The American Civil War

From the beginning, the Civil war was far more than a battle to end slavery and far more than a struggle to preserve the Union. To Abraham Lincoln, the United States was an experiment in a people's ability to govern themselves. If that experiment failed, for the rest of history, monarchs, dictators, and tyrants would use it as an argument against self-rule. To Abraham Lincoln, the entire future of democracy was at stake.

The Union at the battle of Manassas

The Union quickly gathered a large army and set out for the South, its soldiers convinced they could defeat the Confederacy in one battle. But in the very first battle of the war at Bull Run, the Union was defeated. Then it lost the battle of Manassas. Very quickly, the North realized there would be no quick and easy victories in the fight to save the Union.

General George McClellan drove Robert E. Lee 's forces back at Antietam

Through the entire first two years of the war, the North faced setback after setback, and Abraham Lincoln, deeply frustrated, replaced one general with another. When the Union army of General George McClellan drove back Robert E. Lee's forces at Antietam, General George McClellan then held back and refused to pursue them. Abraham Lincoln sent General George McClellan a simple telegram:

"If you don't want to use the army, I should like to borrow it for a while. Yours respectfully, A. Lincoln."

General Ambrose Burnside and General Joseph Hooker

In anguish over his inability to find a general who was aggressive, Abraham Lincoln replaced General George McClellan with General Ambrose Burnside. General Ambrose Burnside lost the battle of Fredericksburg and was replaced by General Joseph Hooker. General Joseph Hooker lost the battle of Chancellorsville. Nowhere, could Abraham Lincoln find a man with the willingness and skill to do what his Commander-in-Chief expected. And then, a General with a taste for liquor and cigars, and a reputation for a tough attitude and a quick mind, began to turn the war in a new direction.