History of the American Civil War - Research Paper Example

? History and Political Science Presentation: A Few Things Not Everyone Knows About the American Civil War DueDate Introduction Wars between peoples have been occurring since the beginning of civilization. Mankind has engaged in warfare for any number of reasons, honor, land, water, borders, and money. However, in the history of the United States, since freeing themselves from British control, no war has ever been fought on American soil, accept one; the American Civil War. This war began when the Unions pressures to disband and do away with the slave industry that the south was entirely dependent upon. The southern states felt that it was not the right of the government to decide laws of individual states. This would ultimately lead to the southern states attempting to secede from the Union and become their own independent nation separate from the United States. Most people know about the Confederacy, the Union, the slavery, and the Emancipation Proclamation, however, there are many other interesting tales and bits of information that most everyone is unfamiliar with and only makes the study of history all the more intriguing. Question: Was the Civil War a war about slavery? Answer: The answer is no. Slavery was only one aspect of the civil war. Although the slavery issue was important to many northerners, however, the unions goal as a whole was to preserve that Union. If the United States could not remain united then we would never survive as a nation. Unfortunately, the southerners saw slaves as property, no more and no less. They could not understand how the federal government could interfere in their property issues; they did not interfere in the transaction of other tools and livestock (Kelly ). To them this was a war that had infringed upon their rights as individual states. Story What was Abraham Lincoln’s first suggested solution to the issue of ending slavery? Well before the war Lincoln was already actively looking for ways to end the institution of slavery once in for all in the United States. However, after long deliberations and meetings with southern, northern, and abolitionist leaders he determined that the racial differences may never be able to be overcome. The two races could never live in harmony in the same country. That it would be better if the slaves were freed and then be relocated to South America and islands near Haiti. Lincoln’s representative even went so far as to put a plan into action and relocated a colony to one such island, however, the soil was spoiled, there was little in the way of shelter, and ultimately the idea was abandoned and forgotten in favor of Lincoln’s later Emancipation Proclamation (Gaffney). Question: What kind of weaponry and artillery was used during the American Civil War? Answer: The civil war weaponry included a number of canons and batteries, which are essentially armed wagons, some with as many as 6 barrels apiece, that can do an impressive amount of damage. There were a total of 46 different rifles and dozens of revolvers that were used throughout the war, from Remington’s to Colt’s. By and large, the Union had the advantage when it came to weaponry and artillery, however, the Confederacy had far greater numbers invested than the Union. Sometimes armaments and ammunition would run out. When this happened many soldiers would then resort to the use of sabers and swords (Smithsonian Institute). Story: Did you know that there were submarines in the Civil War? It is true. Many different types of underwater vessels were considered, they proved to be impractical or failed to function. However, both the Union and the Confederacy had successfully designed submarines. The Union decided that their version, called the “Intelligent Whale,” would not be used in battle; another they purchased from the French, the “Alligator,” also, never saw battle as it was lost at sea. The Confederate submarine called the “Hunley,” named for the man that designed it, was forty feet long, but less than four feet in diameter; looking a great deal like a big cigar. It was operated with steam boilers. A candle was to remain lit to provide both light and proof that the oxygen was plummeting to low. Eight men operate that hand cranks that kept the propellers moving. It carried a single torpedo. In 1864 the “Hunley” fired upon the Union ship the ironclad “Housatonic” and sank it into the sea. However, despite its success the Hunley and its occupants never resurfaced (Lienhard). Question: What made the Battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg so significant in the Civil War? Answer: Up until these two battles it was the Confederacy that had held the full advantage in the war. For a long time and after multiple defeats many believed the South was going to be the victor. However, the nearly 2 month incursion of Vicksburg resulted in the Confederate soldiers starving and ill inside the city confines surrendered to Union troops. Nearly 30,000 men surrendered that day. This number was too many to take into custody so the Union sent them home. The victory at Vicksburg was a shining victory and essential for Union morale, as well as aiding them in securing river rights to the Mississippi River.. Gettysburg lasted only the better part of 3 days, but the Union was able to defeat the Confederates and succeed in sending them back the way that they had come (Hickman). While Vicksburg accounts for the largest surrender on American soil, Gettysburg hold the record for death tolls, thousands men had lost their lives, twice the number that surrendered in Vicksburg, during the course of this battle in total. Story: Despite turning the tide in the Union’s favor the battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg have something else in common. Both battles ended on July 4th, many in the Union could not ignore this coincidence, which these astounding Union victories both ended on the anniversary of the United States Independence. Another interesting story about the Battle of Gettysburg that many people do not know is that it was an accident. While, Vicksburg was planned and strategic event, Gettysburg occurred by chance. The Union convoy saw the Confederate soldiers on the move. They stationed themselves on a parallel course to keep themselves between the Confederate forces and the route to Washington. Many scholars explain that neither side expected that they would start battling that day. However, if the Battle at Gettysburg had not happened as it had, the outcome of the war may have been quite different (Hickman). Question: What was it like to be injured in the Civil War? Answer: Although 1000s of soldiers died in the course of the Civil War, most did not die from injuries, but from disease. The soldiers on both sides suffered from less than ideal conditions, bad hygiene, bad food, poor weather, and unclean water. When they were taken to hospitals it was more likely they would get sick and die from close quarter contagions that whatever injury brought them to the hospital in the first place. In general wounds from bullets could not always be surgically removed and amputation was often the solution and best way to keep the patient alive (Civil War Preservation Trust). Amputations were performed with proper medical instruments if you were lucky, however ,any field physicians, in a pinch, would resort to an ax if necessary. So many amputations were performed in some hospitals that they would just toss the severed limbs out the window, when they piled up to the windows height then someone would move them or bury them where they were. Story: Medical knowledge during the Civil War was not anything like what it is today and there was not a lot of standards or monitoring of physicians. Many physicians believed that the oozing pus of an infected wound was a good thing and that it meant the patient was improving. They would often transfer the pus from one patient to someone who did not have an infection or pus; this of course, in reality has the opposite effect and would only spread infection not cure it. Also, many doctors on civil war battlefields, Confederate and Union alike, got surprises when some of the wounded uniformed soldiers were women. Yes, this is true. Many women cut their hair, bound their breast, and enlisted to fight in the Civil War. Many managed to maintain the facade until after the war, however many were discovered in hospitals when they were being treated (Civil War Preservation Trust). Conclusion In the end the American Civil War is the only war fought on American soil that pitted citizens against citizens. It remains the bloodiest war that claimed the most lives, and the most definitive war that we have ever fought. It determined the strength of the Union, allowed the path to ending slavery to succeed, and allowed the United States to become the country that we enjoy today. The Civil War is a subject that most people do not know enough about. Beyond all of the famous stories, battles, and figures there are dozens upon dozens of stories few people have heard and are interesting to tell. Making the research into the Civil War far more exciting than one might have thought it could be. Work Cited Gaffeny, Dennis. "10 Surprising Civil War Facts." History in the Headlines. History Channel, 10 May 2011. Web. 30 Oct 2013. . Hickman, Kennedy. "American Civil War: Turning Points." Military History. About, n.d. Web. 30 Oct 2013. . Kelly , Martin. "Top Five Causes of the Civil War." American History. About, n.d. Web. 30 Oct 2013. . Lienhard, John H.. "Civil War Submarine." Engines of Our Ingenuity. Engines of Our Ingenuity, n.d. Web. 30 Oct 2013. . Civil War Preservation Trust, . "Two Week Curriculum for Teaching the Civil War." Civil War Preservation Trust. Civil War Preservation Trust, n.d. Web. 30 Oct 2013. . Smithsonian Institute, . "Weapons." Civil War at the Smithsonian. Smithsonian Institute, n.d. Web. 30 Oct 2013. . Read More