Free Essays on American Civil War

The American Civil War â€Å"Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal† (Barney 147). Abraham Lincoln’s famous opening statement of the Gettysburg Address shows the general attitude of the Northern United States in this Civil War. The American Civil War was a war fought between the northern sixteen states making up the United States and the eleven seceded states creating the Confederate States of America between 1861 and 1865 (Civil 1- 5)(Catton 567). There were many different economical and political reasons for this war, but as Lincoln often noted slavery was the root cause (Barney 61). Most of the battles in this great war occurred very close to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, although many key battles were won and lost in the heart of the nation (Barney 349). The American Civil War was one of the most influential events in American history. Lincoln’s victory in the election of 1860 was the "straw" that broke the Union into two separate countries, the north and the south. The first state to leave the union was South Carolina; it was soon followed by six other states: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. History showed that it wasn’t until Lincoln called for troops in April of 1861 that Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee join the south completing the eleven state confederacy (Civil 1-5). Lincolns call for troops had an overwhelming turnout from all sixteen of the United States: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin (Katcher 155-56). The list of great generals and soldiers on both sides of this conflict seems to never end. There were many great... Free Essays on American Civil War Free Essays on American Civil War The American Civil War â€Å"Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal† (Barney 147). Abraham Lincoln’s famous opening statement of the Gettysburg Address shows the general attitude of the Northern United States in this Civil War. The American Civil War was a war fought between the northern sixteen states making up the United States and the eleven seceded states creating the Confederate States of America between 1861 and 1865 (Civil 1- 5)(Catton 567). There were many different economical and political reasons for this war, but as Lincoln often noted slavery was the root cause (Barney 61). Most of the battles in this great war occurred very close to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, although many key battles were won and lost in the heart of the nation (Barney 349). The American Civil War was one of the most influential events in American history. Lincoln’s victory in the election of 1860 was the "straw" that broke the Union into two separate countries, the north and the south. The first state to leave the union was South Carolina; it was soon followed by six other states: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. History showed that it wasn’t until Lincoln called for troops in April of 1861 that Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee join the south completing the eleven state confederacy (Civil 1-5). Lincolns call for troops had an overwhelming turnout from all sixteen of the United States: Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin (Katcher 155-56). The list of great generals and soldiers on both sides of this conflict seems to never end. There were many great... Free Essays on American Civil War The American Civil War I. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the events surrounding the end of the American Civil War. This war was a war of epic proportion. Never before and not since have so many Americans died in battle. The American Civil War was truly tragic in terms of human life. In this document, I will speak mainly around those involved on the battlefield in the closing days of the conflict. Also, reference will be made to the leading men behind the Union and Confederate forces. The war was beginning to end by January of 1865. By then, Federal (Federal was another name given to the Union Army) armies were spread throughout the Confederacy and the Confederate Army had shrunk extremely in size. In the year before, the North had lost an enormous amount of lives, but had more than enough to lose in comparison to the South. General Grant became known as the "Butcher" (Grant, Ulysses S., Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant, New York: Charles L. Webster & Co.,1894) and many wanted to see him removed. But Lincoln stood firm with his General, and the war continued. This paper will follow the happenings and events between the winter of 1864-65 and the surrender of The Confederate States of America. All of this will most certainly illustrate that April 9, 1865 was indeed the end of a tragedy. II. CUTTING OFF THE SOUTH In September of 1864, General William T. Sherman and his army cleared the city of Atlanta of its civilian population then rested ever so briefly. It was from there that General Sherman and his army began its famous "march to the sea". The march covered a distance of 400 miles and was 60 miles wide on the way. For 32 days no news of him reached the North. He had cut himself off from his base of supplies, and his men lived on what ever they could get from the country through which they passed. On their route, the army destroyed anything and everything that they could not use but was presumed usable to t...