Andersonville Prison

Andersonville was a prison for Union soldiers owned by the Confederate military. It was meant to hold up to 10,000 prisoners but it ended up holding more than 32,000. The site of Andersonville was chosen because it was by a stream and in a remote area. Even though they had a stream, the confederate troops were camped out up the river so when they dumped stuff in the river it made the water so the prison couldn't use it. 13,000 of the people who were living there died because of malnutrition, diseases, contaminated water, exposure and overcrowding. When someone would die they would be stripped and others would take their clothes. Sometimes people would strip them even before they died and leave them just laying there. Every morning the wagon would come and get all the dead bodies and take them to the cemetery, then later in the afternoon around 4 o'clock they would get their rations out of the same wagon. The prisoners did not get very much food and sometimes it wasn't cooked so they traded if they didn't have wood to cook it. Another one of their problems was the prison used all the wood in the woods nearby so everyone just got a piece of wood the size of a match and that was all they got. Sometime they would get no match to cook their food so the prisoners ate it raw. They also didn't have a real place to sleep so they would make their own shebangs which was what they called their shelters. There was no real way for them to get clean so they would sometimes substitute sand for soap. Sometimes the prisoners tried to escape but they were shot by guards who were guarding the fence. If the prisoners got in trouble then Henry Wirz-the commander of the prison- would hang them by their thumbs for punishment. After the war was over Henry Wirz was arrested and charged for murder and impair the health of the soldiers so they couldn't fight. His sentence was hanging. He was hanged on November 10, 1865.


This is Andersonville during the Civil War.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Andersonville_Prison.jpg

This is the Andersonville cemetery today.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM31s3fSFt52aCL8PVlPkH6QZwBD84zn_W0JuaRAEyTatop0IPR5TRgmR5yKixnW6Nn4CzusrHOmCzKteNq2a1dJY3vLr1f6MPhbXAMCTLIUm9zKmy8XQS5CdS-RfOPjHRk9x9vBoB260/s1600-h/andersonville03_9.jpg

This is Henry Wirz the commander of Andersonville who was killed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Wirz_photo.jpg

Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Union Blockade of GA's coast, Sherman's Atlanta Campaign and Sherman's March to the City

After the turning point in the war, the fighting continued in southern states like Georgia. Chickamauga was the first major battle in Georgia. The union army came down to the south and went to Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park where they fought, then they went back to Chattanooga where they were trapped until Grant came to open a supply line. This was because Georgia's coast was tightly blockaded by the Union so the Confederates couldn't import supplies. Lee decided they would probably loose if they fought against the blockades so he used his troops for other battles. When Grant got a supply line to his troops in Chattanooga, it became a supply hub for the Atlanta Campaign. The Atlanta Campaign was when General Sherman was in Atlanta waiting for approval for his march to the sea. He waited for two months and while he waited he evacuated the city with a letter to the people of Atlanta. The letter said he wasn't going to change his mind but he was giving them time to get out before he started burning it. Sherman had to have his march because Atlanta was a big city and the Union needed another win. Even though the march would help the Union, it was risky because his soldiers had to live off the land and take food from the Georgians living there. The march would ensure Lincoln's reelection, it would be demoralizing to the southerners, stop confederate supply lines and there were already problems with confederate leadership so the march was really important to the Union. During the march, the union soldiers saw slavery for the first time and took slaves with them to help them get away from slavery. However, the slaves weren't ensured food but they still came with them. Sherman had personal views of slavery and African Americans which he wrote in his journal. He wrote about how he didn't like Africa Americans but he put those feelings aside and there are pictures of him shaking hands with the slaves.

This is the map of battle of Chickamauga and Chattanooga.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chickamauga_Sep20_3.png

This is when Georgia's coast was blockaded.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=6Ee1tWvOefROyM&tbnid=lURwMtx2ReN94M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdeadconfederates.com%2F2012%2F10%2F02%2Fthe-marines-tale-a-fox-chase%2F&ei=AanuUvHhB5DesATw0YDYBg&psig=AFQjCNGISgww6GuxE1Xv_hosLGoiOpODtg&ust=1391458944269094

This is General Sherman.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=r3SQKGOeQb8cfM&tbnid=obCFDPdPBl3UrM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffineartamerica.com%2Fart%2Fall%2Fwilliam%2Btecumseh%2Bsherman%2Fcanvas%2Bprints&ei=M6ruUtGmN5aosASIpICQCg&psig=AFQjCNGeow6mhA1W7uYXXnPit_5zRjCk7A&ust=1391458991632339

This is a picture of Sherman's march to the sea. It is people watching their building being burned.

http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/march-sea/sherman-burning-railroad.jpg

The Emancipation Proclomation and Gettysburg

January 1, 1863 the Emancipation Proclamation was put into effect. When Lincoln worded it he had to be very careful since he didn't want to upset the border states. If he upset Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri and Delaware then they would side with the Confederates which would double their size. Since the border states were slave states and they needed slaves, Lincoln had to be careful what the Emancipation Proclamation said very carefully to please most people. It stated that slaves in certain states and certain places were now free and the government would treat them like free citizens. The turning point in the war was Vicksburg and Gettysburg. There were so many problems going on in the south including a bad economy, lost slave-labor, and many soldier were leaving the army. Lee wanted to force North to call for peace and to gain foreign intervention for the south however they ended up retreating to Virginia. It was the bloodiest battle in the civil war with 50 thousand casualties. After the defeat for the confederates at Gettysburg, the rest of the war was in favor of the union.

This is Abraham Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation and putting it into effect.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=htHHcbSJ_qsKgM&tbnid=VyakwYWndQ8CTM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhereandnow.wbur.org%2F2013%2F01%2F01%2Femancipation-proclamation-anniversary&ei=VZfuUsW-AoLKsQSJ4YCwCA&bvm=bv.60444564,d.aWc&psig=AFQjCNG0z2VqAKgHTawAZ_UHMyOgEfhVsQ&ust=1391454033394778

This is a picture of Gettysburg and it shows how close they fought to each other.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=sLx5ekbgq5YlsM&tbnid=0-I0Wvf4DoIfwM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prx.org%2Fpieces%2F98152-gettysburg&ei=QpjuUradBarEsAS1hoGoBA&psig=AFQjCNEKHU5W-TJc5rrDyMzC2cKLEKNBsg&ust=1391454587313866

 

Dred Scott Case, Elecion of 1860, secession in GA and Alexander Stephens' role

Dred Scott was a slave who lived in a free state. Many people would have thought that since he lived in a free state for two years he would have been considered a citizen. However, when he sued for his freedom, the supreme court ruled he was not a citizen so he could not sure anyone in court. This made the North mad since the supreme court ruled he was not a citizen because he was once a slave. The Election of 1860 was when President Abraham Lincoln won his presidency. After he won, South Carolina seceded first. Then on January 19, 1861 Georgia seceded. Even though Georgia did secede there were cooperationists who wanted to stay but the secessionists won the vote. Initially, Alexander Stephens was not completely sure if they should secede or not but eventually he realized it was unavoidable. He was then chosen as the Vice President of the Confederacy. He was in favor of the compromise of 1850 because it included the Fugitive Slave Act. He took part in the secession of Georgia because he realized it was going to happen and he helped them secede.

 
This is a picture of Dred Scott.
 http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=a44jYeoOEtuxOM&tbnid=9WW6js2FppAl_M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeopleus.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Frussia-and-us-in-early-years.html&ei=ZIPgUoaTJ8O2kQeajoHwAw&bvm=bv.59568121,d.eW0&psig=AFQjCNGzdKwRiiO912YwKV6P0gyiR69JrA&ust=1390531085188009

 
This is a picture of Alexander Stephens after he was appointed Vice President.
http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/Confederat_Cabinet_Photos/Alexander_Stephens.jpg

Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Fugitive Slave Act, Georgia Platform and Kansas-Nebraska Act

The Missouri Compromise was in 1820 when the state of Missouri was admitted into the United States as a slave state. However, they needed to keep the balance of free and slave states so Maine was admitted as a free state. They decided to not let slavery north of the 36 30 Parallel. When California wanted to join it would make the free-slave state numbers uneven so California was allowed as a free state. Since California was free, Texas gave up land and received $10 million. Slavery was then abolished in D.C to balance it out and the fugitive slave act was passed. This was known as the Compromise of 1850. The Fugitive Slave Act was if northerners found runaway slaves they were forced to return them to their owners. This made the northerners mad since they were against slavery. The slave act also made more federal agents to enforce the laws so it was harder to get away with anything and people were also denied a jury trial. Georgia Platform was also in 1850 along with the Compromise and the Slave Act. The Platform was when Georgia agreed to the Compromise with their own terms. The North had to obey the Fugitive Slave Act and couldn't try to ban slavery in new territories. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was when Kansas and Nebraska would vote on weather they would have slavery in their states or not. It repealed the Missouri Compromise when they did this.


This is a map of the United States after the Missouri Compromise.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/Missouri_Compromise_Line.svg

 
This is a map of the United States in 1850 after the Compromise.
http://www.compromise-of-1850.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Compromise-of-1850-map.jpg

 This is a poster when a slave ran away so they could be returned.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=CDTdG0SDYaLxDM&tbnid=s80qP0ETDDjV2M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Famericanabolitionist.liberalarts.iupui.edu%2Fresistance.htm&ei=RKTdUq3kEYSUkQf5y4DYDA&bvm=bv.59568121,d.eW0&psig=AFQjCNFmoZUa0Riq8dt3TL2XXwAkclo0Sw&ust=1390343577779702

States' rights, nullification and Sectionalism

States' rights are that the needs of the state should come before the needs of the federal government. In 1832, South Carolina asserted their states rights by ignoring the federal tariff law. This almost caused war because president Jackson sent troops out to South Carolina. The goods the South produced also became more expensive for the North to buy. The North was mad about this which is why states'  rights lead to the civil war. The Nullification Crisis was a huge problem in the United States because the South opposed the federal tariff. Sectionalism is the tension between regions of the county, in this case America. It was also a cause of the Civil War because it is the opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is the love for one's country. There was North-South tension because they were progressing in different ways. The North had more factories and were manufacturing more while the South were still mainly agriculture based. The North did not agree how the South owned slaves. However, in the South the people had more land with more farms which needed slaves to maintain.

This picture shows how the States were divided due to states' rights.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRt2mcc131MZw7RLfR0hR4VuCUPQ_xH8v3fA4BSD8qH0IX6HRyaAosWVDYEzF4a7xywAkizRyH1NDFs4raGbzQc4q8X4wp40hEu8RhwcgTwEPnMLZZcac5k2GoEEFixrdr7dN63s1fBlGf/s320/civil-war-cartoon.jpg*



This is a picture of how the United States was split during sectionalism and the civil war.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USA_Map_1864_including_Civil_War_Divisions.png

Confederate and Union srengths/weaknesses and First Battles

The Confederate and the Union both had strengths and weaknesses. The Confederate had much better generals who could fight and liked to fight. The Union generals did not like to fight and didn't take the war very seriously in the beginning. The Confederate had the advantage of fighting on their own land so they were not worried about gaining land unlike the Union. The South depended on the North for their every day things so when they were fighting they were cut off from them. The Union had twice as many men so they had a big advantage because they had more men to fight. There was better transportation in the north so they could transport goods and people. The first battle of the Civil War was Fort Sumpter or Sumter off the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. Lincoln gave South Carolina a choice to either wait to shoot or go ahead and fire. When they attacked on April 12,1861, the war began. After two days of fighting, Fort Sumpter was taken by the northern states. The next battle was Bull Run or Manassas at Bull Run Creek. The Union troops attacked The Confederate troops where they were stationed but the Union didn't take the battle very seriously because northerners went with picnic baskets to watch the fighting. During the fighting The Union troops had killed most of the Confederate troops but when they thought it was over Stonewall Jackson's reinforcement troops came. That was when The Union realized the war was going to take more effort, time and money than they thought. September 17,1862 the battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg took place. It was the bloodiest single-day battle however there was no official winner. In 1862, The Union only won two of the battles they fought so because the Union did not technically loose the battle, Lincoln considered it a win and put the Emancipation Proclamation into effect.

This is a picture of the battle of Antietam since it lasted only one day and it was the bloodiest battle.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=UCgfEjMq3-qi-M&tbnid=3q5ImzIly4lumM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jenjdanna.com%2Fblog%2F2012%2F2%2F21%2Fforensic-case-files-147-years-after-the-battle-of-antietam-a.html&ei=jpLdUvHTNoi6kQfit4DoBw&psig=AFQjCNGPnxCz9qJzrsBtGcp2x3TzX02Mfg&ust=1390338839859382