today. They died for the freedom and new government so it should be carried out by the people, for the people. **3.** How did he give meaning to their sacrifice? Their sacrifice meant that our country has reach our ultimate goal of war. Their sacrifice led us to achieving the outcome of war that we hoped for all along. **4.** What was it that Lincoln wanted the people of the United States to do for the dead soldiers? Lincoln wanted the people of the United States to thank the dead soldiers and appreciate them by finishing up the final task that they left that "people shall not perish from the earth." Lincoln also wanted the people to always remember what these men did for our country and how they died to do so.

Homework:

Battle of Gettysburg Book Cover



June 9, 2011

Do Now:

The Emancipation Proclamation was Abraham Lincoln's strategic move because he was trying to get people believe that he was doing this for their sake. He didnt feel compassion for the slave but he just wanted to get rid of it without offended the north or the south with his actions. The Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves because he needed more men in the Union army so by freeing the slaves he could have more people in the army. Slaves were freed in the rebelling states.

Not all states rebelled therefore they did not have to free their slaves. Missouri, Delaware, Kentucky and Maryland.

Emancipation Proclamation is so important because they were no longer fighting for state's rights but they were fighting about SLAVERY!!! British can't join because they oppose slavery. The queen of Britain would have to join the north if they were going to get involved during the war because the south is supporting slavery. The north was fighting to stop slavery while the south was fighting for slavery. North = good guys, south = bad guys

Britain opposes slavery and the Emancipation Proclamation prevented the British from joining the South. Then, the British would join the war and this would make the Confederates the winner of the war. They would take over the north and then give it to the British.

The fatal flaw of the Emancipation Proclamation is that the border states got to keep their slaves. The border states didn't choose a side because they wanted to remain neutral and keep their slaves. The south needs the slaves but according to the Emancipation Proclamation they are no longer allowed to have slaves. The border states did not rebel so they remain in the Union. Since the border states are in the north, they were fighting against slavery yet there are slaves of the north that has slaves

1) Martial Law 2) No rights until they get rid of slaves