American History: A Survey (Brinkley), 13th Edition

Chapter 14: THE CIVIL WAR

Primary Sources

1
Daniel O'Leary, a captain in the Union army, took part in the bloody fighting of the Chattanooga and Atlanta campaigns and by the fall of 1864, had seen all of the war that he wanted to see. Having lost a brother fighting for the Union in Virginia and a brother-in-law, who fell in Dallas, Georgia, fighting for the Confederacy, he had every reason to feel tired and perhaps a bit disillusioned. The following is from a letter that he wrote to his wife just after his regiment had withdrawn from Atlanta and returned to Chattanooga, where they were to be discharged. What does his letter tell you about the status of the struggle at this time?

What of O'Leary's attitude toward black soldiers? The fall of Athens, Alabama, was not exactly what he had heard. About 400 black troops were captured, but some contended that the surrender had been the fault of their white commander. Nevertheless, what does O'Leary's reaction to the rumor tell you about the difficulties that blacks faced in being accepted? Also, what does this indicate about what men like O'Leary considered themselves to be fighting for?

What other evidence of disillusionment can you find in this letter? Who was the "Little Mac" whom O'Leary mentioned? How might this reference have been an indication of O'Leary's feelings about the way the war was being run? In general, what does the letter tell you about one group of Union soldiers?

Daniel O'Leary

2
The most famous speech in American history is also one of the shortest—President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address of 1863. Why does Lincoln say the Union is fighting this war? How does this differ from his earlier pronouncements earlier in the conflict? To what elements of the American ideological tradition does Lincoln hearken to in this brilliant polemic and heartfelt eulogy?

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=36&page=transcript

3
Both of these documents -- Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and War Department General Order 143—mark crucial moments in the evolution of the federal government's commitment to ending slavery and granting blacks full rights. What is revolutionary about these documents? What concessions are made to political necessity? What other pieces of legislation (and what battlefield events) led to the adoption of these two acts by the Union?

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=34&page=transcript

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=35&page=transcript

4
Another of Lincoln's most renowned speeches is his Second Inaugural Address, given weeks before the end of the Civil War and his own assassination. How does Lincoln now explain the coming of the conflict, and how does this differ from earlier explanations? What tone does Lincoln strike in this address, and why? Can we infer anything about Lincoln's possible plans for Reconstruction from this document?

http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=38&page=transcript

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