Important People of the Civil War
Leaders of the North
Abraham Lincoln: Shortly after the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg), Lincoln issued a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which took effect on January 1, 1863, and freed all of the slaves in the rebellious states but left those in the border states (loyal to the Union) in bondage Ulysses S. Grant: The Hero of the Civil War. As the Civil War reached its peak, grant sought to win control of the Mississippi Valley. In February 1862, he took Fort Donelson in Tennessee, which was the first Union victory of strategic importance. Irvin McDowell: The cautious McDowell, then in command of the 35,000 Union volunteer troops gathered in the Federal capital, knew that his men were ill prepared and pushed for a postponement of the advance to give him time for additional training. But Lincoln ordered him to begin the offensive nonetheless, reasoning (correctly) that the rebel army was made up of similarly amateur soldiers. McDowell’s army began moving out of Washington on July 16; its slow movement allowed Beauregard (who also received advance notice of his enemy’s movements through a Confederate espionage network in Washington) to call on his fellow Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston,for reinforcements. Johnston, in command of some 11,000 rebels in the Shenandoah Valley, was able to outmaneuver a Union force in the region and march his men towards Manassas. George B. McClellan : McClellan opposed the outright abolition of slavery, though he was equally committed to the preservation of the Union. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, he accepted command of the volunteer army of the state of Ohio. His skill at training the Ohio Volunteers won him favor in Washington, and he was soon promoted to the rank of major general in the regular army. In the spring and summer of 1861, McClellan won a series of small battles in western Virginia and gained the nickname “The Young Napoleon.” After the sobering Union defeat at the First Battle of the Bull Run, under the command of Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, McClellan was called to Washington and given command of forces that he organized into the famed Army of the Potomac. George C. Meade: In 1842 Meade reenlisted in the Army and served as a junior officer in the Mexican-American War (1846-48). He spent the 1850s in the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers building lighthouses and breakwaters on the Atlantic coast, and also helped conduct the first geodetic survey of the Great Lakes Ambrose Burnside: Burnside was commissioned as an artillery officer, and his unit served on garrison duty during the Mexican-American War (1846-48). He next served on the western frontier and was wounded in the neck by an arrow during fighting against the Apache in 1849. In 1852 he was stationed at Ford Adams in Newport, Rhode Island During this time he met and wed Mary Richmond Bishop, a local woman from Providence. Joseph Hooker: Hooker’s first field experience came in Florida during the Second Seminole War (1835-42). He later participated in the Mexican-American War (1846-48) as a staff officer, serving under the likes of famed General Winfield Scott and future U.S. President Zachary Taylor. A highly capable soldier, Hooker earned numerous accolades for bravery and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. After the war, he served as assistant adjutant general of the Pacific Division in California. William T. Sherman: After they lost Atlanta, the Confederate army headed west into Tennessee and Alabama, attacking Union supply lines as they went. Sherman was reluctant to set off on a wild goose chase across the South, however, and so he split his troops into two groups. Major General George Thomas took some 60,000 men to meet the Confederates in Nashville, while Sherman took the remaining 62,000 on an offensive march through Georgia to Savannah, “smashing things” (he wrote) “ to the sea.” |
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What do most of these leaders have in common?
Most of them have served in the army or military.
Most of them have served in the army or military.
Which side seemed to have the more stable leadership? Explain your answer.
The North Side,because most of the people from the north side stood up for something they or other people believed in.
The North Side,because most of the people from the north side stood up for something they or other people believed in.
How is good leadership important in any conflict?
If you have a good leader your problem will be solved easier and quickly.
If you have a good leader your problem will be solved easier and quickly.
Pretend that you have been asked to write a speech about your favorite hero. Who would you choose? What makes that person a hero?
My Dad ,because he served his country in the military and I think of him as a hero.
My Dad ,because he served his country in the military and I think of him as a hero.