A Brief Note On The American Civil War

The analysis of how the Southern States lost the Civil War is based on three articles, each with a different perspective. According to Died of Democracy by David Donald, the Confederates were defeated because of internal challenges facing the 11 Sothern States seeking independence. Some of the challenges facing the Confederate States of America included a predominantly agricultural economy and slave revolts. In Why the South Lost by Beringer et al., the authors argue that the Confederates lost because of their weak nationalism, which was constantly undermined by the feelings of guilt over slavery. Confederates’ nationalism had shallow foundations, which caused the Southern to lack the will to fight for their nation. In the Blue over Grey: Why the North Won George Frederickson articulates that the North prevailed over the South because the North’s social system was more adaptive to the changing present. From the accounts of the war, it is clear that Southern States had the will to fight for their ideologies and social system. The Southern society was less innovate and adaptive; however, the internal challenges facing the Confederates states of America is the best explanation for why the South lost the Civil War.

In 1994, McPherson wrote the book, What They Fought For: 1861-1865, about his exploration on the motivations of the soldiers that fought in the Civil War (“James M. McPherson” par. 6). He analyzed the letters and diaries of twenty-five thousand soldiers, ultimately determining the reasons for the soldier’s continuance to fight during the Civil War.

Today, the Battle of Gettysburg is considered one of the most important battles of the American Civil War. However, with 23,049 casualties on the Union side and 28,063 on the Confederate side, it can also be considered one of the bloodiest (Civil War Trust). Such heavy losses naturally rattled the entire nation and Americans on both sides began to question the war and what it stood for. As Americans gathered together at the consecration ceremony of the Gettysburg National Cemetery, the much acclaimed orator and politician Edward Everett delivered what was meant to be the Gettysburg Address. Yet, today, it is not Edward Everett’s Gettysburg Address that the world remembers, but Abraham Lincoln’s, who was invited to the ceremony almost as an afterthought. Lincoln’s 272 words helped remake America by giving hope to its citizens at a time when they were at their lowest.

The Civil War that occurred was one of the darkest times in our history as a country. It was a time where there was a complete breakdown of social and political systems. Hundreds of thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands more were aversely affected. However, it was also a time of remembrance and significant moral progress. It is remembered as the turning point in American History and would be the foundation for the Civil Rights movement many years later.

Last week I attended the Forum on Government and Public Policy featuring Chuck Raasch, author of Imperfect Union: A Father’s Search for His Son in the Aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg that was held at the Lewis Auditorium. I enjoyed listening to his lecture about his book and his passion for history. Raasch believes that in his mind, the Battle of Gettysburg is the biggest human made disaster, and he explained he felt the need to write his book because he wanted readers to understand the eternal aftermath of war. Imperfect Union revolves around a father, Sam Wilkeson, who lost his son, Bayard, on his first day of battle in the Battle of Gettysburg. After his son’s death, Sam Wilkeson wrote one of the most impactful reports in U.S. history

The little children are freezing to death. My people, some of them, have run away to the hills, and have no blankets, no food. No one knows where they are -- perhaps freezing to death. I want to have time to look for my children, and see how many of them I can find. Maybe I shall find them among the dead. Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."

“More than 600,000 soldiers lost their lives in the American civil war”. (Faust, 2012) It is equivalent to 2% of the current American population, which in present terms, it means six million dead. It was a period of time that made history but also an important historical event that is often overlooked, or even worse that many are misinformed about. In the book, This Republic of Suffering, Drew Faust dissects and illustrates into detail the war for what it really was. Faust primarily focuses on death and the dying and the suffering surrounding it, not only on the individual lives but how it affected the people nationwide, and its devastating circumstances. The Civil War took place from 1861 till 1865. It took a toll on humanity, religious beliefs

Abraham Lincoln was one of the key leaders that had determined the outcome of the Civil War. Despite his inadequacy with being a commander in chief of the Union, his job as a self taught lawyer permitted him to learn more quickly. He had read many different pieces and books about war and different strategies to better understand how to be a good war leader. He had patience, approached situations with caution (McPherson). Being the timid and soft spoken man that he was, most of his ideas given to military generals had been ‘brushed off’. Lincoln then found himself at a turning point. He started to take a more of a firm, assertive approach. After Lincoln’s adjustment in his style of leadership, The Union had a streak of victories, most prominently at the Battle of Vicksburg and Battle of Gettysburg, Gettysburg marking the turning point of the war.

This novel was written in such a way that it branches into the personal lives and experiences of the great men who participated in the Battle of Gettysburg. Instead of briefly touching upon the lives of the men, it creates an in-depth analysis of each moment, regardless of how great or small it was, and uses it to further explain the actions of the men. The lives of the men are inexorably woven together in such a way that further proves the connection we all have with one another.

It was April 14th, 1865 and another day without my beloved son, Wille. I awoke and got dressed with one of my many dresses. As I get dressed, the headline flash through my mind, First Lady spends the President’s Money on Dress, they are always criticizing me about my jealous temper and shopping habits. Oh never mind them I think, it’s nothing I can control. I look for Abe as my maid attends to my morning routine necessities. I must be honest, this war has cost my family so much. It is so demanding of my husband and all I wish is for some time with him. To my shock, Robert, my son, and Abraham are seated at the breakfast table. Taking a seat, I watch as my husband grins from ear to ear while listening to Robert.

The American Civil War, which began in 1861 to 1865, has gone down in history as the one of the most significant events to have ever occurred in the United States of America, thus far. At that time, questions had arose wondering how the United States ever got so close to hitting rock bottom, especially being that it was a conflict within the country itself. Hostility steadily grew through the years dividing the nation further and further, and finally leading to the twelfth day in April 1861 in Fort Sumter, North Carolina. The American Civil War was an irrepressible battle and aside from the obvious physical effects of the war, the disagreement over states rights, the act of slavery, and the raising of tariffs played crucial roles in the

The second work our class read this semester was literature scholar Randall Fuller’s From Battlefields Rising. Fuller attempted to exam the manner in which Civil War changed the view of America’s

In the Civil War the North had many advantages over the South. The South was outnumbered, out supplied, and pushed into a corner using military tactics. Many things changed because of the Civil War. The military tactics used by the North changed how war was fought from then on. Many changes were made politically; some were only temporary, while others were permanent. After the war was over, the country was reunited and the image of the soul and duty of our country redefined.

On April 26th, 1861, a war started that would lead about 2,750,000 men into an inferno of hunger, torture, and outright annihilation that would kill almost 23% of all of the men who joined. The common soldier would suffer through hellish battles, sleepless hours of guard duty, starvation, and long, mind numbing marches which would lead to even more suffering. Men who had come looking for honor and glory would be lucky to leave with their lives. The average life of a civil war soldier would be filled with challenges, but not challenges that could not be overcome. Men not only survived, but thrived under the abhorrent circumstances and lived to tell about it. I was not one of those men, but my story will live on.

This letter is set three years before the first aspect and it gives a concerned mother’s point of view since she already lost a loved one during this dangerous war. For example, “I’ve always told you both to follow your hearts and do what it says. The North wants the South to rejoin them and I do not disagree. The South seceded because they think the government is becoming too strong and is trying to control their way of life. The Union on the other hand thinks it’s so much more than that; they think that president Lincoln will force them to give up slavery and they do not want that. The recent attack on Fort Sumter was resulted in a Confederate victory and President Lincoln has called for 75,000 volunteers. Reading the results of Fort Sumter in the Clarion News has gotten me thinking about never seeing you both again. I can never forgive myself if I lost you both after your father died during John Brown’s Raid you two became the only family I have left.” This aspect not only prepared me for future history courses, but it also opens me up to new experiences such as: exploring the lives of military families and the ups and downs of the political world. I enjoyed writing this aspect because it gave me a chance to explore a parent’s view of war and their hesitation to let them enter a