The Civil War Was The Bloodiest War Of American History

The Civil War was the bloodiest war in American history, as the schism between the North and the South turned friends into foes and brothers into sworn enemies. While this war is widely known for the battles that took place upon the land, the United States Navy contributed to the war effort upon the sea and rivers as well. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles had three objectives for the Navy during the Civil War and one of them was to blockade the Confederate State of America. The overall goal of the blockade was to stifle the Confederacy so that it could easily be defeated by the Union forces. However, the blockade was not the Navy’s most important contribution to the preservation of the Union, as the blockade failed to smother the Confederacy due to the poor ships that it was composed of and the inefficiencies that they presented. The Union blockade struggled to establish itself due to the ships that made up the blockade. When the blockade was first formed it was nothing more than a paper blockade as the Union had only a handful of warships that were available to patrol the some 3,000 miles of Confederate coastline.1 Welles realized that the Navy needed more vessels to sufficiently cover the Confederate coast so he made Union naval officers responsible for purchasing the vessels that would bolster the blockade.2 Most of the vessels that were acquired by the Union naval officers were merchant vessels, and they presented little threat to the Confederacy as they wereShow MoreRelatedEssay about The American Civil War: America’s Bloodiest War716 Words   |  3 PagesThe American Civil War, known as the War Between the States’ by some, was America’s bloodiest war. The Civil War consisted of over 10,000 battles between The Union Army of the North and the South’s Confederate Army, which lasted almost 4 years. The War was fought in 23 states and of the more than 10,000 battles only about 50 were major battles. (Weider, The Civil War, 1) In this paper the reader will learn about important dates of the war also about 4 of the bloodiest battles in the war; the BattleRead MoreAbraham Lincoln And The Civil War1283 Words   |  6 PagesThe American Civil War was the bloodiest war in American history, and the impact was felt on many levels. Various estimates put the deaths during the Civil War at between 600,000 and 700,000. The last figure is the result of better research of existing death records and casualty lists (Isenhour). In order to understand the complexity of the Civil War, one must understand Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860 (History 1). He was elected as the 16th president (History 1). AfterRead MoreThe American Civil War: The Bloodiest War1190 Words   |  5 Pages On April 12, 1861 decades of building tensions between the northern and southern United States erupted into the American Civil War. The war began when Confederates attacked Union soldiers at fort Sumter, South Carolina. This happened because the north did not believe in slavery, but the south did. The north went against slavery, but the confederates believed that slavery was good for money because they saved money by not paying the slaves. The election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860 causedRead MoreThe Battle Of The American Civil War891 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Confederacy. Southern secession was the first step leading to the American Civil War. This war was the bloodiest war in American history, ki lling roughly 600,000 American soldiers. The Civil War would have never happened if it wasn’t for the secession of the Southern states. Because of Lincoln’s election, States’ rights, economic issues, and slavery, eleven Confederate states seceded from the Union. By the presidential election of 1860, the United States was divided over the controversial topicRead MoreCivil War : A War Between Citizens Of The Same Country1609 Words   |  7 PagesEmma Hart Mrs. Wise History 8Y 11 December 2014 Civil War Civil War is defined as a war between citizens of the same country. Why would America have this fight? The Northern states of America decided that they would no longer tolerate the Southern states treating African Americans as slaves because of the color of their skin. When disputes were brought up over this issue between the North and South, the South was too persistent to have slaves. They worried that the North would be successful inRead MoreEssay on Was the Civil War in Face Inevitable? (Dbq)610 Words   |  3 PagesWas the Civil War Inevitable or Not? â€Å"A house divided against itself cannot stand.† Abraham Lincoln uttered these words on June 17, 1858 at the Republican state convention in Illinois. Three short years later, the first shots of the Civil War would be fired at Fort Sumter. Brothers fighting brothers, killing 620,000 of their own. This would be the start of the bloodiest war in American history. The debate over popular sovereignty, the conflicting opinions on slavery, and the publicationRead MoreEssay about The American Civil War876 Words   |  4 PagesThe United States has been involved in many wars throughout history. Americans have fought and died in many wars such as the war for independence in World War I to Desert Storm. One of the bloodiest wars in our nation’s history is without a doubt is the Civil War. Prior to the beginning of the Civil War, the country was divided by the issue of slavery. When President Lincoln was elected to office, several states seceded from the Union. During this war, â€Å"Over six hundred thousand men died, and hundredsRead MoreThe Battle Of Antietam And The Civil War876 Words   |  4 Pages Ryan Prendergast Morrow A/B American Studies First Draft Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, uttered the words,That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. This meaningful sentence perfectly represents the Battle of Antietam as a turning point in the Civil War and its effect on America decades later. The small step was one man s step on the moon just like the Battle of Antietam was just another battle during the Civil War, but they were short and impactful events thatRead MoreEssay Souths Seccesion and Start of Civil War698 Words   |  3 PagesFor four years, Americans fought against one another on the battlefield. This war would come to make up the bloodiest war in American history. Over the four years, over 620,000 soldiers died in the conflict. This war became one the most traumatic event in American History. Since the beginning of colonization to the 1860’s, the people in this country were slowly being divided. From 1850 to 1861, it was apparent that the union was separating into the North and the South and battle was soon to followRead MoreA Brief Note On Civil War And Its Effects On The United States1602 Words   |  7 Pages Civil War Civil War is defined as a war between citizens of the same country. Why would America have this fight? The Northern states of America decided that they would no longer tolerate the Southern states treating African Americans as slaves because of the color of their skin. When disputes were brought up over this issue between the North and South, the South was too persistent to have slaves. They worried that the North would be successful in abolishing slavery, so in result, the South went