America: The Story of Us (Part 5: Civil War)

The United States of America was built on hardship, sacrifice, and discovery. In 2010, the history channel have created this 12-part docu-series where it talks about many of those hardships, sacrifices, and discoveries.

This is Part 5 of this 12-part wiki series about The History Channel's docu-series about America. In this part, we will talk a bit about the American Civil War and the technologies that helped the Union win the war.

Before we begin, there is already a wiki series about the American Civil War, click here to read about it.

## Civil War

### It's War

The American Civil War has begun. It would become a war where modernization and industrialization would play a huge war and ultimately decide the victor.

On one side, the Union where it had to take the seceded states back, and the Confederacy which had to hold their land and fight for independence, their agricultural way of life and the institution of slavery. A few battles were fought, but none were able to take the initiative, at least not yet. In the age of industry, the American Civil War would become one of the very first modern wars to be fought on Earth.

### An industrialized war

One of the big innovations of the American Civil War was the Minnie Ball, made in Europe it was perfected in America. When it hits the human body, it tumbles and gets smashed, it shatters bone and rips through flesh and muscle, more often than not it only takes one shot to kill a person on the battlefield.

The Union soldiers also had the edge in weaponry. By the mid point of the war, Union soldiers were equipped with the Sharp's Carbine which has a breech loading mechanism which cuts reloading time in half, this would prove crucial for the Union's later victories in the war.

### Other firsts

With death so common in this war, the fear of being forgotten on the battlefield became a reality, so soldiers on both sides would write their names on a piece of paper, this would pave the ground work for the dog tags which would be worn on soldiers to this day.

### The Confederates' major victory

The Episode now goes to a place called Manassass where another battle there would see the Confederacy gain the upper hand, temporarily.

The newly appointed General of the Confederacy, Robert E. Lee have scored several victories over the Union, and soon the 2 factions would meet up in Manassass for another battle there, the second battle of Bull Run with this the Union was driven out of Virginia, though they would fail to invade the Union states in the Midwest when another Confederate General Braxton Bragg lost in Perryville and again at Stone River.

### The Union's edge

What happens behind the battle lines was just as important as on. The Union have used the north's superior system of railroads that transported a huge number of troops and supplies, now regiments were no longer confined to the speed at they can March, and supplies are more easily transported thanks to the rail system.

During and throughout the war, the Union would build around 1,000 miles more railroad to make the task of transporting troops and supplies much easier.

Perhaps the most important edge that the Union has is the millions of miles of telegraph wires that run throughout the Union states. Now and probably for the first time reports and orders can be sent from thousands of miles away, meaning that Union officers in Washington DC can send their orders straight to the front lines, and reports can be sent to Washington from the front lines.

In contrast, the Confederacy never grasp the importance of the telegraph, and their rail system was privately owned by small companies.

### Other advances

The American Civil War also saw advances in medicine, though early on in the war saw around 4,000 amputations in each of the field hospitals, this was supposed to prevent the spreading of a bacterial infection called Gang green where the wound becomes infectious and can kill that person. But with the introduction of disinfectants such as bromine and chloroform, amputations became rare by the end of the war. It also saw the introduction of female nurses championed by one such female nurse named Clara Barton who would go on to find the American Red Cross, these female nurses would greatly improve hygiene by tending to the most injured and use clean bandages.

The war also saw photography be used on a massive scale, these photographers would go onto the battlefield and take pictures of the piles of the dead bodies, so for the first time people saw the horrors of war with those body piles.

Undertakers get rich off of the dead as they found a way to preserve dead bodies so they can be brought home.

### The Emancipation Proclamation

Though, he would fight the war to the best of his ability, Lincoln has to be reminded that this war is about ending slavery, though even as the war drags on Lincoln was reluctant to do anything about freeing the slaves, though he issues an ultimatum to the south to free their slaves or he would be forced to act, unsurprisingly the south rejects the ultimatum.

With the south rejecting Lincoln's ultimatum, and out of fear that European powers would intervene, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which formally announced all slaves in the country free, and on New Year's Day in 1863, the proclamation went into effect. African-Americans then recruited for the Union army to fight against the Confederacy.

### A battle and a speech

The episode than goes to a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg where a battle would take place as well as Lincoln giving a historical speech.

A battle would take place in this town, and it would last for 3 days, at first the Confederacy did have the upper hand, but the Union would fend off their positions especially from Pickett's Charge. A few months after the battle, Lincoln visits the war torn town and gave a speech that would be echoed throughout American History.

"Four score and 7 years ago. our forefathers brought fourth upon this continent a new nation. Conceived in Liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. We are engaged in a great Civil War, testing this nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate this portion of this field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives so this nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, on a larger sense, we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here. But it can never forget what they did here. It is us for the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us, that from these honored we take increased devotion to that cause which they gave the last full measure of devotion, that were highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation shall have a new birth of freedom, and that Government of the People, by the people and for the people, shall not perish from the Earth."

### The decisive push

The episode now goes to Atlanta where the Union's push to victory begins.

Union forces led by William T. Sherman have taken Atlanta (and thus secured Lincoln's second term in the White House) now venture toward Savannah and use Scorched Earth tactics as they go, they burn anything that can be of military use, they even destroyed railroad track to stop the transport of troops and supplies. It wasn't until Christmas in 1864 when Sherman and his forces took Savannah.

### The War is finally over

By 1865, the Confederates were fighting a hopeless war, the strong defenses around the Confederate capital of Richmond were finally broken by the of March that year. Lee surrenders at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9. General Joseph Johnston surrendered to Sherman on April 26, it wouldn't be until the following May where the Confederacy would be no more, and thus ending the Civil War. But in the middle of that Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater. The American Civil War would see over 1 Million American Casualties (with 600,000 of those casualties being deaths) more than both the World Wars combined. But progress was made, now the United States of America has a new definition of freedom.

That'll do it for this part. In the next part we will talk about the continuing progress of America as well as life in the Nation's Heartland. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.