User:William19125

The Civil War

By:William Carter

The Civil War started in 1861 when the north and south couldn’t come to an agreement over the issue of slavery. A Civil War is a war fought between two parties or groups in a single nation. During the American Civil War there were 22 states; 11 free states and 11 slave states. A free state was a state that did not permit or outlawed slavery. A slave state was a state that depended on slavery and actually encouraged it. The events leading up to the civil war include; The Missouri Compromise, The Dred Scott decision, The Kansas Nebraska Act, The Compromise of 1850, The Election of Abraham Lincoln, and the secession of South Carolina. The Missouri Compromise was enacted because Missouri applied for statehood and the North wanted to keep the balance of states fair so the compromise stated that Missouri could enter the Union as a slave state if Maine, another state applying for statehood entered as a free state. Dred Scott was a slave from Alabama whose master and his family moved to Illinois, which was a free state. Scott sued his master for not releasing him and setting him free. The case went to the Supreme Court and the court said that since Scott was a slave he was classified as property. A new master bought him and set him free. The compromise of 1850 was a compromise that would bring California in to the Union as a free state. The Election of 1860 is what finally made South Carolina angry and made them secede from the Union. During the election of 1860 South Carolina threatened the North that if they were to elect Abraham Lincoln of Illinois then the state would secede from the Union. To secede means to break apart or away from something. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, 1809. He won the election of 1860 and as South Carolina promised they left the Union. The convention was held on December 17th, 1860 at Columbia, SC but was quickly adjourned due to the rumors that smallpox was spreading around Columbia. The convention was held in Charleston, SC on December 20th, 1860 and South Carolina officially seceded from the Union. The first shots of the war was said to be a Fort Sumter in South Carolina in 1861. During the Civil War, rural people wore plainer clothes than urban people did. The clothes were instead made from coarser and heaver fabrics than in the city. Those who couldn’t afford the latest fashions bought cheap imitations and used lace to make bows and ribbon. Since the ideal female figure was the “hourglass”, women wore tight corsets, or dresses, to make their waists look smaller in comparison to their hips and busts. Men held their pants up with suspenders or “braces”. Many men in the west used wide leather belts. Many wore loose-fitting vests, often made of wool. Professionals wore suits which fit loosely. Pants were often baggy. White shirts were a sign of prosperity. Confederate camps had small rations, or portions of food, and fewer luxuries than the Union camps. Many fought without shoes unless they took them off of a dead or dying Union solider. Confederate troops also had to scavenge for weapons and ammo. The Confederates wore grey uniforms. About half of the twelve million school age children went to school. More white children went to school than black children. More native born children went to school than immigrants. School began in December and ended in March. In the 1870’s there were only about 500 colleges with about 50,000 students and about 5,000 faculty members. Food was different during the Civil War. Meats included: pork, beef, turkey, chicken, lamb, and mutton. Vegetables included potatoes: mashed, boiled, stewed, baked, and scalloped. This period also introduced fried potatoes. Coffee was the dominant morning beverage. In the north, families lived in brick houses. The south lived in plantation houses. Out west, they saw fewer log cabins and more sod houses. Apartments originated in France and were first seen in New York and New Orleans before the war. In the south, the agricultural economy was destroyed due to the break-down of the slave system, causing the south to fall into poverty. New Orleans was one of the largest cities to be held by the Union for an extended period of time. New Orleans was captured by the Union in 1862.

The Union was able to provide much larger rations, portions of food, to its soldiers, unlike the Confederacy. The food issue or ration was meant to last three days. A soldier’s home in camp was a rectangular piece of canvas buttoned to another to make a two-man tent or “dog-tent”. The soldiers gave it the nickname “dog-tent” because they remarked that only a dog could fit in it and stay dry from the rain. As the war progressed, it was very common for a Confederate camp to be filled with Union tents and blankets.

The solider of 1863 wore a wool uniform. The Unionists called the Confederates “butternuts” because of their tan-grey uniforms. Southern made shoes were made of poor quality. Soldiers were prolific letter writers and wrote every chance they had. Discipline in the military was very strict. ("Clothing and Grooming" 7-11).

At the beginning of the Civil War, firearms of all types were in short supply. The basic weapon of an infantry solider was a single-shot, muzzle-loading percussion musket. The most popular of these muskets was the Springfield produced in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Springfield had a 39 inch long rifled barrel, and could fire a .58 caliber bullet effectively at targets 500 yards away. At the end of the war, total productions of the Springfield approached 1.5 million. The principal shoulder weapon of the mounted services was a short-barreled carbine. These were effective out to 200 yards. Calibers ranged anywhere from .44 to .54. (Barnett 2-3).

By the end of February 1865, Union forces under the command of General William T. Sherman were advancing north from Columbia, SC in the direction of Charlotte, NC. The route of Sherman’s march was critical to the Confederates in NC if they had any hopes of defeating Sherman and eventually unite with General Lee in Virginia to defeat Grant. During this time General Joseph Wheeler, commanding the Confederate troops of Tennessee arrived in Union County, North Carolina. He established his field headquarters at Wilson’s Store about 28 miles southeast of Charlotte, NC and 11 miles south of Monroe, NC. The store was located at present day Walkersville Presbyterian Church. Wilson’s home, General Wheeler’s headquarters, is (still standing) located at the intersection of Brady and Bigham Roads directly across the street from the church cemetery.

During the war, the hill gave a commanding view of the road leading up from Lancaster, SC. Wheeler used the hill as a Confederate artillery position. Wheeler directed his men to entrench along Cane Creek on Sunday, February 26th, 1865. For the next five days his men spread out across Union Co. establishing battle positions. On March 1st, 1865, the Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen. Kilpatrick galloped up the roads to make his demonstration and ran into Wheeler’s troops camped out at Wilson’s Store. (Ganis 1).

In 1864, Booth began making plans to kidnap Lincoln. Booth’s plans failed because Lincoln decided to stay in Washington. Booth made a second attempt on April 14th, 1865. He had heard that Lincoln and Grant were scheduled to attend a play at Ford’s Theater. Booth shot Lincoln in the head at 10:15 pm. At 7:22 am, Lincoln died in his bedroom at the White House in Washington D.C. The Civil War ended with the defeat of General Robert E. Lee and the Union won the war and slavery was abolished forever. (Joe and Adam 12-13).

Barnett, Bertram. "The Civil War Solider." Civil War Small Arms (1991).

"Clothing and Grooming." History Central. 11 Nov. 2008. 17 Mar. 2009 . Ganis, Ralph P. "Skirmish at Wilson's Store." Wilson's Store History (1993).

Joe, and Adam. "Have You Ever Wondered How Lincoln Was Really Killed?" Lincoln. 14 May 1999. 17 Mar. 2009 .