Antietam

The Confederacy has become overly confident especially their General due to their victories. The Union is only getting stronger and my sons are ready to show General Lee what the north can do. In September 1862, Lee had marched his troops to Maryland with the hopes of starting a pro-Confederate uprising. They also hoped that since most of the battles were in southern territory that the change to fighting in the north could gain recognition from Europe. I think that the south went into this war too bold. Lee's army didn't need to fight they needed food but this battle did end well for the north so hopefully we won't become over confident with our results. My son, Adam, wrote to me about this battle because James has fallen ill but he will hopefully be better soon. On September 8 trouble for the south began as Lee's plan started to unravel and it turned into a result he wouldn't have wished for. Lee started by issuing a "Proclamation to the People of Maryland" inviting Maryland to join the rest of the south but as a loyal part of the north Lee didn't get the result he had hoped. Adam then told me about he and some other Union soldiers found a rebel campsite with Lee's plan. This war has proven to be all about surprise attacks but the crucial element of surprise that the Confederate troops planed was ruined. My son has told me that when they handed the plan to McClellan he exclaimed, "Here is a paper with which if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home." The armies met at Sharpsburg, Maryland and the Union spread along Antietam Creek and the Confederacy was attacked in three phases on September 17. This battle was the bloodiest seen; my son says he can't even describe the gory details and he is glad James didn't go. Adam left the war with some shards metal in his shoulder but I consider this far more lucky than the 23,000 soldiers that died or were greatly wounded. The Battle of Antietam lead Lee to retreat to Virginia and it has given the north a renewed amount of energy. I believe that we can win this war, I always have, and now with Lincoln believing it we can conquer anything.

"The Battle of Antietam Video." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.

"Battle of Antietam." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

"Antietam: A Savage Day In American History." Antietam: A Savage Day In American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

The Battle of Bull Run

My sons have just been through their first battle. They have written me throughout the war and they have told me that they're okay. In July 1861 they were sent along with 30,000 other Union troops. General Scott sent General Irvin McDowell and the troops outside of Washington to fight the waiting Confederate forces. The armies came in contact near a creek called Bull Run and in Manassas, Virginia. My sons have told me that in the at first it seemed as though the Union had the upper hand but the Confederacy was lead by General Thomas J. Jackson. The determined General proved that the Confederacy was stronger and they over powered the Union sending the Union troops back to Washington. For the refusal of the General to surrender to the Union troops he was nicknamed Stonewall Jackson and he was announced as a hero. The battle has apparently gained two names, here in the north the battle is known as the Battle of Bull Run but in the south it is the Battle of Manassas. I think that from this battle the north has realized that this war may not be as short and easily won as we thought. The south has a reason to fight and they will but the north will conquer and this war will end before the south can even realize what's happening. My husband has told me of how Lincoln has responded to the lose of the battle by increasing the amount of troops and letting General George B. McClellan take the place of McDowell. My husband and I have been talking about the issue of slavery and how it has always been the reason why we support this war but it seems as though Lincoln isn't fully addressing slavery. Many abolitionists have realized this and they are are becoming impatient especially Fredrick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison. Most of the north is fighting against slavery, like my sons are, and if Lincoln spoke about how he is against slavery I feel as though the north would gain more support. Europe disapproves the thought of slavery and this is why Great Britain is hesitant to help the Confederacy and the north would become more popular and gain more support in other countries than the Confederacy. My sons have been writing to me about their experiences on the battle field and it sounds as though they are doing quite well so far but they have told me about a dilemma that keeps arising. African Americans kept coming into the control of the Union and it would be counter productive to send them back into slavery and some attempts have been made at what to do. Hundreds of black refugees were gathered by General Benjamin Butler and they were put into manual labor and they were declared as merely war supplies. General John Frémont then declared that all enslaved people that entered the state of Missouri under his leadership would officially become free but from this boarder states began to worry so Lincoln took back Frémot's words. Zachary has told me about the Presidents secretive work; he has found that Lincoln is devising a plan for the emancipation of enslaved citizens in the Confederacy. Lincoln realized that he couldn't avoid the his views of slavery so he shared his plan with the Cabinet in 1862. The announcement came as a shock but most were in favor of it but the members agreed that this plan shouldn't be announced immediately. The act wasn't wanted to look like desperation especially after the Second Battle of Bull Run was lost by the Union. The Union needs a victory and my sons have reassured me that it shall not be very long before the Union is once again successful.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Advantages of both sides

 I hope that the war is short so that life can go back to usual eventually. I have found out that my two sons, James and Adam, have volunteered to fight in the war. I am so happy that they are willing to fight for the safety of our family and for what they believe. I pray to God that neither of them are hurt but unfortunately I know how merciless and brutal the south's actions can be so they must be smart. I remember before the war when the conflict of slavery began and they were so young but now they are 18 and 17. Even Harriet and Elizabeth are so old, I feel as though this war is taking over their lives, they have grown up along the conflict and now it is time for it to end. My friend, Liza, is still in North Carolina and she has wrote to me telling me how the southern army hopes to greatly damage the Union army and preserve its own small armies and to demolish the Unions will to fight. Liza has also told me about the need of trade so they are hoping to become on good terms with Britain and France due to the cut off of supplies from the north and they are also hoping for military aid. My sons have told me the plan of the Union is a two part plan created by the Mexican-American war hero, General Winfield Scott. I have heard many good things about General Winfield Scott and in 1861 he was the commander of all US forces. I am glad to have such an amazing war hero on the side of the Union. His plan started with blocking all of the southern ports preventing supplies from getting to the Confederacy. The second part of the plan is that the Union army will go southward following the Mississippi River and the control of this river would leave the Confederacy split in two and this would destroy them. Due to the tactics used in this plan it is now referred to as the Anaconda plan. Some northern congress men preferred a larger army that they felt would quickly free slaves but I like the Anaconda plan the most. The Union is also in a tricky spot because the boarder states of Maryland, Missouri, Kentucky and Delaware still permit slavery but they aren't part of the Confederacy. If any or all of the boarder states decided to join the Confederacy then the Union could be lost and so Lincoln has clearly stated that his only hope was to preserve the Union and not abolish slavery. He declared, "I believe I have no lawful right to [free the slaves] and I have no inclination to do so." The Union is in a good place and if we can keep this up then we shall win the war within no time.

"G. Union Advantages/disadvantages - Miss Rich: Civil War." G. Union Advantages/disadvantages - Miss Rich: Civil War. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

"North1790-1860north." Emaze Presentations. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Robert E. Lee

I think that the north will easily will this war against the south. The war is the talk of the nation, it's on every newspaper. I am even permitted to teach the students at the school about conflict going on and to updated. From what I have heard so far the north has more advantages which will lead to an easy and harmless victory. The north has an astounding population of 22 million people where the south only has 9 million but 3.5 million are slaves that I doubt will want to fight along side their harsh owners. Not to mention the north's industry has prepared us for war better than the south's agriculture could ever provide for them. The Union is in better hands due to the excessive amount of ammunition, uniforms, medical sup lies and weapons being produced. The Union is easily able to gain coal and iron and this is very helpful and our population and production is only growing because of European immigrants seeking job opportunities. The Union also has a better railroad network so troops and materials can move quickly and efficiently. The Union also has an army which is rapidly growing in size with 250 warships already launched and much more to come. Zachary also informed me that the south doesn't even have their own navy and this has allowed the Union to produce a naval blockade preventing supplies crucial to the south to be delivered. On top of all of the advantages that I have already named the biggest one is that the Confederate government is new and the Union has perfected theirs throughout many years. When the first constitution was created it caused much conflict and was found to not work but now the Union is found in the trusted hands of Abraham Lincoln. We will fight to either defeat the south or bring them into the Union again but the outcome doesn't matter as long as slavery is gone and my family is safe. We need a strong army and we have 16,000 troops but we will need more. My husband has also told me about commander Robert E. Lee who is known for his magnificent record in the United States Army. Although he is from Virginia he opposed the thoughts of slavery yet he refused to help the Union army and is commanding the Confederacy army. The south is trying to avoid defeat and the supplies from the north is having to travel further because we have to fight on the offensive side in southern territory. We shall protect the capital and keep our dignity, long live the north!

"Robert E. Lee (1-19-1807 - 10-12-1870)." N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
"North vs. South." By Suicidecrew on DeviantArt. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Fort Sumter

Lincoln has officially become president on March 4, 1861, and I am very excited to see what his new leadership can bring to this nation. He set a firm tone with the south immediately by saying, "I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in states where is exists." The south was being foolish for seceding from the nation. I don't want to have them in the Union but they won't be nearly as strong without the north and they need to be reassured that their slavery will be safe. My husband told me that Lincoln set the south straight by saying, "No state upon its own mere action, can lawfully get out of the Union." This quote completely changed everything and although Lincoln wanted to avoid violence this didn't happen. When southern states decided to seceded from the nation they obtained the forts and arsenals within the boarder. This left the north with only four forts, the south even took the most important one. Fort Sumter was in South Carolina and it bordered the harbor. President Buchanan attempted to send more troops and supplies to the fort in January 1861; however, the ship was fired at by Confederate guns. The unarmed ship was forced to sail away. Zachary told me about the conflict Lincoln is face with. Lincoln must either risk holding onto these forts or surrender to the demands of the Confederates. Without materials the troops are in desperate need of food and other supplies by April. My husband told me that Lincoln didn't want to become involved in violence with the south and he wanted to bring them back into the Union peacefully. This lead him to the decision to either try to give more supplies to the fort or to let the Confederates take over. I unfortunately think that the nation has found themselves in an inevitable war but Lincoln didn't want to harm his own country by setting off a conflict that could lead to war. He made the decision to only aid the soldiers by sending food and not any weapons; however, South Carolinians were still suspicious and declared that the fort had to surrender to the command of the Confederacy. This started much conflict, Union soldiers refused to surrender and this lead to the Confederates shooting at the fort and eventually due to the limited supplies the Union troops ran out of ammunition and the commander surrendered. The south is so abusive, they take advantage of the weak and manipulate them so they can win. As can be assumed the north was in shock and Lincoln took a stand by declaring that "insurrection" still remained. 75,000 were called upon to fight the Confederacy but the south quickly gathered troops and they were trained quickly.  The north found that it had lost the states of Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina as quickly made their way to the confederacy and joined them. This conflict that started as a little anger became so much more I don't know if this nation  is ready for the violence that I predict is to come.

Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

"Fort Sumter, Before and After the Bombardment." CardCow Vintage Postcards. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Jefferson Davis and the confederacy is formed

As expected the south was furious about the outcome of the presidential convention and immediately a state convention was wanted by the South Carolina legislature. On December 20, 1860, the meeting in Charleston was held and it was declared that "the Union now subsiding between South Carolina and other states under the name of the United States of America is hear by dissolved." Southern states kept on receding from the nation and within a few weeks 6 states had left the Union. There have been lots of doubts within the states whether to secede from the nation or not but some states were greatly in favor of leaving. Zachary has told me about controversy having to do with Alexander H. Stephens, the state senator of Georgia, faced confusion on what to do, although he was alarmed by the election of Lincoln. He felt that Georgia should stay loyal to the states; however, Georgia voted to secede from the Union despite contradicting views. I have found that all of the southern states just want to save their way of life but I don't understand why they are leaving the Union because Lincoln promised to to not become involved with the slavery that is currently in the southern states. He is only concerned about preventing slavery in the new western territories yet so many southern states are seceding anyways. I have become okay with this because I personally never fancied the southern views of life. According to the newspaper in February 1861, the Confederate States of America were created by the seven seceding states. My husband has told me that a constitution was made and it was very similar to the US constitution; however, it included the idea of independence of each state and enforced the right that states had to secede. As could be expected the Confederation was greatly in favor of slavery and in order to gain support from Britain and France the importation of slaves from other countries was prohibited. Although most of the south wants to be separate not all southerners seemed to be ecstatic about the idea and some didn't like the Confederacy while others still aimed for a compromise with the north. One of my dear friends, Liza, moved to North Carolina and she has told me all about the conflict. She says that the Confederacy is trying to gain the approval of seceding from the nation from people against slavery. The Confederacy has been pressing this idea harshly on her family because they don't believe in slavery. In order to gain support from others, like Liza and her family, the Confederacy elected Jefferson Davis, a Mississippi senator, for president. Liza has told me that Davis supports the Compromise of 1850 but he feels that the south should establish its own culture and have control over slavery. I hope that the south decides to secede from the Union. The south suggested a final compromise but the things they expected the north to conform to were insane. The south wanted slavery to be in the west over the Missouri compromise line; this unbelievable compromise was made by John Crittenden, a senator from Kentucky. As if this wasn't enough he also wanted federal funds to be given to slaveholders for their un returned fugitives. Lincoln said that the Crittenden compromise would "lose us everything we gained by the election." I completely agree with the statement. The south causes unnecessary conflict and if they wish to leave this nation then the issue of slavery will finally be solved and I won't have to worry much about the possible outcomes of this Union.
"Jefferson Davis’ State of the (Dis)Union." Civil War Daily Gazette. N.p., 07 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.
"Abraham Lincoln Maddie Leers." DiamondWiki -. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

Election of 1860

"Civil War Election of 1860." YouTube. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2016. 
"Election of 1860." Election of 1860. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

The election of 1860 has caused more chaos than I thought it was going to. I'm not excited to see the outcome of how the north and south live under the rule of one president that has to bring peace to the entire nation. I hope everything ends well because I have just had another child. It's a girl and I have decided to name her Elizabeth and I am so happy but I am scared for her safety. There is so much uncertainty that needs to be fixed like the thought of Kansas becoming a slave state or free state. I along with most of the north have become filled with a very unsettling feeling due to the surprising result of the Dred Scott decision. A senator from Mississippi, John Davis, convinced congress in 1860 to adopt resolutions that restrict the federal control on slavery. This declared that the constitution can't allow any states or congress to interfere with slavery where it already existed. My husband and I feel as though we are being attacked, according to Zachary, even part of the southern population that don't own slaves feel attacked. The election of 1860 has started with arguing, democrats found that there were many different views that couldn't match up. Zachary told me that after democrats went to Charleston for their nominating convention they argued for many days about slavery. As expected the southern democrats wanted federal protection for slavery while northern democrats like the idea of popular sovereignty and they seemed to like Stephen Douglas and his idea. These contradicting views lead to two separate parties: the northern democrats and the southern democrats. Northern democrats, as I had expected, nominated Stephen Douglas while the southern democrats nominated John C. Breckinridge. I have found that the parties for this election are quite odd, the Whigs and the Know-Nothing's have become the Constitutional Union party. They hope to bring the north and south back together with their candidate, John Bell. They hope to uphold "the Constitution of their country, the Union of the States and enforce the laws." The last of the four parties is the Republican party, my husband and I are personally in favor of this party, this party has the most strength especially with the candidate Abraham Lincoln. In the convention held for the republicans to determine the candidate for the election William H. Seward had been the favorite but some thought he had views that were too radical on the problem of anti-slavery. Abraham instead was elected and I am glad. Zachary has told me he is against slavery but he says he won't take it away from states that currently have it but he will prevent more slave states from forming. Thankfully Lincoln won the election with an amazing 60% of the electoral vote and a still impressive 40% of the popular vote. Although I am happy with Lincoln as president the south doesn't seem to agree. Lincoln was not voted for in 9 states and in most southern states he wasn't even on the ballot. Breckinridge was most popular throughout the southern states. States with economic interests not closely related to slavery such as Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee voted for Bell. Stephen Douglas was left only winning in New Jersey and Missouri but he did come behind Lincoln in the popular vote. The four candidates all had very different views for this nation and this makes me scared for violence and riots that are to come. There is a huge gap between the northern and southern states and this gap only seems to widen everyday. I don't even know if an amazing leader like Lincoln can help bridge the nation back together; I think at this point this nation needs a miracle.