vania-janet/multiturn-rag-retrieval-data huggingface dataset:
Loyalist (American Revolution)
They felt a need for order and believed that Parliament was the legitimate authority . In New York , powerful families had assembled colony - wide coalitions of supporters , Men long associated with the De Lancey faction went along when its leadership decided to support the crown . They felt themselves to be weak or threatened within American society and in need of an outside defender such as the British Crown and Parliament . They had been promised freedom from slavery by the British . They felt that being a part of the British Empire was crucial in terms of commerce and their business operations .
France in the American Revolutionary War
Support became more notable when , in 1780 , 6,000 soldiers led by Rochambeau landed at Newport , itself abandoned in 1779 by the British , where the French established a naval base . These forces were largely inactive since the fleet was closely watched by the British fleet from its bases in New York and eastern Long Island . By early 1781 , with the war dragging on , French military planners were finally convinced that more significant operations would be required in North America to bring a decisive end to the war . That year 's West Indies fleet was commanded by the comte de Grasse , and specific arrangements were made to coordinate operations with him . De Grasse asked to be supplied with North American pilots and to be informed of possible operations in North America to which he might contribute . Rochambeau and Washington met at Wethersfield , Connecticut in May 1781 to discuss their options . Washington wanted to drive the British from both New York City and Virginia ( the latter led first by turncoat Benedict Arnold , then by Brigadier William Phillips and eventually by Charles Cornwallis ) . Virginia was also seen as a potent threat that could be fought with naval assistance . These two options were dispatched to the Caribbean along with the requested pilots . Rochambeau , in a separate letter , urged de Grasse to come to the Chesapeake Bay for operations in Virginia . Following the Wethersfield conference , Rochambeau moved his army to White Plains , New York and placed his command under Washington .
Battles of Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War . The battles were fought on April 19 , 1775 in Middlesex County , Province of Massachusetts Bay , within the towns of Lexington , Concord , Lincoln , Menotomy ( present - day Arlington ) , and Cambridge . They marked the outbreak of armed conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and its thirteen colonies in America .
Loyalist (American Revolution)
After 1783 some former Loyalists ( especially Germans from Pennsylvania ) emigrated to Canada to take advantage of the British government 's offer of free land . Many departed because they faced continuing hostility ( in another migration more than 20,000 perhaps as many as 30,000 `` Late Loyalists '' arrived from the United States in the 1790s lured by Lieutenant - Governor Simcoe 's policy of land and low taxes , one - fifth those in the US and swearing an oath of allegiance to the King ) . They came mainly for economic , not political reasons . Of the 30,000 , 3,000 settled in the Eastern Townships of Quebec where they joined the 2,000 American Loyalists settlers who had arrived 7 - 8 years previously .
Latin American wars of independence
The rebellion by the Thirteen Colonies in lower British North America from Great Britain was shifted by several factors , including a number of imposed taxes , repressive acts , and the lack of American representation in British government . This infuriated many colonists , and eventually became the spark that ignited the American Revolutionary War . Initial fighting began in 1775 and lasted until October 1781 , when with French aid under Lafayette defeated the British army . British General Cornwallis surrendered in Yorktown , Virginia . The American colonists subsequently , coming after or later , founded a federated republican government grounded in Enlightenment thought . A wave of revolutions followed the conclusion of the American Revolution . The remaining portion of British North America ( Upper and Lower Canada ) remained loyal to the British crown .
Financial costs of the American Revolutionary War
The Continental Army under the direction of George Washington sought to engage in a war of attrition . Because the fight was on colonial soil , Washington aimed to take advantage of the lack of trade with Great Britain by cutting them off from necessary resources , hoping that eventually the redcoat army in North America would grow sick and tired . Under the Articles of Confederation , however , the Continental Congress did not have the power to impose taxes or regulate commerce in the colonies , and thus could not generate the sufficient funds for a war of attrition .
American Civil War
Beginning in the American Revolution and accelerating after the War of 1812 , the people of the United States grew in the sense that their country was a national republic based on the belief that all people had inalienable political liberty and personal rights which could serve as an important example to the rest of the world . Previous regional independence movements such as the Greek revolt in the Ottoman Empire , the division and redivision of the Latin American political map , and the British - French Crimean triumph leading to an interest in redrawing Europe along cultural differences , all conspired to make for a time of upheaval and uncertainty about the basis of the nation - state .
American Civil War
Four states in the middle and upper South had repeatedly rejected Confederate overtures , but now Virginia , Tennessee , Arkansas , and North Carolina refused to send forces against their neighbors , declared their secession , and joined the Confederacy . To reward Virginia , the Confederate capital was moved to Richmond . US
American Civil War
Some historians emphasize that Civil War soldiers were driven by political ideology , holding firm beliefs about the importance of liberty , Union , or state rights , or about the need to protect or to destroy slavery . Others point to less overtly political reasons to fight , such as the defense of one 's home and family , or the honor and brotherhood to be preserved when fighting alongside other men . Most historians agree that no matter what a soldier thought about when he went into the war , the experience of combat affected him profoundly and sometimes altered his reasons for continuing the fight . Prisoners
American Civil War
Extensive guerrilla warfare characterized the trans - Mississippi region , as the Confederacy lacked the troops and the logistics to support regular armies that could challenge Union control . Roving Confederate bands such as Quantrill 's Raiders terrorized the countryside , striking both military installations and civilian settlements . The `` Sons of Liberty '' and `` Order of the American Knights '' attacked pro-Union people , elected officeholders , and unarmed uniformed soldiers . These partisans could not be entirely driven out of the state of Missouri until an entire regular Union infantry division was engaged .
Confederate States of America
The Confederacy controlled no ports , harbors or navigable rivers . Railroads were captured or had ceased operating . Its major food producing regions had been war - ravaged or occupied . Its administration survived in only three pockets of territory holding one - third its population . Its armies were defeated or disbanding . At the February 1865 Hampton Roads Conference with Lincoln , senior Confederate officials rejected his invitation to restore the Union with compensation for emancipated slaves . The three pockets of unoccupied Confederacy were southern Virginia - North Carolina , central Alabama - Florida , and Texas , the latter two areas less from any notion of resistance than from the disinterest of Federal forces to occupy them . The Davis policy was independence or nothing , while Lee 's army was wracked by disease and desertion , barely holding the trenches defending Jefferson Davis ' capital .
Confederate States of America
Historian Gary Gallagher concluded that the Confederacy capitulated in early 1865 because northern armies crushed `` organized southern military resistance '' . The Confederacy 's population , soldier and civilian , had suffered material hardship and social disruption . They had expended and extracted a profusion of blood and treasure until collapse ; `` the end had come '' . Jefferson Davis ' assessment in 1890 determined , `` With the capture of the capital , the dispersion of the civil authorities , the surrender of the armies in the field , and the arrest of the President , the Confederate States of America disappeared ... their history henceforth became a part of the history of the United States . ''
St. Johns River
Florida 's involvement in the U.S. Civil War was limited compared to other Confederate states because it had a fraction of the populations of states that had been developed . Florida provided materials to the Confederacy by way of steamboats on the St. Johns , although the river and the Atlantic coasts were blockaded by the U.S. Navy . One action in Florida 's role in the Civil War was the sinking of the USS Columbine , a Union paddle steamer used for patrolling the St. Johns to keep materials from reaching the Confederate Army . In 1864 , near Palatka , Confederate forces under the command of Capt . John Jackson Dickison captured , burned , and sank the USS Columbine , making her perhaps the only ship commandeered by the Confederacy . The same year and farther downriver , Confederates again sank a Union boat , the Maple Leaf , which struck a floating keg filled with explosives and settled into the muck near Julington Creek , south of Jacksonville . Part of the shipwreck was recovered in 1994 , when it was discovered that many Civil War - era artifacts , including daguerreotypes and wooden matches , had been preserved in the river muck .
North Carolina
The first Confederate soldier to be killed in the Civil War was Private Henry Wyatt from North Carolina , in the Battle of Big Bethel in June 1861 . At the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 , the 26th North Carolina Regiment participated in Pickett / Pettigrew 's Charge and advanced the farthest into the Northern lines of any Confederate regiment . During the Battle of Chickamauga , the 58th North Carolina Regiment advanced farther than any other regiment on Snodgrass Hill to push back the remaining Union forces from the battlefield . At Appomattox Court House in Virginia in April 1865 , the 75th North Carolina Regiment , a cavalry unit , fired the last shots of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the Civil War . For many years , North Carolinians proudly boasted that they had been `` First at Bethel , Farthest at Gettysburg and Chickamauga , and Last at Appomattox . ''
Tennessee in the American Civil War
Tennessee was one of the most divided states in the country at the outset of the war . Before the bombardment of Fort Sumter , Tennessee was actually staunchly pro-Union , though there were still a few secessionist hot beds in the western portion of the state . The situation changed when Fort Sumter was bombarded and Lincoln made the call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion . Tennesseans saw this as a threat to their `` southern brethren , '' and the only real pockets of pro-Unionism came from the eastern portion of the state . In fact , Tennessee would furnish more troops for the Union than any other Confederate state , combined . However , over three times that number volunteered for the Confederacy . Interestingly , notable general Nathan Bedford Forrest voted against secession , but later fought for his state when it seceded .
Tar Heel
Somehow , these terms evolved until the nickname Tar Heel was used to refer to residents of North Carolina and gained prominence during the American Civil War . During this time , the nickname Tar Heel was a pejorative , but starting around 1865 , the term began to be used as a source of pride .
Confederate States of America
Meanwhile , the Union Navy seized control of much of the Confederate coastline from Virginia to South Carolina . It took over plantations and the abandoned slaves . Federals there began a war - long policy of burning grain supplies up rivers into the interior wherever they could not occupy . The Union Navy began a blockade of the major southern ports and prepared an invasion of Louisiana to capture New Orleans in early 1862 . Incursions
American Civil War
The small U.S. Navy of 1861 was rapidly enlarged to 6,000 officers and 45,000 men in 1865 , with 671 vessels , having a tonnage of 510,396 . Its mission was to blockade Confederate ports , take control of the river system , defend against Confederate raiders on the high seas , and be ready for a possible war with the British Royal Navy . Meanwhile , the main riverine war was fought in the West , where a series of major rivers gave access to the Confederate heartland , if the U.S. Navy could take control . In the East , the Navy supplied and moved army forces about , and occasionally shelled Confederate installations . Union
Confederate States of America
Some historians emphasize that Civil War soldiers were driven by political ideology , holding firm beliefs about the importance of liberty , Union , or state rights , or about the need to protect or to destroy slavery . Others point to less overtly political reasons to fight , such as the defense of one 's home and family , or the honor and brotherhood to be preserved when fighting alongside other men . Most historians agree that , no matter what he thought about when he went into the war , the experience of combat affected him profoundly and sometimes affected his reasons for continuing to fight . Military
Confederate States of America
By December 1864 Davis considered sacrificing slavery in order to enlist recognition and aid from Paris and London ; he secretly sent Duncan F. Kenner to Europe with a message that the war was fought solely for `` the vindication of our rights to self - government and independence '' and that `` no sacrifice is too great , save that of honor '' . The message stated that if the French or British governments made their recognition conditional on anything at all , the Confederacy would consent to such terms . Davis 's message could not explicitly acknowledge that slavery was on the bargaining table due to still - strong domestic support for slavery among the wealthy and politically influential . European leaders all saw that the Confederacy was on the verge of total defeat .
American Civil War
Leaving Atlanta , and his base of supplies , Sherman 's army marched with an unknown destination , laying waste to about 20 percent of the farms in Georgia in his `` March to the Sea '' . He reached the Atlantic Ocean at Savannah , Georgia in December 1864 . Sherman 's army was followed by thousands of freed slaves ; there were no major battles along the March . Sherman turned north through South Carolina and North Carolina to approach the Confederate Virginia lines from the south , increasing the pressure on Lee 's army .
Confederate States of America
The newly inaugurated Confederate administration pursued a policy of national territorial integrity , continuing earlier state efforts in 1860 and early 1861 to remove U.S. government presence from within their boundaries . These efforts included taking possession of U.S. courts , custom houses , post offices , and most notably , arsenals and forts . But after the Confederate attack and capture of Fort Sumter in April 1861 , Lincoln called up 75,000 of the states ' militia to muster under his command . The stated purpose was to re-occupy U.S. properties throughout the South , as the U.S. Congress had not authorized their abandonment . The resistance at Fort Sumter signaled his change of policy from that of the Buchanan Administration . Lincoln 's response ignited a firestorm of emotion . The people of both North and South demanded war , and young men rushed to their colors in the hundreds of thousands . Four more states ( Virginia , North Carolina , Tennessee , and Arkansas ) refused Lincoln 's call for troops and declared secession , while Kentucky maintained an uneasy `` neutrality '' .
Tennessee in the American Civil War
A vocal minority of Tennesseans spoke critically of the Northern states and the Lincoln presidency . `` The people of the South are preparing for their next highest duty -- resistance to coercion or invasion , '' wrote the Nashville Daily Gazette on January 5 , 1861 . The newspaper expressed the view that Florida , Georgia , and Alabama were exercising the highest right of all by taking control of all forts and other military establishments within the area -- the right to self - defense . A pro-secessionist proposal was made in the Memphis Appeal to build a fort at Randolph , Tennessee , on the Mississippi River .
History of New York (state)
By the time of the 1861 Battle of Fort Sumter , such political differences decreased and the state quickly met Lincoln 's request for soldiers and supplies . Hundreds of thousands of New York 's young men fought during the Civil War , more than any other Northern state . While no battles were waged in New York , the state was not immune to Confederate conspiracies , including one to burn various New York cities and another to invade the state via Canada .
Southern United States
In the four years of war 1861 -- 65 the South was the primary battleground , with all but two of the major battles taking place on Southern soil . Union forces relentlessly squeezed the Confederacy , controlling the border states in 1861 , the Tennessee River , the Cumberland River and New Orleans in 1862 , and the Mississippi River in 1863 . In the East , however , the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee beat off attack after attack in its defense of their capital at Richmond . But when Lee tried to move north , he was repulsed ( and nearly captured ) at Sharpsburg ( 1862 ) and Gettysburg ( 1863 ) .
New Jersey
New Jersey was one of the few Union states ( the others being Delaware and Kentucky ) to select a candidate other than Abraham Lincoln twice in national elections , and sided with Stephen Douglas ( 1860 ) and George B. McClellan ( 1864 ) during their campaigns . McClellan , a native Philadelphian , had New Jersey ties and formally resided in New Jersey at the time ; he later became Governor of New Jersey ( 1878 -- 81 ) . ( In New Jersey , the factions of the Democratic party managed an effective coalition in 1860 . ) During the American Civil War , the state was led first by Republican Governor Charles Smith Olden , then by Democrat Joel Parker . During the course of the war , over 80,000 from the state enlisted in the Northern army ; unlike many states , including some Northern ones , no battle was fought there . View
Confederate States of America
The United States Census of 1860 gives a picture of the overall 1860 population of the areas that joined the Confederacy . Note that population - numbers exclude non-assimilated Indian tribes .
History of Maryland
Maryland remained part of the Union during the Civil War . President Abraham Lincoln 's strong hand suppressing violence and dissent in Maryland and the belated assistance of Governor Hicks played important roles . Hicks worked with federal officials to stop further violence .
Conclusion of the American Civil War
There is a historical marker at the farm house in Durham , North Carolina , where Johnston surrendered his departments and armies .
Military history of the United States
The American Civil War caught both sides unprepared . Neither the North 's small standing army nor the South 's scattered state militias were capable of winning a civil war . Both sides raced to raise armies -- larger than any U.S. forces before -- first with repeated calls for volunteers , but eventually resorting to unpopular large - scale conscription for the first time in U.S. history . The
Trent Affair
The Trent Affair was a diplomatic incident in 1861 during the American Civil War that threatened a war between the United States and the United Kingdom . The U.S. Navy illegally captured two Confederate diplomats from a British ship ; the UK protested vigorously . The United States closed the incident by releasing the diplomats .
United Kingdom and the American Civil War
Throughout the war , all European powers adopted a policy of neutrality , meeting informally with Confederate diplomats but withholding diplomatic recognition . None ever sent an ambassador or official delegation to Richmond . However , they applied principles of international law and recognized both sides sides as belligerents . Canada allowed both Confederate and Union agents to work openly within its borders .
Confederate States of America
On the part of the Confederacy , immediately following Fort Sumter the Confederate Congress proclaimed that `` war exists between the Confederate States and the Government of the United States , and the States and Territories thereof '' . A state of war was not to formally exist between the Confederacy and those states and territories in the United States allowing slavery , although Confederate Rangers were compensated for destruction they could effect there throughout the war .
Confederate States of America
The U.S. government began a decade - long process known as Reconstruction which attempted to resolve the political and constitutional issues of the Civil War . The priorities were : to guarantee that Confederate nationalism and slavery were ended , to ratify and enforce the Thirteenth Amendment which outlawed slavery ; the Fourteenth which guaranteed dual U.S. and state citizenship to all native - born residents , regardless of race ; and the Fifteenth , which made it illegal to deny the right to vote because of race .
Military history of the United States
As the fighting between the two capitals stalled , the North found more success in campaigns elsewhere , using rivers , railroads , and the seas to help move and supply their larger forces , putting a stranglehold on the South -- the Anaconda Plan . The war spilled across the continent , and even to the high seas . After four years of appallingly bloody conflict , with more casualties than all other U.S. wars combined , the North 's larger population and industrial might slowly ground the South down . The resources and economy of the South were ruined , while the North 's factories and economy prospered filling government wartime contracts .
Border states (American Civil War)
In the context of the American Civil War ( 1861 -- 1865 ) , the border states were slave states that did not declare a secession from the Union and did not join the Confederacy . To their north they bordered free states of the Union and to their south they bordered Confederate slave states . Of the 34 U.S. states in 1861 , nineteen were free states and fifteen were slave states . Four slave states never declared a secession : Delaware , Kentucky , Maryland , and Missouri . Four others did not declare secession until after the Battle of Fort Sumter and were briefly considered to be border states : Arkansas , North Carolina , Tennessee , and Virginia -- after this , they were less frequently called `` border states '' . Also included as a border state during the war is West Virginia , which was formed from 50 counties of Virginia and became a new state in the Union in 1863 .
Tennessee in the American Civil War
History of Tennessee By year Pre-statehood U.S. Civil War Since 1900 Topics : African - Americans - Cities - Military - Politics Tennessee portal
Confederate States of America
The first three months of 1865 saw the Federal Carolinas Campaign , devastating a wide swath of the remaining Confederate heartland . The `` breadbasket of the Confederacy '' in the Great Valley of Virginia was occupied by Philip Sheridan . The Union Blockade captured Fort Fisher NC , and Sherman finally took Charleston SC by land attack . Armory