Important Roles of the Civil War
By: Mason Hooley
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 in Kentucky, before he was elected he served eight years in the Illinois legislature. He was elected president in 1860. He was a abolitionist and did not want slavery to spread. On, January 1, 1861 he gave the Emacipation Proclomation which freed all the slaves in the confedracy. This is what started the war, what caused the confederates to attack fort sumter.
Lincoln was the most important person of the war seeing as he caused the war so to speak. He freed the slaves which caused the southern states to seceed and attack fort sumter. Even though he caused the war, he did the right thing and he gave hope during time of war. He was a very important influence to the union's part in the war.
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson Davis was the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. A West point graduate, war veteran, and planter, jefferson was sent to the house of representatives by Mississippi, but his term was cut short when he resigned to fight in the Mexican American War. He was then elected to the senate but again resigned when Mississippi seceeded from the Union. The confederate Congress selected him to become provisional president of the confederate states. He was inaugurated for a six year term. He was captured in georgia by northern soldiers however and spent 2 years imprisoned before he was released on bond. After which he traveled Europe before returning to the U.S. after the war to live out his retirement.
Davis didnt really do anything significant with his short presidency. He didnt do anything as drastic as set the slaves free or anything. So Davis didnt do a very good job as president, in fact, he hardly did anything at all.
Uylsses S. Grant
Another West point graduate, Grant served as a Captain in the Mexican-American War. His military career ended shortly after until the star of the Civil War, Grant jumped at the opportunity to serve again. He rose quickly through the ranks and soon became the acting general for the Union. The battle of Sihloh was the ultimate test of his commandship however and a surprise attack from the south. The union suffered huge casualties in the first few days, and letters were sent to Lincoln asking to have grant removed from command, he pulled his troops together and they fought back eventually winning that battle.
Being the one that led the union army, Grant was obviously busy with his duties, though through the first year of the war, the south seemed to have won, Grant pushed back, and won. So overall grant was a good leader who changed the outcome of the war drastically with the performances at different battles through out the war. Ecspecially at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He fought of an attack from the Confedrates that would've ended in the Confederates capturing the capital of the U.S. which would've most likely won them the war.
Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee was also a west point graduate, but he did not set out to battle. Instead he devoted 17 years as an officer in the Corps of Engineering. That changed with the Mexican-American War in 1846, after which he emerged with the rank of Colonel. For three years afterward he was the superindendent at West Point academy, so he had part in training some of the men that would serve under him when he became the general of the Confederate army. But Lincoln asked him to lead the union forces first. Lee refused, saying he was to remain loyal to his state which seceeded.
One of his most famous battles was the one at Antietam. Which was supposed to be a secret attacked, surprise attack in Maryland. He was trying to sway the fighting away from Virginia. They were found out however, and fighting commenced, the battle ended in a stalemate, going down as the bloodiest one day battles of the civil war. after which he retreated by the cover of darkness. Lee was an excellent general and new how the army he had worked, if the battle of Antietam had never happened, had Lee kept the suprise that couldve changed the outcome of the war. Lee won a good half of the war, he was an excellent leader.
William Carney
Philip Bazaar
Julia Ward Howe
John Wilkes Booth
William T. Sherman
William T. Sherman did not have a military career before the war, but he became the most renowned and well known person of the Union's military next to U.S. Grant. Sherman found himslef living with Senator Thomas Ewing who granted him to U.S. Military Academy. He saw little to no action in the beginning of his military career, and he didnt serve in the Mexican American War. He didnt see action until the outbreak of the Civil War when he was signed as colonel to the 13th United States Infantry. His first combat encounter was the Battle of First Manasas. Although Union forces were defeated during the battle, Lincoln was impressed by Sherman's performance, and he was was later promoted to Brigidier General. Next he commanded a division during the battle of Shiloh. Although Union forces were overun Sherman gain the rank of Major General. Sick of war, Sherman devised a plan, he would lead some 60,00 men 285 miles from Savannah to Atlanta Georgia. He called it the "March to the Sea", it was supposed to frighten the people of Georgia, to "show them the hand of war." The troops only harmed those who tried to retaliate by burning farms, barns and houses. But never entire towns. The march was a sucess and Sherman's troops captured Atlanta which was a railroad hub and big industrial area for the confederacy.