Civi Wa Stud Guid  

 
Causes  
Causes
SLAVERY  STATE’S RIGHTS 

Tensions about slavery were a major cause that  States disagreed about the power that each 
contributed to the Civil War.  state should have to make its own decisions. 
Some states wanted to remain a part of the 
country, but wanted to be able to do as they 
chose (ex.: southern states wanted to be free to 
have slavery with no input from the federal 
government) 

 
● Uncle Tom’s Cabin: a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that revealed the 
mistreatment of slaves in the South 
● John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry: John Brown, an abolitionist, tried to help 
the slaves rebel against their masters by supplying them with weapons. He 
was caught & surrounded in the armory at Harper’s Ferry & was later hanged 
as a punishment. 
 
Major Battles/Events 
Battles/Events 
★ Battle of Fort Sumter 
○ 1st battle of the Civil War 
○ Union soldiers stationed at Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC 
○ Confederate soldiers wanted them out of their territory, so they fired 
on their fort 
○ Only 2 people were killed from this battle (one was an accident, the 
other was killed in battle) 
○ OUTCOME = North surrendered, South won 
★ Battle of Gettysburg 
○ Turning point in the Civil War 
○ Confederate forces wanted a victory on Northern soil - marched to 
Pennsylvania 
○ Union forces surprised Confederates & began the bloodiest battle in the 
Civil War 
○ OUTCOME = South forced to retreat, Northern forces won 
★ Atlanta Campaign/Sherman’s March to the Sea 
○ Union forces decided they needed one final blow to the Southern states 
to force them to surrender 
 ○ General Sherman was instructed to march through Atlanta (the state’s 
major hub for resources/trade) and destroy everything in the city 
○ Total war: a war that is not limited to fighting between soldiers and 
armies. Civilians and resources are involved as well. 
○ Sherman & his troops marched from Atlanta to Savannah, destroying 
everything in their path 
○ OUTCOME = the South was destroyed and forced to surrender as a 
result of lack of resources, injuries, and total devastation of supplies 
★ Surrender at Appomattox 
○ General Robert E. Lee (Confederate general) surrendered to General 
Ulysses S. Grant (Union general) after the destruction of his land took 
away his resources & devastated his army 
 
Important Leaders 
Leaders 
Abraham Lincoln  President of the United States during the Civil 
War. Enacted the Emancipation Proclamation in 
1863. Led the nation through years of fighting. 
State secession crisis began after his election. 

Robert E. Lee  Confederate general over Southern troops. 

Surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox. 

Ulysses S. Grant  Union general over Northern troops. Accepted 

Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. 

Jefferson Davis  President of the Confederate States of America 

after states seceded from the Union. 

Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson  Fierce and fearless Confederate soldier who was 
considered to be Lee’s “right-hand man”. 

William T. Sherman  Union general who led the efforts to destroy all 
of the South’s resources 
 
 
⭐ Important Vocabulary ⭐ 
 
Civil War Abolitionist State’s Rights  
 
Confederate Union Total War