Presidents Andrew Johnson, Grant, and Hayes

 

Presidents Andrew Johnson, Grant, and Hayes are remembered for serving during the Reconstruction period. This time was hard on these presidents because the South had trouble fitting in with the North due to the Union victory. These presidents did all they could to help reunite the North and South.

After the assassination of President Lincoln during his second term, vice president Andrew Jackson became the president of the United States. Johnson was born in North Carolina in 1808 to a poor family. At the age of 18, Andrew married Eliza McCardle who was only 16 at the time. She helped tutor him to improve his math and writing knowledge. Johnson worked as a tailor and mayor in Tennessee before he was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 1835. In 1843 Johnson was elected U.S. Representative and later he was elected as the U.S. Senate. Although he was a Southerner, he was strongly Unionist during the Civil War. Lincoln selected Democrat Johnson as his vice president so they could appeal to both the North and South. A couple months after his inauguration as vice president, Johnson became the 17^th president of the U.S. Johnson and Congress did not get along well throughout his presidency. In 1868 tensions with Congress and Johnson began. After Congress passed the Tenure of Office Act in 1867, to protect Cabinet members from being replaced by Johnson, the president replaced Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Due to this replacement, Congress put Johnson on trial for going against this act. The trail lasted 14 days and Johnson won. Throughout the rest of Johnson’s term, Johnson and Congress had several differences.

General Ulysses S. Grant became the 18^th president in 1869, and served two terms (1869-77). Grant was part of the Republican Party and he is remembered for leading the Union through the Civil War in several historic battles. During his first term, he maintained prosperity, but during his second term as president he had to lead the country through the Panic of 1873. Grant is remembered as a historical president, because of his fighting in the Civil War and being General of the U.S. Army (1864-69). Grant disagreed with Johnson’s policies, so he strongly supported civil rights through direct federal intervention.

Rutherford B. Hayes served one term (1877-81) as the 19^th president of the United States. Hayes was born in 1822, in Ohio. He served in Congress and the Army before becoming president. Hayes was allowed to have the votes from the Democrats during his election only if he would end Reconstruction and federal intervention in Southern politics. After the death of Lincoln, the executive branch lost much of its power, but Hayes’s policies helped expand its power. Hayes is best remembered for ending Reconstruction and restoring popular faith in the presidency.

These three hard working presidents helped lead the United States through this rough period with great strength. They fought for what they believed in and were not afraid to do what they believed was best for the country. These presidents helped shape the North and South into what they are today.

 

Abraham Lincoln

 

Abraham Lincoln was the 16 president, and is remembered as an American hero. He led the United Sates through the Civil War with great leadership. Lincoln is known as being one of the United States’ best presidents.

Lincoln was born in Kentucky in 1809 to Thomas and Nancy Lincoln, who were one of the richest families in their county. But in 1816, his family was forced to move to Indiana due to his father losing most of his land because of legal disputes over land titles. Abraham began growing up in the non-slave state of Indiana, but later moved to Illinois in 1830. Lincoln’s strength began to develop in Illinois due to his hard frontier life, and he is remembered for winning a very competitive wrestling match. Finally at age 21, Abe had moved out of his father’s house and he worked on a flatboat, but then became a partner in a small general store. Abraham taught himself throughout his life, and in his early 20’s he began teaching himself law. By 1834, Lincoln was given a seat as a state legislator, and in 1836 he completed the bar exam in Illinois. Lincoln was successful in cross-examination and became a great lawyer.

In 1842, Lincoln married Mary Todd. The two planned to get married in 1841 but broke it off until re-meeting in 1842. The couple had 4 children, and although Lincoln was often absent, he was still a great father. Starting in 1846, Abe served one term in Congress, but returned to Illinois to practice law. By 1854, Lincoln returned to politics and began to develop the new Republican Party in his state. Lincoln is remembered for some of his famous speeches. “His Divided” speech, given in 1858, is one of Lincoln’s best known. Abraham was a strong supporter of the Union, and he knew that one side of slavery would come out on top. Due to his strong belief in spreading the new Republican Party, he thought that becoming senator of Illinois would be a great opportunity to do so. During this time Stephen Douglas was senator, and he would be Abraham’s opponent in the race. This led to the Lincoln-Douglas Debate, which was a series of seven debates that took place in 1858. The 7 debates discussed slavery, which was the main issue during this time. Newspapers began taking sides in the debate, and when the newspapers published the speeches, they made sure to make their favored candidate look better.  Although Lincoln lost the debate, he still earned lots of National recognition. In 1860, due to his book, Lincoln gained the Republican nomination for president, and won.

Before Abraham was officially elected president, 7 Southern states seceded because no compromises could be reached on issues of slavery. Lincoln turned his entire attention to reuniting the nation after the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. President Lincoln suspended the rights of habes corpus, arresting many secessionist supporters along the border. He cleaned up the Trent Affair in late 1861, which helped avoid the British entering the Civil War. Lincoln gladly accepted the Civil War, and began studying many books on war strategy, which helped him become a better strategist over the country. Abraham’s first great decision to support abolition was the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. In 1863, several freed slaves joined the war on the side of the Union. Lincoln’s most famous speech was his very short Gettysburg Address, which lasted only 3 minutes. Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as president in 1864, and he got to witness the end of the Civil War in 1865. A couple days after the news of the Confederacy’s surrender, Lincoln was shot in the head by John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate sympathizer, at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C. After his death on April 15, he was buried in Springfield, Illinois.

Abraham Lincoln was one of the greatest presidents the United States ever witnessed. He helped lead the U.S. through the Civil War, and won several positive remarks from American citizens. He will always be remembered as one of the greatest speakers ever heard.

Union and Confederate Generals of the Civil War

 

There were several iconic generals that fought in the Civil War. They helped set examples for people and soldiers today, and are a large part of American history. Although the Union and Confederate generals were fighting each other, some had similarities and friendships with each other.

The most iconic Union general was Ulysses S. Grant. He was born in 1822 and was the 18^th President of the United States. Grant led the Union army to victory in several of the wars in which he fought. In 1843, Grant graduated from West Point and served in the Mexican-American War. At the beginning of the Civil War, Grant was general of the Western campaigns, but later his effectiveness in the west led to Lincoln promoting Grant to commander over the entire Union army in 1863. He was a great strategist and general throughout the entire Civil War. His popularity helped him become the 18^th president of the U.S., and he worked to end any remaining Confederate evidence. Grant helped push the United States through the Reconstruction period by rebuilding.

Like Grant, Confederate General Robert E. Lee was a strong iconic general. He was born in 1807, and was the son of a Revolutionary War officer. Lee served in the Mexican-American War before the Civil War. Though Lee believed in the states being united, he followed his home state of Virginia and denied the request of a senior position in the U.S. Army. He often took several risks throughout the Civil War and they frequently worked. Although Lee is known as one of the most skillful Generals in history, he could not turn the war’s tide leading to the defeat of the Confederate Army. When the war ended, Lee later became the president of what is now known as Washington and Lee University and supported the Reconstruction movement. Both Lee and Grant became great friends after the war, and they both often showed their Christian beliefs throughout the war. Lee became a popular figure throughout the world and even after his death.

Philip Henry Sheridan was an important cavalry officer for the Union Army. He was born in 1831 and dedicated his whole adult life in serving for the Union Army. Sheridan often employed a tactic called “scorched earth”, which means he would burn any easy collective resources in the cities they conquered. He is remembered for the burning of the Shenandoah Valley, and is remembered for chasing Lee and his men in Appomattox leading to the surrender of the Confederate Army. In 1888 he became General of the U.S. Army under President Grover Cleveland.

Like Sheridan, Jeb Stuart was also an important cavalry general. He was born in 1833, and he liked to have fun, leading to his cavalier image. Although Jeb liked to entertain, his good work caught Lee’s eye, and when joining the Confederates it boosted the army’s morale. Stuart graduated from West Point in 1854, and is remembered for trying to calm tensions during the Bleeding Kansas conflict. He was also part of the detachment that captured John Brown at Harpers Ferry. His absence from Gettysburg resulted in its outcome because on his way to Gettysburg, he was surprise attacked by Sheridan and his men. While fighting Sheridan’s men, Stuart was mortally injured; this led to his death in 1864.

These men are some of the most historical soldiers in American history. All of these men fought with great strength, and were highly educated. These men were remembered by both the Union and Confederate sides, and they will always be remembered by Americans today.

 

 

Favorite Parts of the Civil War

 

The Civil War is one of history’s greatest battles, especially in American history. This war had more deaths than any other American war, and it has a strong grip on Americans today. My favorite part of the Civil War is the beginning and the end.

The first major conflict in the Civil War was the Battle of Manassas or Battle of Bull Run, which was fought on July 21, 1861 near Manassas, Virginia. The Union were defeated in this battle due to both sides having 18,000 poorly trained troops. Union General McDowell led an ambitious attack on Confederate General Beauregard’s troops, and the Union was defeated because of Confederate reinforcements under Confederate General Johnston. This battle is where General Thomas Jackson and his men stood their ground, which earned him the nickname “Stonewall Jackson.” The Confederates reinforcements forced the Yankees and McDowell’s troops to retreat wildly, which led to President Lincoln replacing McDowell with General McClellan. The first major battle of the Western Frontier was the Battle of Fort Henry, which was fought in 1862 in Middle Tennessee. Union General Grant successfully assaulted Fort Henry, opening the Tennessee River to Union ships. The Union troops used the river and destroyed shipping and railroad bridges, and then marched to Fort Donelson. The Battle of Fort Donelson was yet another victory for Grant, and compromised the Confederate’s Cumberland River. These two wins improved General Grant’s reputation. Sometime after these battles, Lincoln replaced McClellan with General Henry Halleck. The Battle of Shiloh was fought in April of 1862 in southwestern Tennessee. Shiloh was a major battle that cost several lives. While General Grant was moving deep into Tennessee, he was surprised by an attack arranged by Confederate Generals Johnston and Beauregard. The first day of battle resulted in great success for the Confederates, but on the second day, the Confederates were defeated and General Johnston was killed in battle. The Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) was fought on August 28-30, 1862 in Tennessee and it concluded Confederate General Lee’s attack on Union General John Pope. This battle was fought in a similar location as the first battle. Like the first battle, the Confederates were victorious. The Battle of Antietam was fought in September 1862 near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and this battle is remembered as the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with up to 22,717 casualties. Union General McClellan was known for his cautious attacks, making this battle last longer than intended. Although this battle was inconclusive, it is claimed to be a Union victory because the Confederates were the first to retreat. After this battle McClellan was replaced by General Burnside. The final battle of the first 2 years of the Civil War was the Battle of Fredericksburg, which was fought in on December 11-15, 1862 around Fredericksburg, Virginia. This battle was fought between Confederate General Lee and Union General Burnside. The Union Army sent multiple attacks on Confederate entrenchments, but could not break through, leading to the Union having several more deaths than the Confederates. At the end of the year, Lincoln finally promoted Grant to top general.

Near the end of the war, there were two remaining battles, the Siege of Petersburg and the Appomattox Court House. The Siege of Petersburg was a series of small battles between June 1864 and March 1865. Confederate General Lee was able to strategically move around from time to time because of his excess of supplies, but after nine months of trench warfare, Grant and Lee’s army began to wear down. Finally, Lee abandoned both Petersburg and the nearby Confederate capital, Richmond, and the battle was marked as a Union victory even though the battle went back and forth. Lee’s retreat ended with the final battle on April 9, 1865 known as Appomattox Court House in Virginia. The battle was very short, and with Lee’s troops facing down the increasing Yankees, he surrendered. General Robert E. Lee and General Ulysses S. Grant met after the Appomattox Court House battle to discuss the surrender of the Confederate army. Grant made sure to provide as generous of terms as possible, and the two held great respect for each other. The two main results were the abolishment of slavery and the re-uniting of the states.

The beginning and the end are my favorite parts of the Civil War because the beginning showed the development of the two historical generals, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant and the end resulted in the two sides re-uniting. The Civil War resulted in 620,000 deaths, more than any other U.S. war. This war was the bloodiest war in American history, and will always have a strong impact on Americans.