The Crater at Petersburg

By the time grant had laid siege to Petersburg, Lee's army had become greatly weakened after 4 years of fighting. His fighting force in Petersburg only numbered around 50,000 troops. In attempts to break the siege, General John Gordon led an assault of 12,000 men on fort Stedman. Though the confederacy succesfully took the fort, heavy union artillery was inflict many casualties and drive the confederates back out of the fort. Both sides began to dig trenches and became reluctant to go on the offensive. General Burnside and his men concocted the idea of digging a tunnel under the confederate position and filling it with explosives to create a breach in the confederate lines that could be exploited by Union infantry. After weeks of preparation, Burnside was ready to light the fuse and
create what is known as the battle of the crater.





On July 30th, a position in the confederate defenses was blown and unit after unit of union soldiers charged. Going into the crater, the charge was stopped. In mass confusion, General Mahone gathered as many men as he could and launched a counter attack. They surrounded the crater and began firing down into it.  Some Union troops managed to flank to the right of the crater and assault the confederate lines, driving them back, but the confederates had managed to repel the Federal troops and drove them East.




https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Crater#Battle
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/crater
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Petersburg

The Battle of Shiloh: There's Blood in my Boot!

Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston was leading what would become his last offensive at the Battle of Shiloh when he was shot in the back of his knee. It's possible that he was riding his horse "Fire Eater" too far ahead of his troops and was shot by one of his own men. Some of Johnston's earlier offensives had been highly successful in pushing Grant's army further north, so he was elected to lead some less experienced soldiers into battle. The bullet severed a major artery in his right leg, but it is likely that he did not feel it due to nerve damage from an old dueling injury. He only noticed the severity of the wound when his boot became filled with blood, and by then it was too late. Johnston died of blood loss on the battlefield. Ironically, he had a tourniquet, which is used to compress a limb to stop the flow of blood, in his pocket when he died. Johnston was the highest ranking officer to be killed in action throughout the war, and his death at Shiloh was a huge loss for the Confederacy.

Johnston was replaced with General P.T.G. Beauregard, who called off the Confederate assaults. Many believed that this threw off the Confederate's trajectory towards victory and cost them a loss. However, there is controversy on whether this was really the case. The Union's sheer numbers (66,000 Union soldiers against 45,000 Confederates) and industrial capacity definitely played a role at Shiloh. The loss of Johnston certainly dealt a blow to the Confederacy, but even with his leadership it's unlikely that the South would have been able to break Grant's defensive lines. The battle guaranteed the advancement of Union troops into Tennessee and proved that the war would be a lot bloodier than everyone had expected.

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/albert-sidney-johnston

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/battle-shiloh-shattering-myths

https://www.nps.gov/resources/place.htm%3Fid%3D77

https://www.historynet.com/battle-of-shiloh

The Life of "Stonewall" Jackson

        Thomas Jackson, more affectionately called “Stonewall” Jackson, was born in 1824 in Clarkson, Virginia. He had a tough childhood as his older sister died of typhoid fever at the age of 6 as well as his father soon after. This left Jackson along with 2 siblings and his mother. His mom remarried, and, since his stepfather didn’t like his stepchildren, sent them off to live with relatives. Consequently, Jackson grew up in what is now West Virginia.

        Although Jackson had a confusing upbringing, he was still able to have a successful military career. In 1842, he enrolled in West Point Academy, an elite military school. Soon after graduating, he put his skills to the test when he served as a lieutenant during the Mexican War. The war helped him earn a military reputation as he was able to hold the brevet major rank.

        Even with his renowned military skills, Jackson went back to being a civilian after the Mexican War. He served as a professor of artillery tactics and physics (back then it was called natural philosophy) at the Virginia Military Institute. He later got married, had his wife die of childbirth, and then married again, which then followed his daughter dying after one month. After all this, he was finally able to have a surviving child, to later then have his father die. Even though this may seem like a traumatic experience, deaths like these weren’t too uncommon back in a time where modern medicine and techniques didn’t exist.

        Jackson was only able to get through a decade of his life before his military expertise would be needed again. 11 states seceded from the United States in 1860 soon after Lincoln was elected as the 16th president. Consequently, a civil war began between the Union and the Confederacy, the nation formed by the rebellious states. As a result, Jackson served under General Robert E. Lee in the Confederate Army.

        Even though many remember him by his nickname “Stonewall”, he didn’t pick up this nickname until the First Battle of Bull Run in July of 1861. This was fought over a railroad junction, Manassas Junction, in Virginia--a state where many battles were fought during the Civil War. Jackson had led the Virginia brigade into the battle at a crucial moment and helped the Confederates hold a high-ground position at Henry House Hill. Jackson held a firm position at the hill by leading his troops. After seeing this, General Barnard Bee remarked to his troops to look at Jackson, who was standing “like a stone wall.”

        Unfortunately for Jackson, his Civil War campaign had to come to close a week after he was shot at by his troops. These troops accidentally fired at him during the Battle of Chancellorsville. He was hit three times, which resulted in his left arm to be amputated the next day. However, within a week, he contracted pneumonia and died leaving the South without a key general.

Sources:
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/thomas-j-stonewall-jackson-dies
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/confederate-states-of-america
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/first-battle-of-bull-run
https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/stonewall-jackson

Why not Americanada? Why Canada didn't join America in the Revolution

Both America and Canada began virtually the same way with European colonization, yet today, they have evolved into vastly different nations, the primary reason being the American Revolution in the late 1700s. The Americans claimed independence from Britain in 1776, yet Canada declared independence from Britain over two centuries later. Why did Canada choose not to revolt against British rule like the Americans in the 18th century? The answer is dependent on what the living conditions of both groups were like, religious toleration, and several key events.
Canada did not experience a revolution as America did for numerous reasons. Primarily, French Canadians were not averse to the measures imposed upon them by the British. After Britain won the Seven Years’ War, French Canadians were maintained under British rule. Consequently, they worried that they would be amalgamated into British culture and could not continue their French traditions. The Royal Proclamation of 1763 officially declared that Britain ruled Quebec; however, the French were allowed to continue living on British land, and they could still keep their religion, law, and traditions. It is due to the fact that the Canadians were immensely grateful to the British that they did not revolt in any of the following events.
To compensate for their immense war debt, Britain passed The Stamp Act of 1765 following the Seven Years’ War, a tax on items such as legal documents, playing cards, and newspapers. Americans refused to pay the tax while Canadians were still grateful to be living their previous French lifestyle. The onset of following events, such as the Boston Tea Party and Intolerable Acts ensued for the Americans, further separating the two countries. 
The Quebec Act of 1774 further enraged Americans; it gave Canadians land that the Americans wanted, pushing them more into revolution. The Canadians still did not have reason to revolt because they received more land and some of their policies were improved. This act helped increase trust between the Canadians and British, preventing a possible revolution.
In 1775, America felt as if their revolution needed more support. During the American Invasion of Canada, 700 men invaded the fortress of Quebec to get them to support the revolutionary cause. The Canadians refused to participate in the American Revolution. They believed that even if they agreed to fight alongside the Americans, the British still had a more powerful army. Furthermore, the Canadians assumed that, if they did help, they would be punished by Britain and given a worse life.
Evidently, the American Revolution did succeed and their independence from Britain ensued. American independence did not affect the Canadians immensely. Due to the fact that they were still a British colony, Britain regulated most of their imports and trade systems. Moreover, the Canadians still had no reason to revolt because, by remaining loyal to Britain, they were treated fairly.  
Ultimately, two decades later, Canada gained their indolence from Britain peacefully. Britain feared that the Canadians would inevitably have a revolution against them, and Canada feared that America would attack them if they were under British rule. The better living and economic conditions, and religious toleration that the Canadians enjoyed that led them to peacefully gain their independence from Britain centuries later than America. To this day, Canada remains a constitutional monarchy, where the Queen of England is a symbolic figure in their democratic system of government. 

Sources:
https://www.historyextra.com/period/georgian/why-didnt-canada-not-join-states-colonies-american-revolutionary-war/
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/american-revolution
https://www.amrevmuseum.org/updates/reflections/canada-and-american-revolution

Ulysses S. Grant: Legacy of an American Hero

    "In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues wins." This quote essentially captured Ulysses S. Grant's persona. He was a man who, through brilliant leadership, was able to win the war for the Union. Grant is one of the most recognizable, if not the most, United States military general of all time. But Grant didn't immediately start at the top he had to work his way up.
    Grant was born on April 22, 1822 in Point Pleasant, Ohio. His father Jesse Root Grant had no military connections whatsoever. Jesse Grant ran a tannery business. However, Ulysses had no interest in following his father's footsteps which forced his father to send Ulysses to the United States Military Academy at West Point. Unlike his infamous counterpart General Robert E. Lee, Grant was no standout at the academy. He was relatively average in terms of grades and was constantly criticized for his poor conduct by his superiors. As for his class rank he ranked at twenty one out of the thirty nine cadets. As a result, Grant was enthused when he graduated from the academy. Military life had left a poor taste in his mouth and he planned to resign from the army after the mandatory four years. Despite his negative attitude towards the military something changed during the Mexican American War.
    During the Mexican American War Grant served under General Zachary Taylor and took note of their commanding abilities. On top of that, Grant developed a hatred for slavery and thought that this war was being fought in order to spread slavery. But Grant still led a unit during battle and was credited for being brave under heavy fire. Unfortunately, after the war drinking problems and poor conduct started plaguing him and forced him to resign from the Army. He returned to his father's tannery business with two brothers. But war was looming and Grant would get his chance to redeem himself.
    After Fort Sumter Grant ran back to the Army, fueled by his patriotism, to reenlist in the Army. Unfortunately, his request was denied but with the help of the Illinois governor he was appointed general of a volunteer regiment. Within some time he had the regiment in fighting condition and they fought in minor battles such as the Battle for Fort Donelson and Henry. These were significant wins for the Union in the early stages of the war. Due to Grant's obvious military prowess he was promoted to the major general of volunteer units. Grant was yet to face a large test but he proved himself in the Battle of Shiloh which was a Union victory. Be that as it may top Union generals didn't approve of the enormous casualty rates and demoted Grant. Yet again Grant persevered and was reappointed general. Shortly after Grant secured a decisive victory by outmaneuvering the Confederates and trapping them at Vicksburg and destroying them at Gettysburg. Moral of the Union rose significantly after a disastrous defeat for the Confederates turning the tide of the war. After this point it was hopeless for the Confederates as Grant was able to utilize the North's vast resources to hit the Confederates at all sides and force them to surrender. He was kind enough to let the Confederates walk with their horses and even gave them food. Grant went on to help reorganize the war torn country.  Due to his accomplishments during the war Grant was elected as the 18th president of the United States and went on to serve two terms in office. Grant retired after this and toured the world as a hero.  
    To conclude, Grant is an American hero because he demonstrated what a true American is all about. Despite all his setbacks throughout his life he bounced back, through handwork, and became very successful. He played a crucial role in the Civil War and the fight for democracy. Additionally, Grant had character because he allowed southern soldiers to walk away after their defeat. All of these qualities illustrate why Grant is one of the greatest generals in US history and an American hero.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/ulysses-s-grant/

https://www.biography.com/us-president/ulysses-s-grant

https://www.azquotes.com/author/5814-Ulysses_S_Grant

Thoreau's Radical Civil Disobedience Essay

          Henry David Thoreau, a popular philosopher and essayist during the Civil War, left a prominent mark on American history through his influential essay "Civil Disobedience". "Civil Disobedience", originally titled "Resistance to the Civil Government", urges his audience to question laws instead of blinding accepting them or acquiescing to them. He argues that government is often ineffective because it doesn't represent the majority of views. Through the use of persuasive, calm, language, he calls for a better American government.
          His opinion on slavery is a fundamental part of his essay and a massive point of contention for America during the 1800s. Thoreau was an abolitionist and he maintained a strong view that it was not enough to simply be against slavery and the mistreatment of African-Americans; it was necessary to take action. Thoreau was arrested for repeatedly refusing to pay taxes to the government. In his essay, he urges his audience to conscientiously make the decision to pay their taxes to a government that unjustly enslaves humans.
          In response to his remarks, support for the abolitionist movement became much stronger as people began to take action against slavery. John Brown, infamous for sparking a failed slave rebellion in 1859, was even praised by Thoreau.
         Today, his essay remains exceptionally relevant. Several civil-rights movements are attributed to inspiration from his powerful essay; civil-rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi held similar ideals of justice at the core of their protests. Not only is he relevant to broad social movements, but Thoreau's essay also provides inspiration to the individual average citizen. As the government continues to change, we should continue to question laws that are being made and whether they truly benefit Americans.







Sources:
https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/thoreau-and-civil-disobedience/
https://www.crf-usa.org/black-history-month/thoreau-and-civil-disobedience
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/martin-luther-king-and-gandhi-werent-only-ones-inspired-thoreaus-civil-disobedience-180963972/

Mathew Brady and the Civil War

     Mathew Brady, a prolific American photographer, began his career by photographing presidents and major political figures, but his claim to fame came from his extensive series documenting the Civil War. Born in New York in 1823, Brady began his photography career soon after the invention of the daguerreotype by Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre. He established a portrait studio in New York in 1844. Despite the fact that the art of photography was in its infantry, Brady had to compete with many other aspiring photographers for business. Eventually, Brady became a well-known figure in the field and he began to photograph famous politicians. Among his accolades are photographing Daniel Webster, Edgar Allen Poe, and multiple presidents such as John Quincy Adams and Abraham Lincoln. 

     When the Civil War broke out, Brady was a high point in his career. He decided to gather a team of other photographers and send them to war zones to photograph the war. Although it would be dangerous and expensive, Brady felt compelled to document the event. His team photographed many of the most famous battles of the war such as the Battle of Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg. The images were not censored and showed the immense brutality of the war. When the photographs of dead soldiers were shown to the public in New York in 1862, Americans were stunned by the carnage and the reality of the war. 

      One important aspect of Brady’s Civil War photography that is often overlooked is that he did not take a majority of the photographs himself. The photographers working for him were almost never given credit for the photographs that they took, leading to Brady getting all the attention. This led to a number of them quitting.

     At the conclusion of the war, Brady’s Civil War project has ruined him financially because he had expected to sell the photographs to the government. Although his photographs are now widely considered to be one of the most significant photographic documentations in American history, at the time, the government did not want to purchase them. His career never recovered. In 1896, Brady died in a hospital ward virtually penniless and unknown. 

     Although Brady died at arguably the lowest point in his life, the impact he had on the art of photography and our knowledge of the Civil War are great. He influenced the development of documentary and photojournalism photography during the Great Depression era. Also, his Civil War photographs are some of the most helpful and unfiltered sources of information about the time period. 

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mathew-Brady

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/mathew-brady

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/connections/daguerreotype/history.html

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/cwp/bradynote.html

Ambrose Burnside and Sideburns

Ambrose Burnside was a Union General in the Civil War, a railroad executive, and a senator of Rhode Island. He is also credited with the rise of popularity of sideburns. During the Civil War, Burnside was ultimately unsuccessful. He was heavily involved in the war effort by being present at the First Battle of Bull Run and Antietam. At one point, Lincoln made Burnside in charge of the Army of the Potomac. However, Burnside only lasted three months in that position. The Battle of Fredericksburg was a decisive Union defeat that pushed him away from the war effort. He moved west and was in charge of another unit, but after its failure, he resigned.

The Battle of Fredericksburg was a complete Confederate victory that caused Burnside’s demise as a war general. Failed Union advances against Lee’s army led to more than 13,000 casualties. Burnside wanted to rally his units for a second time. However, it started to rain, and his plan, known as the “Mud March” never got carried out. He was blamed for the Union deaths and the loss of the battle. Still, Burnside placed the blame on others, saying that they did not listen to his orders. He was kicked out of his position as General in January 1863.

After Fredericksburg, Burnside went to work in the military in Ohio. Amidst several controversies, such as falsely charging a man with sedition, Burnside’s career in the military was deteriorating. Despite some successes like the Knoxville Campaign, Burnside led many troops to their death, causing him to be placed on leave.

Although Burnside had little success in his military career, he was prominent in the public sector after the Civil War. He worked as an executive for a railroad company and later became the governor of Rhode Island. He also served in the Senate and became the first president of the National Rifle Association. Despite all of these post-war successes, Burnside’s legacy went past his military and civilian involvement.

One cannot talk about Ambrose Burnside without mentioning sideburns - a facial hair style named after him. Although Burnside was not the first to have sideburns, he certainly increased their popularity. During his time at West Point, Burnside was a prankster and a joker. Cadets were prohibited from having long hair and beards, but Burnside got around this by letting his sideburns grow out while keeping his hair and beard short. He was proud of his hairstyle and wore sideburns for the majority of his life. This style, where the chin is clean-shaven and hair from the sides of the face connect at the mustache, have gone in and out of popularity since Burnside’s times. Nevertheless, Burnside’s sideburns created a legacy of facial hair styles that is still occasionally seen today.

Burnside did not fare too well in the Civil War. He was not the most successful in battle and only made it three months as a general. Still, he had a successful career in civilian life and he left an impact on men’s facial hair styles. Even though he had various failures and successes, ultimately, there would be no “sideburns” without Burnside.

Sources:

https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/ambrose-everett-burnside

https://allthatsinteresting.com/ambrose-burnside-sideburns

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/ambrose-e-burnside

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose_Burnside

Women in the Civil War

               Before the Civil War, women were used to their domestic lives in the house. While men worked in the fields or factories, women were obligated to nurturing the children, cleaning the house, cooking, and other household chores. However, the Civil War gave women the opportunity to become more independent since they were forced to work outside their homes due to the absence of their husbands who were off fighting. By working men's jobs and volunteering as nurses to assist with the war effort, women had earned more respect and broadened the idea of what women are capable of.

             Near the beginning of the war, women had organized supplies and fund-raising campaigns for the soldiers; however, as the war went on they began trying to become more active and involved in the war effort which led to the creation of the United States Sanitary Commission. At first, women sewed uniforms for soldiers, baked foods, canned foods, and organized events. These events, such as county fairs, raised money for the medical supplies and weapons needed for the war. Later, women had begun caring for the ill, and weak soldiers. This led the federal government to create the United States Sanitary Commission service that would allow women to improve army camp conditions through cleaning, acting as laundresses and nurses. One famous nurse during this time was Clara Barton. By showing up with new medical supplies and her determination to nurse the wounded soldiers back to health, Barton had been praised with the name, "Angel of the Battlefield". Later in life, she would go on to found the American Red Cross.

          As a result of their involvement in the war, many women were inspired by their actions and became more active in women's suffrage movements. Although men had believed that their participation in the war was only an expansion of a woman's natural duty, women had grown more independent and inclined to advocate for equality and mainly, the right to vote.

Written by Ragan Krames, P4.


Clara Barton ^

Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/women-in-the-civil-war
http://civilwarsaga.com/the-roles-of-women-in-the-civil-war/

The Battle of the Crater

The Battle of the Crater was a key battle fought in the Civil War. It took place on July 30th of 1864, in the final year of the war, but ended in a major Union defeat. The Union forces had been attempting to siege the town of Petersburg, Virginia, but had found no success in the trench warfare, which had so far yielded a stalemate. When they found an opening on that day, they tried to break through the Confederacy's defense line using gunpowder. What was to come was bloody and brutal pandemonium that the Union did not expect.

Union General Ulysses S. Grant had been desperately seeking alternatives to a frontal assault on the Confederate army. When a Lieutenant Colonel, Henry Peasants, came up with the idea of digging under the Confederate front line and planting explosives, his major general Ambrose E. Burnside was ready to put this plan in action. The explosion ended up killing 352 Confederate soldiers and breaching the front line, allowing Grant and his army to enter the crater that had been created. However, this gave Confederate major general William Mahone the chance to rally his army and trap the Yankees in the crater. Because the Union army was unprepared to make a quick exit from the crater, the Confederates were able to kill off hundreds of trapped men. The Union had many severe casualties, and were forced to withdraw and retreat to their original trenches.

This battle did not end the ongoing siege, but rather led to eight more months of gruesome trench warfare. The failure of the battle, which was viewed as a walk into a death trap, was the catalyst for finding a scapegoat in the Union army. The finger was ultimately pointed at Burnside, who had commanded the troops involved in the attempt and had ordered them to attack. This ended Burnside's military career and he resigned from the army in April of 1865.



Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-the-Crater-1864
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/union-forces-stopped-at-the-battle-of-the-crater
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/crater

First Battle of Bull Run

                In July of 1861, the First Battle of Bull Run had occurred, enabling the idea that the Civil War would not be as easily won as the northerners had perceived. This battle was one of the most majorly influencing and well-known battles during this time, due to the shocking confederate victory and how this impacted the North.

               Through early small victories by the Union army, the northerners were confident in their ability to battle the Confederate troops and advance on Richmond to strike a quick offensive in order to end the war. General McDowell had commanded the Union army and was ordered by Abraham Lincoln to begin the offensive. However, his men were untrained and ill-equipped for this battle. On the morning of July 21, General McDowell led his troops across Bull Run. By delaying the attack and retreating to Henry House Hill, the confederates were able to receive reinforcements from the confederate general Joseph E. Johnston. While at first, it seemed the Union army would be able to beat the Confederates, the constant reinforcements allowed the confederates to break the union line. As the Union troops retreated, the confederates were deemed victorious. As a result of this day-long battle, there were 3,000 Union casualties and about 1,750 Confederate casualties.

               The First Battle of Bull Run was the first significant engagement of the war because this victory had given southerners the hope that they would be able to win the war while northerners had begun realizing that this war was going to take a lot longer and get a lot bloodier than anyone had realized.

1600 × 1113

 Written By Ragan Krames, P4

Sources: https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/first-battle-of-bull-run
https://study.com/academy/lesson/the-first-battle-of-bull-run-summary-significance-facts.html

Technology in the Civil War

The Civil War has maintained the highest casualty war in America’s history. Originally thought to be a short war, similar to Napoleon’s style of fighting one large grand battle to end the war, technological changes shifted the weapons to one more similar to World War I and II, but kept general war strategies the same. Despite many of these innovations not being created during the war, the Civil War was the first instance in which these weapons were used on a wide scale.
One of the main innovations in weapons was the development of rifling in guns. Rifling added grooves in the barrel of the gun that caused the bullet that was fired to spin while in flight. This stabilizes the bullet in flight, decreasing the effect of air resistance. Rifled muskets were widely used in the civil war, especially with the development of the Minnie Ball.
The Minie Ball was a new bullet that was widely used in the Civil War. Old bullets that were put into rifled guns were hard to load and made gunpowder build up in the grooves of the gun. The Minie Ball avoided this problem and could thus make advantage of the rifling. Furthermore, especially in the North, factories were utilized to mass produce Minie Balls and shipped to the front lines using railroads. 
The increased speed of the Minie Ball along with the greater mass of the ball tended to penetrate bodies without bouncing around like previous bullets. They would then be lodged inside the body, making it hard to remove. Bones would be smashed and limbs would often be amputated. The American’s opted to fight as they did in the Revolutionary war, often standing in firing lines, shooting in turn and having to reload their muskets as they fired. However, the increased accuracy, range, and deadliness made this combination of war strategy and technology create many casualties.
The Union also started to use repeating firearms. Instead of firing 2 to 3 shots per minute, one could fire up to 20 to 30 shots per minute, foreshadowing the eventual machine guns of World War I It did not completely replace muskets, but was used in some battles effectively. The Confederacy was unable to produce these weapons due to their lack of resources.
Canned food had been developed around the 1810s, enabling the preservation of food and transportation over long distances. Due to the vast land size of America, canned food was necessary to supply soldiers for food and served as a source of greater variety for food.
In addition to infantry improvements, the navy saw improvements through the development of warships called ironclads. A modification of the original warship made out of wood, the ironclad used iron plates to armor wooden warships to mitigate explosive shells from completely decimating the ships.
Technology greatly shaped the battlefront and how the Civil War was fought. It serves as part of the explanation for the huge casualty toll it had on the U.S.




Sources:
https://www.civilwaracademy.com/civil-war-technology
https://www.civilwaracademy.com/civil-war-food
http://www.americancivilwarstory.com/ironclad-warship.html
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/rifled-musket

The Life of Dorthy Dix

               Dorthy Dix was no ordinary advocate, in fact, she was one of the most prominent and groundbreaking female leaders of the 1800s. She was so vital to her time that her legacy is still discussed and celebrated today. Dorthy was born in Maine in 1802 as the oldest of three children. From a young age, Dorthy showed excellence and leadership and she carried grand accomplishments through her early years of life, she even began teaching at age 14. Shortly after she opened a school for girls back in her home town along with a school for girls who could not afford to pay for education. By 1824 Dorthy published her most famed book “Conversations on Common Things.” This was only the beginning of her social advocate career.  

         When Dorthy was around 30 she took a trip to England. This trio completely opened her eyes to the mistreatment of the mentally ill. Through seeing the physical and mental abuse the menatlly ill were forced to endure, Dorthy knew what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, she made it her mission to help them. She came back to the U.S and headed to Michigan to observe how the mentally ill were treated their. She presented what she observed to the legislature and convinced them to pass a bill in order to improve mental hospitals. She decided to scale up her work and started to lobby for better mental hospital facilities and treatment all over the U.S. Her work vastly improved treatment of the mentally ill and the facilities all over the U.S, she acted as a voice for those who had no say in their treatment, she completely changed the way the U.S treated the mentally ill. Although this is not where her social advocating ends. When the civil war broke out she felt morally inclined to help. She became the superintendent of army nurses for the union, she recruited thousands of female nurses. She gave women an opportunity to fight for what they believe in and serve for a cause they felt was right. Dorthy Dix passed away in 1887, although her legacy and her work will never be forgotten. 

The 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment

         The 54th Massachusetts Infantry was the first military unit composed of African-Americans serving for the Union army in 1863. As a result of the Emancipation Proclamation's release in 1862, the federal government raised the question of whether or not black men could serve in the "white man's war." Some states took advantage of the Emancipation Proclamation granting the opportunity for blacks to enlist in the army, starting with Massachusetts. The fifty-fourth regiment was released under the Massachusetts state governor, John A. Andrew, an abolitionist who had great hopes of forming a successful African American fighting unit.Alongside the efforts of Andrew, Frederick Douglass also put in great effort to recruit soldiers and played an fundamental role in setting the army up for success.
         Despite this stride that worked in favor of equality among races, it received an outburst of backlash and instilled controversy. John A. Andrew saw blacks as fully capable of successfully fighting in the war and obtaining leadership positions, yet many others were not confident in this experimental unit and did not see that African Americans were deserving of roles in the military. Nonetheless, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry received major public attention and was celebrated in the streets of Boston as they soldiers paraded before their departure to South Carolina on the 28th of May in 1863.
          Following the unit's assault on James Island, the 54th, consisting of 1,007 black infantrymen, asserted its position in combat. Robert Gould Shaw, at the age of 25, assumed the role of Colonel and hoped to use his position to fortify anti-slavery ideals. Shaw's unit immediately dove into battle, completing its first attack on Battery Wagner, a fortress occupied by the Confederacy. Fort Wagner came to be known as the most famous battle fought by the 54th Massachusetts Infantry and was also the most costly. The 54th led a bayonet assault upon three-quarters of a mile of beach, yet was faced with the loss of 74 soldiers and three officers, one of which included Colonel Shaw. Following the battle at Fort Wagner, the 54th fought in the Battle of Olustee, the Battle of Honey Hill, and the Battle of Boyken's Mill.
          Although this unit exemplified great courage and military skill, opposition and notions of racism did not shy away. The army was promised pay of thirteen dollars a month, yet they were only paid ten in reality. They were also expected to purchase their own uniforms. Although, the men did not succumb to this injustice and instead fought for 18 months without pay in protest. Eventually, their circumstances were finally recognized by the Attorney General, the Secretary of War, and the President following multiple appeals. As a result, the men were to receive their full salaries.
       On September 1, 1865,  these courageous men who took on a task quite ahead of their time were released, but are still remembered today in a sculpture of Shaw and his men, which was presented outside of the State House on a Memorial Day Ceremony in 1897.
       

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Sources:

www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/fifty-fourth-massachusetts-infantry-1863-1865/
masshist.org/online/54thregiment/index.php
civilwaracademy.com/54th-massachusetts