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Military Conflict & Government Policies OIP - Coggle Diagram
Military Conflict & Government Policies 
Military Conflicts
Early War (1861–1862)
Fort Sumter (April 1861): Union Commander: Major Robert Anderson. Confederate Commander: General P.G.T. Beauregard.
Casualties: No deaths during the battle.
Victor: Confederacy.
Significance: First shots of the Civil War; led to four more states seceding.
First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) (July 1861): Union Commander: Brigadier General Irvin McDowell. Confederate Commanders: Generals P.G.T. Beauregard and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
Casualties: ~4,700 total (Union: ~2,900; Confederate: ~1,800).
Victor: Confederacy.
Significance: Shattered Union’s hopes for a quick war.
Anaconda Plan (1861–1862): Designed by General Winfield Scott for the Union, the plan aimed to blockade Southern ports and control the Mississippi River. It was significant for its long-term strategy to economically suffocate the Confederacy.
Eastern Theater (1862)
Peninsula Campaign (March–July 1862): Union Commander: General George B. McClellan. Confederate Commander: General Robert E. Lee.
Casualties: ~35,000 total (Union: ~23,000; Confederate: ~12,000).
Victor: Confederacy.
Significance: Union failed to capture Richmond; Lee took the offensive.
Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) (August 1862):
Union Commander: General John Pope. Confederate Commander: General Robert E. Lee.
Casualties: ~22,000 total (Union: ~14,000; Confederate: ~8,000).
Victor: Confederacy.
Significance: Solidified Lee’s reputation and allowed the Confederacy to take the offensive.
Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg) (September 1862):
Union Commander: General George B. McClellan. Confederate Commander: General Robert E. Lee.
Casualties: ~22,700 total (Union: ~12,400; Confederate: ~10,300).
Victor: Tactical draw (Union claimed strategic victory).
Significance: Bloodiest single-day battle in U.S. history; led to the Emancipation Proclamation.
Turning Points (1863)
Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863):
Union Commander: General George G. Meade. Confederate Commander: General Robert E. Lee.
Casualties: ~51,000 total (Union: ~23,000; Confederate: ~28,000).
Victor: Union.
Significance: Turning point of the war; halted Lee’s invasion of the North.
Siege of Vicksburg (May–July 1863):
Union Commander: General Ulysses S. Grant. Confederate Commander: General John C. Pemberton.
Casualties: ~37,000 total (Union: ~4,800; Confederate: ~32,000, mostly captured).
Victor: Union.
Significance: Gave the Union control of the Mississippi River; split the Confederacy.
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Overland Campaign (1864)
Battle of the Wilderness (May 1864):
Union Commander: General Ulysses S. Grant. Confederate Commander: General Robert E. Lee.
Casualties: ~28,600 total (Union: ~18,400; Confederate: ~10,200).
Victor: Inconclusive.
Significance: Marked Grant’s relentless push toward Richmond.
Siege of Petersburg (June 1864–April 1865):
Union Commander: General Ulysses S. Grant. Confederate Commander: General Robert E. Lee.
Casualties: ~70,000 total (Union: ~42,000; Confederate: ~28,000).
Victor: Union.
Significance: Cut off Confederate supply lines; led to the fall of Richmond.
The End Game (1864–1865)
March to the Sea (November–December 1864):
Union Commander: General William T. Sherman.
Casualties: ~3,100 (mostly Union).
Victor: Union.
Significance: Destroyed Southern infrastructure and morale.
Appomattox Court House (April 1865):
Union Commander: General Ulysses S. Grant. Confederate Commander: General Robert E. Lee.
Casualties: Minimal.
Victor: Union.
Significance: Lee’s surrender effectively ended the war.
Government Policies
Union Policies
Emancipation Proclamation (1863): Issued by Lincoln. Freed slaves in Confederate territories. Shifted war goals to ending slavery. Discouraged European support for the Confederacy. Allowed African Americans to join the Union Army.
Gettysburg Address (1863): Delivered by Lincoln. Reaffirmed commitment to democracy and equality. Highlighted sacrifices at Gettysburg. Linked the war to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.
Conscription Act (1863): First U.S. military draft. Required men aged 20–45 to serve. Exemptions through payment or substitution caused unrest. Sparked New York City Draft Riots. Provided essential manpower for the Union.
Homestead Act (1862): Offered 160 acres of land to settlers. Encouraged westward expansion and agricultural development. Strengthened the Union economically. Many settlers faced hardships.
Legal Tender Act (1862): Created paper currency ("greenbacks"). Stabilized Union economy during the war. Made greenbacks legal tender for all debts. Laid foundation for a centralized banking system.
Confederate Policies
States' Rights vs. Central Power: Persistent tension between state governments and Jefferson Davis’s central authority. Hampered Confederate war effort by limiting national coordination and resource mobilization.
Suspension of Habeas Corpus: Allowed detention without trial to suppress dissent. Controversial among Southerners, reflecting the struggle between civil liberties and wartime needs.
Conscription Policies: Introduced the first draft in American history. Required military service for white men aged 18–35, later expanded to 17–50. Met with significant resistance and exemptions for wealthy slaveowners, deepening class divides.
Confederate Currency: Issued paper money to finance the war. Rampant inflation undermined economic stability, leading to severe hardship for citizens and soldiers.
Confederate Flag: Adopted as a symbol of Southern identity and sovereignty. Strengthened the cultural narrative of independence but failed to unify the South politically.