Civil War Exhibit
Welcome to Callen Morris' Civil War Exhibit. This exhibit will examine arguably the most historic war in American History through photographs and text. The Civil War, to this day, is America's bloodiest conflict, costing nearly 1,100,000 casualties and claiming more than 620,000 lives.March 4, 1861 marked the inauguration of Republican Abraham Lincoln, who opposed the expansion of slavery. That same day, seven Southern slave states who rely on slavery for their economies formed the Confederacy. With tensions growing, the war between the North and the South was soon to come. On April 12, 1861, the first shot was fired by the Confederate forces on Fort Sumter, an import Union fort in South Carolina. This shot sparked the inevitable war between the Union and the Confederates, or the North and the South, respectively, until the declaration by President Johnson on May 9, 1865 officially ending the insurrection, however, the last shot was not until June 22, 1865. It was a war that is important to the American Identity for it changed the course of the free-soil country we have today.
The North: The Union
The Election of 1860 was pertinent for the success of the North for it elected Republican Abraham Lincoln whose motives were to keep the Union intact and prevent the expansion of slavery, two rationales the Northerners wanted. With the Southerners having divergent viewpoints from the North, particularly, the desire to secede from the Union and to spread slavery. Although Northern leader and President Abraham Lincoln, declared on his inauguration they would not engage in a Civil War, this motive drastically changed on April 12, 1861, when the Confederate forces fired cannons at the Union's Fort Sumter in Charleston, Virginia. This attack at the Northerners' Southern Stronghold inspired many people of all age and occupation to suit up and join the war. However, while these men were all eager (both North and South), they were fairly untrained. This lack of skill was exposed on the first official battle known as the First Bull Run which occurred on July 21, 1861 in Virginia. This battle resulted in a loss for the Union army. However, this loss aided the North for it was a wake up call that this war would not be as quick rather it would be long and bloody which led to many more men signing up and training. However, this was not the last Union loss. From March through July of 1862, a major Union operation was undergoing under the command of Major General George McClellan, a Philadelphia native. This operation, which set out to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond, was the Union's first big offensive tactic. General McClellan planned to advance towards Richmond by utilizing the peninsula that formed from the York and James rivers. There, on June 25, the newly-instated Confederate's General Robert E. Lee battled with McClellan's army for several engagements known as the "Seven Days' Battle", where the Union was defeated. Next came the Battle of Antietam on September 17,1862 in Sharpsburg, Maryland. This battle which is the bloodiest single-day battle in America (over 22,000 killed, wounded, missing, etc.) led to a decisive Union win. The next battle was the Battle of Chancellorsville in Spotsylvania County, Maryland which spanned from April 30- May 6 1863, where the Union lost. In this battle, second-in-command, General Stonewall Jackson was killed which gave some momentum for the North. Then in July of 1863, the famed Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania occurred. This major and bloody battle resulted in nearly 57,000 deaths ad casualties and a Union win over the Confederate South. This was a major component to the success of the North for many leaders of the South perished in the battle thus making it unstable for he Confederate army- a great leg-up for the Union. On November of 1863, Abraham Lincoln gave his famous "Gettysburg Address" speech to commemorate the soldiers who died on the bloody battle and also, to calm down the New York Draft Riots (1963) that were occurring for the Northerners were showing resistance to the draft for they believed it meant and inevitable death. This speech aided in showing the true honor of fighting for your country and that if you do perish, it was for a great and admirable cause. Then in 1865, Lincoln appointed Ulysses S. Grant as General of the Union Army and got rid of George McClellan. A smart decision, for the North's success can be given a lot of credit to the victories and success under General Ulysses S. Grant. Then in "Sherman's March to the Sea" or the "Savannah Campaign", under the command of Union General Sherman, from November 15 to December 21 of 1864, the Union army essentially destroyed and captured numerous cities and towns in Georgia, most notably Atlanta. The last key event that led to the Union's success was the surrender of General Lee at Appomattox house in Virginia. Lee's army was surrounded and after one battle, General Lee realized what he had to do. This surrender of Lee's army signifies the end of the Civil War, not the official end though. Then on April 14 of1865, Abraham Lincoln, while watching the play Our American Cousin at Ford's Theatre, was shot by John Wilkes Booth thus killing the North's leader.
The South: The Confederates
In February of 1861, following the Election of 1860, but before newly-elected republican President Abraham Lincoln came into office, the Confederate nation proclaimed its' secession from the Union. The first seven lower-Southern states decided upon the secession out of fear that the anti-slavery Abraham Lincoln would end slavery, thus destroying the agriculture-based economy of these sates which directly relied and thrived on the cheap labor of slaves. The Confederate South's leader was Jefferson Davis, who in the Election of 1844 was one of the 6 democratic presidential electors, was a man not shy to leadership and was strongly against the Union. This secession put the sectional tension that was present in the Union into a complete divide and it set the stage for the forthcoming Civil War. It was the cannons fired by the Confederate forces on the Unions Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 in South Carolina that broke this tension and led to President Abraham Lincoln of the Union to declare the Civil War on April 15, 1861. The Battle of Fort Sumter, which lasted only two days until the Union surrendered, gave the Confederates control of the fort which was their initial motive. This win over the Union was important for it was the first battle and it set the tone for the South showing the North that they should not be taken lightly. The next important battle for the South was the First Bull Run or according to the South, "The Battle of Manassas", which happened on July 21, 1861 in Virginia. This battle resulted in a win for the Confederate forces commanded by General Joseph E. Johnston which again showed the North that they have the potential to beat the larger Union force. In 1862, Robert E. Lee was made general of the Confederate Army. Known for his impressive tactics and battlefield strategies, his command was important for it led to many Southern victories. Then came the Peninsula Campaign where the Confederates clenched multiple wins in the "Seven Days' Battle" and won the overall victory over the Unions army. Then in September 1862, the Confederates suffered their first loss at the Battle of Antietam and it was a quite brutal loss, indeed. The next major loss occurred at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863 where Stonewall Jackson, an important leader for the Confederates was killed. These losses led to the decline of the Confederate armies success for much of their leadership was dying making it hard for the moral of the Southern troops to stay alive. Then on January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." This hit the confidence of the Confederates greatly for the main reason they were fighting and seceded was for slavery. Next came the Battle of Gettysburg in July of 1863, which was the bloodiest battle resulting in nearly 57,000 deaths ad casualties and a Union win over the Confederate South. In Herman Melville's poem "Gettysburg" he describes the reality of this gruesome war:
"With havoc on wreck, and dashed there with
Pale crews unknown-
Men, arms, and steeds. The evening sun
Died on the face of each lifeless one,
And died along the winding marge of fight
And searching-parties lone."
This massacre of the Confederate forces led to nearly 1/3 of the confederate officers being killed thus leaving again, and absence of strong leadership. Then the "Savannah Campaign", under the command of Union General Sherman, from November 15 to December 21 of 1864, the Union army essentially destroyed and captured numerous cities and towns in Georgia, most notably Atlanta, Charleston, and Columbia. This left the Confederate Nation hopeless and then in April of 1863, General Robert E. Lee met with Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia where he surrendered his army to the Union. This led to the loss of the Civil War for the Confederates thus making them apart of the Union, yet again.
"With havoc on wreck, and dashed there with
Pale crews unknown-
Men, arms, and steeds. The evening sun
Died on the face of each lifeless one,
And died along the winding marge of fight
And searching-parties lone."
This massacre of the Confederate forces led to nearly 1/3 of the confederate officers being killed thus leaving again, and absence of strong leadership. Then the "Savannah Campaign", under the command of Union General Sherman, from November 15 to December 21 of 1864, the Union army essentially destroyed and captured numerous cities and towns in Georgia, most notably Atlanta, Charleston, and Columbia. This left the Confederate Nation hopeless and then in April of 1863, General Robert E. Lee met with Union General Ulysses S. Grant at the Appomattox Court House in Virginia where he surrendered his army to the Union. This led to the loss of the Civil War for the Confederates thus making them apart of the Union, yet again.