Questions tagged [american-civil-war]
the civil war that took place between the northern and southern states of the United States between 1861-65.
38
votes
5answers
7k views
Why did Lincoln wait to issue the Emancipation Proclamation?
(Apologies in advance: not being American, while I've read up somewhat about the military aspects of the Civil War, I am somewhat unclear as to its political dimension.)
Lincoln did not declare the ...
9
votes
1answer
156 views
Did Frederick Douglass affect British policy during the American Civil War?
In his recent biography of Douglass, David Blight talks about Douglass’s trips to England prior to the war. He explains the Douglass was well received, but doesn’t give insight into any effect this ...
8
votes
2answers
579 views
Which “Walker” is Thoreau referring to in “A Plea for Captain John Brown”?
“If Walker may be considered the representative of the South, I wish I could say that Brown was the representative of the North. He was a superior man.”
Excerpt From: Henry David Thoreau. A Plea ...
7
votes
5answers
657 views
Why did Robert E. Lee say that George McClellan was the best general he ever faced?
In administration, preparation, and morale, he may have been excellent, but in starting campaigns he was ruinously cautious and in battles he was reluctant to sustain casualties.
In the the Peninsula ...
3
votes
1answer
327 views
An American Civil War battle where a general was ordered to advance to a certain point and wait . . . so waiting was all he did?
I'm trying to pin down something I once read about what went wrong with the Union's plans for a certain battle in the American Civil War. I think I once read a few paragraphs about this in a book by ...
4
votes
2answers
139 views
How did messages get back and forth between ship and shore during the Battle of Cherbourg?
In volume 3 of Shebly Foote's book on the American Civil war, he mentions that once out to sea, Winslow got a message from France about Semmes's intentions. Does that mean there were boats going back ...
16
votes
4answers
2k views
Where can I find a personal account of freedom of a slave in America after 1863
The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 declared free all slaves in the Confederacy. In 1865 the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the whole country. I am familiar with the context.
What I am ...
7
votes
1answer
133 views
Is this a US Civil War uniform?
Image is a photo of an original tin type (photographic method introduced in 1856, in popular production until roughly 1867), hat appears to be U.S. Civil War - Union, "X" patch on right front breast ...
94
votes
7answers
21k views
Why did the Confederacy think they could win the American Civil War?
The early Confederacy (The 7 founding states) attacked Fort Sumter in April 1861, starting the American Civil War. The Confederacy knew this would lead to war with the Union, yet they seemed to be ...
5
votes
1answer
743 views
What was the effect of the Civil War on the cost of cotton?
If you look at contemporary sources discussing slavery as practiced in the antebellum American South, a couple recurring themes pop up again and again:
Cotton. Cotton farming requires large amounts ...
0
votes
3answers
535 views
What prompted Lincoln to change his mind about ending slavery?
Prior to the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln asserted that he would not end slavery in the South and that he was not in favor of racial equality. Yet, by 1863 he signed the “Emancipation Proclamation” ...
2
votes
1answer
96 views
Why did Heth go towards Gettysburg on July 1, 1863?
In Shelby Foote's book about the civil war, he indicates that General Henry Heth send his men into Gettysburg looking after a "supply of shoes". They ran into Buford's men, Heth approached A.P. Hill, ...
6
votes
4answers
580 views
How did Lincoln know to stick with Grant before the completion of the Vicksburg campaign?
I'm reading Shelby Foote's book on the Civil War and something struck me: Lincoln was sticking by Grant, whom he'd never met, well before his big victories at Vicksburg and Chattanooga. How did ...
6
votes
2answers
482 views
Did Lincoln “usurp” his war powers?
In a previous question I made the statement that Lincoln "usurped" his war powers during the civil war. This statement was controversial and elicited thoughtful comments. I thought I would open up a ...
42
votes
5answers
6k views
What did the Emancipation Proclamation exactly do?
I'm a bit confused about what Lincoln's proclamation did exactly. It's thought by some the Emancipation Proclamation gave all slaves the status of free. However from reading the introduction of the ...
5
votes
2answers
291 views
How well were the African soldiers equipped in the civil war?
I know that Africans ( former slaves) were used on both sides during the civil war (later in the north than in the south I think) now my question is this: how were the African soldiers equipped during ...
4
votes
2answers
761 views
How professional and well equipped were US Civil War soldiers?
Essentially, what the question says - did the war cause Americans to become better at war than the Eurasian powers (Germany, France, England, Russia, Japan, whatever, I am just making up a list) at ...
5
votes
1answer
544 views
Why did Confederate General Forrest leave the KKK?
I've watched a video with a simplified version of General Nathan Bedford Forrest's history. It was in the context of contemporary pressure to remove statues of Confederate leaders.
At the request of ...
6
votes
2answers
412 views
Why was it necessary to maintain a balance of power between the Slave and Free states?
As said in the title, why was there a need to maintain the balance of power between the Slave states and Free States by keeping them equal in number, before the American Civil War?
Both the Clay ...
0
votes
2answers
222 views
How could a deserter go West in 1863?
A man deserted from the Armory Square Hospital in DC in Feb 1863. His next recorded presence was in 1865 Iowa when he got married under an assumed name. I am curious to know how he might have made it ...
1
vote
3answers
212 views
Are there historical instances of property rights not being respected/acknowledged between U.S. states, territories, and the federal government?
Some of the controversies leading up to the American Civil War were whether the U.S. States had to recognize the slave property of other States (e.g., maintaining them in a state of slavery, or ...
2
votes
2answers
487 views
Were there many foreigners fighting during the American civil war?
Apart from Philippe d'Orléans and his brother, as well as Patrick Cleburne, were there many foreigners fighting during the American civil war ? Any other famous cases ?
-4
votes
2answers
454 views
Why was the North willing to go to war over Slavery?
[edited]
According to Washington Post, "There is a consensus among historians that the root cause of the Civil War was slavery". Assuming that slavery was indeed the root cause, I can understand why ...
10
votes
4answers
3k views
Did the North give the South its debt after Civil War ended?
In discussions with a colleague of mine many years ago, concerning the American Civil War (aka the War Between the States), he mentioned that “... the North left/gave all the [financial] debt to the ...
1
vote
1answer
101 views
Meaning of Civil War term “playout”?
I am reading Gettysburg The Last Invasion by Guelzo and it is recounted that a captain advised a sergeant to make sure that men who were chronic "playouts" be taken into the fight or killed by the ...
-5
votes
1answer
183 views
Edmund Burke vs Thomas Paine [closed]
Historical figures are regularly assigned designations left or right.
As Edmund Burke, and Thomas Paine were leading antagonists with these designations at the latter half of the 18th century. Here ...
3
votes
1answer
189 views
Pre civil-war, did the north ever make any attempts to stop the underground railroad? [closed]
Did Northern authorities before the Civil War make any attempts to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act and/or stop the Underground Railroad?
3
votes
1answer
226 views
Was John S. Mosby the model/motivation/template for John Carter?
I've always suspected this but have never seen any concrete proof. Was the fictitious Edgar Rice Burroughs character John Carter based on the civil war hero/villain John S. Mosby?
Mosby was arguable ...
2
votes
1answer
442 views
Were Confederate pikes just a curious item to laugh at?
If you check this video you can see many Confederate pikes being unearthed. There are also other videos featuring high-tech Confederate pikes. Were these meant just to entertain troops in the field? ...
7
votes
1answer
437 views
American presidents on secession legality?
I am writing article (in Russian) on secession legality, and would like to include and analyze expressed opinions of antebellum American Presidents on the subject.
My favorite is Andrew Jackson’s ...
8
votes
8answers
1k views
Emancipation Proclamation in a tweet
Today is the 155th anniversary of the signing (but not the release) of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Critics remarked even at the time that it didn't free a single slave, since it only applied to ...
2
votes
3answers
633 views
Would occupying Big Round Top have been a good idea for the Confederates?
A lot of attention was given at the end of the 19th century to the "what if" the Confederates occupied the Little Round Top at Gettysburg, but there's the Big Round Top nearby and the Confederates ...
37
votes
2answers
4k views
How did the American Civil War help the U.S economy recover from the Panic of 1857 given that civil wars are extremely destructive?
From the Wikipedia article on the Panic of 1857:
Beginning in September 1857, the financial downturn did not last long;
however, a proper recovery was not seen until the American Civil War.
...
3
votes
1answer
394 views
Could the 1864 US presidential election have been postponed?
This article on HistoryNet makes the following observation about the 1864 election:
The 1864 race for the White House was the United States’ first presidential election during wartime. Proposals to ...
5
votes
3answers
436 views
During the 1850’s and 60’s, was the free North (and its cause in the U.S. Civil War) considered more virtuous than the slave-holding South?
During the 1850’s and 60’s, was the free North (and its cause in the U.S. Civil War) considered more virtuous than the slave-holding South?
Do we find authors or politicians in the U.K. or France ...
14
votes
1answer
3k views
Flag with 13 white stars and a crescent on red background
What flag is this?
I saw this flag as a sticker on a car from another country. I could not recognize the plate so I do not know its nationality.
My search on Google/images resulted mostly in the ...
8
votes
3answers
760 views
Why did Union troops like General McClellan?
I have read that when President Lincoln dismissed General McClellan for the second time (after he didn't try to beat Lee to Richmond in 1862), the troops almost mutinied (The Civil War by Shelby Foote ...
3
votes
2answers
122 views
Looking for source for Jefferson Davis with Bat Wings
Some time ago I came across a large print of Confederate President Jefferson Davis with bat wings, which was ostensibly printed in a northern newspaper during or shortly after the American Civil War. ...
1
vote
2answers
408 views
Did Lincoln provoke the US civil war? [duplicate]
Did Lincoln provoke the US civil war?
Did there exist a position that Lincoln took that ignited the war, or was it just the consequence of long unsolved US problems.
If the reason is the second, ...
3
votes
1answer
82 views
What were the casualties and ship damage on each side of the Battle of Plum Point Bend, Tennessee?
Specifically, how many were killed/wounded/missing on each side?
-1
votes
1answer
123 views
Exactly how much of what did General Benjamin Butler seize from the Netherlands Consulate in New Orleans on May 10th, 1862? [closed]
There seems to be some conflicting reports over whether or not the amount was cash or specie, and exactly how much of it was seized.
-1
votes
2answers
458 views
What is the difference between the union free state and the territories controlled by the federal government?
In the context of the American Civil War, I stumbled upon the so called territories controlled by the federal government. This map for example makes the distinction between them and the union free ...
1
vote
2answers
205 views
How did the James river serve as a natural defense during The US Civil War?
In a text I read it the following was stated:
“Although Richmond's proximity to Washington, D.C., was hazardous strategically, Virginia's topography—the Appalachian Mountains and rivers, such as the ...
16
votes
5answers
4k views
Why did Lincoln's election prompt the Southern states to secede?
I've just finished Dorin Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals. The presentation of the book suggested that the Southern states seceded as a response to Lincoln's election.
I am confused by that timing: ...
3
votes
1answer
2k views
Why did France support the Confederacy in the Civil War? [closed]
In the US Civil War, I've learned that France supported the south. If they had already banned slavery, why would they support the party fighting to keep it? Did they have any diplomatic or political ...
1
vote
2answers
330 views
Why didn't the zeal of social change brought by ending slavery continue after the US civil-war ended? [closed]
After the US civil war when slavery was (kinda) ended, is there a argument to be made that with the zeal of anti-slavery social change people must have been feeling that they, at least in the north, ...
-1
votes
1answer
88 views
Accuracy of the Show “I Go On Singing”
I recently saw a show about the life of Paul Robeson called I Go On Singing. It was a good show, but it contained several assertions that made me wonder.
Tens of thousands of slaves escaped to ...
8
votes
2answers
1k views
Why were cavalry raids so powerful during the American Civil War?
In reading McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom" he gives several examples of cavalry groups of less than 2000 men causing tremendous damage, seemingly with tremendous leverage.
Why was the North so ...
6
votes
2answers
1k views
How did Jews feels in the Confederate States of America and what was their political position? [closed]
Was there any sort of legislated racial discrimination against Jews or not? Or, If not by law, maybe they were oppressed socially by so-called "rednecks"? Did they held any positions in the CSA ...
6
votes
1answer
465 views
Why didn't former slaves become low-wage workers after emancipation?
The Southern economy is often said to have been in shambles after slaves were emancipated since slavery was largely an economic enterprise. I've also read that former slaves had difficulty finding ...
