Leadership And A Letter : The American Civil War

A month later Charles vainly attempted to arrest five of them for treason, Cromwell was not yet very well known so he was not among these. But when in 1642 the King left London to raise an army, and England approached civil war, Cromwell began to distinguish himself not merely as an outspoken Puritan but also as a practical man capable of organization and leadership. In July he got permission from the House of Commons to allow his constituency of Cambridge to form and arm companies for defense. In August he rode to Cambridge to prevent the colleges from sending their plate to be melted down for the benefit of the King, and when the war began he enlisted a whole troop of cavalry in Huntingdon. As a captain he made his first appearance with his troop at the end of the Battle of Edgehill (October 23, 1642) when Robert Devereux (3rd earl of Essex) was commander in chief for Parliament in the first part of the war. (Smith, 1991)

The American Civil War occurred between 1861 and 1865 and is largely considered the most destructive conflict in U.S. history, resulting in approximately one million military casualties and an inestimable number of civil victims. Much controversy still surrounds the nature of this conflict, as its determining causes are complex. Contemporary international perception may have placed a progressive, anti-slavery label on the whole affair, yet the basic fact remains that nineteenth century America was an increasingly inhomogeneous country and prone to blatant discrepancy.

In addition to being a government official, Caesar Rodney served in the Revolutionary War. Though he never actually saw active duty, he was an important part in Delaware’s militia. He quickly climbed the ranks, gaining the positions of Captain, Colonel, Brigadier General and, finally, Major General. Rodney cracked down on Loyalist support in Delaware during the war. Rodney was a major help to George Washington’s continental army. Delaware had always met or exceeded the quota of both troops and equipment. This dedication to the colony came at a heavy cost to Rodney; his health

Between the Age of Exploration to the end of the Civil War, the United States of America has undergone countless events, people, and ideas in which the history of the country was forever altered. However, out of all these moments in history, the American Civil War of 1861-1865, is by far the most important event in the United States. Known as the largest and most destructive conflict in American history, the Civil War brought into question what kind of nation it would become. The importance of the Civil War can be found in the conflicts, deaths, and questions that were created by this brief event in

Throughout the American history there have been many events that have affected America in either positive or negative ways. One of the most influential events in American history was the American Civil War. The American Civil War was an internal conflict, in which the country divided between the North and South. The North, which was the Union wanted to end slavery, but the South, which was the Confederacy didn’t. This conflict led to many wars between the two sides, which were finally stopped, as the Union, led by Abraham Lincoln, ended up on top, making the country free of slavery. This occurrence brought two different perspectives of how America is today after the Civil War in the form of articles, which are called “Why the Civil War Still Matters” by Robert Hicks and “Lincoln, Liberty and Two Americas” by Charles M. Blow.

Robert Gould Shaw, born in Boston into an abolitionist family, naturally sided with the Union in the Civil War. He had received an education from Harvard prior to entering the family business and when the secession of the south began his sense of duty required him to join the Union. Shaw was a natural leader and quickly was promoted from Lieutenant to Colonel. As a man who proved his worth as a military leader and his family open support for the integration of freed black slaves into the military, it is only fitting that he obtained a command leading the first all-black unit the 54th Massachusetts regiment. This command defined his military career and earned him the respect of his troops and the African American community well beyond his

When we compare the military leaders of both North and South during the Civil War, it is not hard to see what the differences are. One of the first things that stand out is the numerous number of Northern generals that led the “Army of the Potomac.” Whereas the Confederate generals, at least in the “Army of Northern Virginia” were much more stable in their position. Personalities, ambitions and emotions also played a big part in effective they were in the field, as well as their interactions with other officers.

The four-year-long Civil War left the United States in a tattered state with 680,000 to 700,000 Americans dead- not including civilians (Anderson 6). This number is greater than the number of American deaths of World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined (Anderson 6). Furthermore, because the South had lost the Civil War to the North, it now had to change its state governments and laws. The American government struggled to repair the nation ineffectively through Presidential Reconstruction. Once the Presidential Reconstruction Era came to an end, Radical Reconstruction began (history.com).

With the start of the Civil War, Rutherford Hayes left a life of leisure to accept a commission as a major in the 23rd Ohio Infantry. Hayes enjoyed the rugged military life and fought bravely, receiving four wounds in action during his service.

Andrew, an abolitionist from Massachusetts, held the first call for african american soldiers during the Civil War. Even though Massachusetts did not have many African-American residents, by the time the 54th Infantry regiment headed off to training camp, more than 1,000 men had volunteered. This was because many came from other states, such as New York, Indiana, and Ohio; some even came from Canada. One fourth of the volunteers came from slave states and the Caribbean. Fathers and sons, some as young as 16, enlisted together. The most famous people to enlist were Charles and Lewis Douglass, two sons of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass. To lead the 54th Massachusetts, Governor Andrew chose a young white officer named Robert Gould Shaw, a 25 year old. whose parents were wealthy and prominent abolitionist activists. Shaw himself had dropped out of Harvard to join the Union Army.

The United States faced a Civil War from April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865. The Civil War was caused by disagreements between the North and the South on certain social issues and state rights, because of this, the South decided it was its own country and left the Union. After the Civil War reconstruction had to take place. Reconstruction is a program made by the federal government from 1865-1877 to repair the damage caused by the Civil War and restore southern states back to the Union (Lapsansky-Werner, et al. 958). Problems associated with Reconstruction affected the South’s ability to industrialize after the Civil War in multiple ways. This affected the nation as a whole concerning factors such as economic development, infrastructure, labor and human rights.

Oliver P. Morton was a man of many talents and a man who stood out above the rest during the Civil War. A local product from Indiana, Morton who displayed a skillful leadership, a strong and stubborn personality, and sometimes ruthless policies made him one of the most prominent figures not only on the state level but also on the national level. At the time of the Civil War issues such as race and slavery, economics and power dominated Indiana politics. The rallying point and the man that stood in the middle of all the issues Indiana was facing was Oliver P. Morton. He was responsible for rallying and unifying the Hoosiers. Morton prepared the Hoosiers to fight in the Union Army. To truly understand Oliver P. Morton’s impact on Indiana,

He returned to the battlefield, with only one thing on his mind, suicide. So, he took a horse, and rode it directly in front of the Confederate army. He rode and rode, never getting hit by any bullet flying by him. The Union army then crushed the Confederate army and this maid Dunbar a war hero. He pled to the general to keep his leg, and he did.

The Civil War left a country divided not only by property lines and borders but by beliefs as well. Not just religious beliefs, moral beliefs also. It left both sides, north and south struggling, trying to figure out what their next move towards reuniting the divided America was going to be. The period following the end of the Civil War would become known as the “Reconstruction Era.” An era that raised just as many questions as it did answers. A reconstruction of America that seems to carry on many decades later.

A large majority of these “rebels” were the women who had seen their husbands, brothers, or sons go off to defend their state’s rights. The women were particularly nasty towards the Union soldiers: running off when a soldier called for their attention, directing foul language at them, giving them awful glares. “Even the highest in command was vulnerable. While walking with one of his subordinates in the French Quarter, Admiral Farragut was doused when a woman emptied her chamber pot as they passed beneath her balcony” (Gauthreaux). To curb the increasing behavior of the women General Butler issued Order No. 28 which decreed; “As the officers and soldiers of the United States have been subject to repeated insults from the women (calling themselves ladies) of New Orleans, in return for the most scrupulous non-interference and courtesy on our part, it is ordered that hereafter when any female shall, by word, gesture, or movement, insult or show contempt for any officer or soldier of the United States, she shall be