The way in which we did the scavenger hunt was fun, and barely felt like much work at all. Every person was assigned one battle. Each person then had to create a Google Doc that contained the main points of the battle. Using QR codes, a QR sign was then generated. Each group/person hid their QR code throughout the school, with each Google Doc from the QR code containing a hint as to where the next one was located.(this is my Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m87raEEqqkFJaaxlbCoG8DA4Cd6EdiCuYYH_Iof97Jc/edit) We talked to the person who had the battle after ours and the one before ours to organize the hints. When we carried out the scavenger hunt, everyone started at a different sign as to not make it too chaotic. After the scavenger hunt, we created two Padlets that helped to answer the two essential questions. The two padlets are located at http://padlet.com/wall/bblockcivilwar1 and http://padlet.com/wall/bblockcivilwar
In the Naval and Western theaters of the Civil War, the Union was the clear victor. Every battle other than the Battle of Chickamauga, and the only reason the Confederacy was able to win was because of miscommunications within the Union. In one of the most violent battles of the war, the Battle of Shiloh, the Union was able to be victorious due to reinforcements. All of the other battles in the West were won by the union without too stiff of a resistance. As for the Naval theatre. Although the battle of Hampton roads was overall inconclusive, the Union was able to dish out major damage onto the Confederacy’s ironclad ship. In Baton Rouge, the Union stopped the Confederates from taking over the city again and severely damaged the Arkansas.
Things in the Eastern theater, however, were not as clear cut. In fact, for the first couple of years, it appeared as though the Confederacy held the upper hand. They won some major battles such as Fredericksburg and the battle of Chancellorsville, not to mention the First and Second Battles of Bull Run. However, things turned brighter for the Union once Ulysses Grant was called to be the leader of the Eastern troops. Having the West pretty much on lockdown, Lincoln saw it fit to have him help out in the Eastern theater, and his idea worked. Grant launched his overland campaign and, although many battles in the theater were ultimately a draw, like the Battle of the Wilderness, the Union was able to replenish their resources, unlike the South, and eventually succeeded in their advancement into Confederate territory.
A big reason why the Union was able to win the battles it did was because of their sheer size. The North had more resources than the South, meaning they could afford to lose more troops than the Confederates. For example, the North lost about 7,000 more troops than the Confederates in the Battle of the Wilderness, but the Union lost a smaller overall percentage of troops, meaning that they were able to wear down the Confederacy while they could more easily receive more troops and resources to fight with. As for Confederate victories, they relied less on brute force and more on tact. For example, Robert E Lee employed an aggressive strategy that involved catching the Union off guard and unprepared for a battle. Defensive tactics also helped greatly, like at the Battle of Fredericksburg where the Confederacy maintained the high ground on the Union and was able to emerge victorious.
Currier & Ives. “Battle of Fredericksburg, Va. Dec 13th 1862.” Library of Congress. March 17, 2014. Accessed March 17, 2014. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3g03365/.
Andrew Sullivan B Block History 