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Chapter 16
The Civil War and the Republic
1861–1865
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Contrast Abraham Lincoln’s and Jefferson Davis’s methods and success in
mobilizing for war.
• Describe the opening strategies in the eastern and western theaters of the Civil War.
CHAPTER OVERVIEW
The Civil War, as we have seen, grew out of major differences dividing the North and the South.
Slavery was at the heart of these differences, yet the North went to war claiming that its sole
purpose was to preserve the Union, and the Confederacy insisted that it was fighting for
independence, not slavery. The ideals and arguments of both sides drew upon the American past.
Supporters of the Union denied, as Jackson had denied in his proclamation on nullification, that
The Civil War depended on the mobilization of society’s human, economic, and intellectual
resources. The chapter opens with the first major battle, at Bull Run, before which neither side
had anticipated the magnitude of the struggle ahead. Jim Tinkham’s lighthearted attitude when
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THEMES
The Demands of War
Sustaining a commitment to total war required effective political leadership. This task fell on
Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, presidents of the rival governments. Davis had more
experience, both in national politics and military affairs; however, Lincoln was a superb
politician and a more strategic thinker. Where Davis would inject himself as commander in chief
in the petty details of maneuver, he failed to create any overarching strategy. In contrast, Lincoln
first defined the goals and then designed a strategy, however seemingly unconventional, to attain
those goals.
Opening Moves
The Union proclaimed a blockade of the Southern coast, which became more effective every
year. In addition, European powers refused to recognize the Confederacy or intervene militarily.
The first Union successes occurred in the West, where Ulysses S. Grant invaded Tennessee and
Emancipation
As the fighting dragged on, Lincoln came under mounting pressure to attack slavery as a way to
win the war. Under pressure from the Radical Republicans, Congress passed a series of laws that
undermined slavery, and the Union refused to return runaway enslaved African Americans to
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The Confederate Home Front
War brought increasing hardship and moral decay on the Confederate home front. With
European exports severely cut by the blockade, the Confederacy attempted to build up its
The Union Home Front
Civilians in the Union suffered less. The North was prosperous and well-fed during the war, and
the inflation rate was much lower. Congress passed several laws to promote economic growth,
including a protective tariff, a Homestead Act, the Land Grant College Act, and a national
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The Civil War in Memory and Reenactment
Much like Jim Tinkham from the chapter opener, soldiers in both armies soon discovered that
war was much more tedious and far less glamorous than they had envisioned. Soldiers
experienced great hardship from disease, poor food, and exposure, as well as risking life and
limb fighting. The mounting casualty lists bore down with special force on the common soldiers.
The Union’s Triumph
The war’s turning point came in 1863 when the Union won twin victories at Gettysburg and
Vicksburg. Gettysburg destroyed Lee’s offensive capabilities, while Grant’s victories in the West
that year led Lincoln to appoint him commanding general. With the Mississippi in Union hands,
Grant instructed William Tecumseh Sherman to drive a diagonal wedge through the Confederacy
LECTURE STRATEGIES
Total War and Resources
That the Civil War was a total war may not strike students as a remarkable proposition, partly
because much of what they associate with the concept is old hat to today’s civilization, which
has fought two global wars and remains armed for a nuclear conflict. From the modern point of
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Centralization of Power
It might be interesting to lecture about the similar effects that the war had on both sides.
A good framework might be explaining the many ways Lincoln and the Republicans in Congress
centralized power in the national government at the expense of the states, as well as the degree to
African Americans and Women during the War
The experiences of African Americans and women in the war could also be treated by comparing
the Union and the Confederacy, or as part of a lecture on the home fronts in each section. For
Blacks, both behind the lines and under Union control, the war was a liberating experience. The
The Experiences of Common Soldiers
Students usually find the experiences of the common soldiers in both armies interesting.
Bell Wiley’s two books, The Life of Johnny Reb and The Life of Billy Yank, provide a full
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The War as Revolution?
A good way to tie together the series of Civil War lectures would be to conclude by looking at
the war as a revolution. Lincoln declared that he did not want the war to become a remorseless
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
A Republic of Suffering
The Civil War brought together Napoleonic military strategies with weapons technology—the
rifle and conical bullet, light mobile artillery—that heavily advantaged defense positions and
Lincoln as a Wartime President
Lincoln as a wartime president also merits debate. Why does he rank so highly in the assessment
of historians? What would his historical reputation have been if he had died in the summer of
1864, or if he had not been reelected? What qualities made him a more effective leader than
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Comparing Home Fronts
Students might also profitably compare the experiences of the Union and the Confederate home
Experiences of Soldiers
Another approach would be to contrast the experiences of civilians on the home front with
soldiers in the ranks. Did the war mean the same thing to soldiers and civilians? How did the
Sweeping Changes Wrought by the War
Discussion might conclude by considering the war’s imprint on the nation. What fundamental
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