A Civil War reenactment was hosted by Cal Lutheran Universityon November 7th and 8th. The American Civil Warwas a conflict between the North and the South regardingthe issues of slavery and the power of the federal governmentin the 19th century. The North advocated strong federalpower over the states; they also tried to free the slaves, asthey did not have as many slaves as the South had on theirplantations. The North was also more developed than theSouth with its factories and commercial developments. TheSouth, on the other hand, wanted to keep the slave systemand supported strong state powers over the federal government.

Compared to the previous American Revolutionary War,the Civil War was a large-scale war that cost many soldiers’lives from both the Union (North) and the Confederacy(South). Additionally, compared to the Revolutionary War,the Civil War marked the Americans’ first attempt to get themen in the field to safety. Ambulances carried by horses withmostly Italian surgeons went around the battlefields, carryingthose who were injured while fighting. The treatment for thesoldiers provided better chances of recovery, although manydied during the battles. During the battles, the soldiers temporarilystayed in white tents that were big enough to fit twoor three soldiers. There were chairs, tables, and other basicnecessities outside the tents.

Muskets and artillery were the major weapons used in theCivil War. The loud, immense artillery could effectively firebetween 1600 and 1900 yards. The musket was a deadlyand effective weapon that the soldiers carried around thebattlefield. This long-shaped gun could kill or wound a personinstantly as the bullet went into one’ s skin. Accordingto one officer I interviewed, once a person was hit in the armby a musket, surgeons had no choice but to cut off the person’s arm to prevent greater infection that would eventuallyaffect the entire body.

During the Civil War, the Union had a larger populationand was more developed, but the officers of the Confederacywere more skilled and therefore influenced the Civil War tobe more intense. Under the command of Robert E. Lee, theConfederacyfought againstt he Un io n.

H o w e v e r ,despite thestrong leadershipof theConfederacy,t h e U n i o narmy defeatedthe Confederatesin the end.

The Union’ smajor officerwas UlyssesGrant. Afterthe Union’ svictory, Grant became highly popular among Americans andeventually became President of the United States. The issuesof slavery and federal power were resolved as the Uniongained victory. The Northern armies defeated the South,uniting the North and the South under strong federal governmentand emancipating the African American slaves inthe country as a whole.

Hannah Lee

Westlake High School11th Grade

<Hannah Lee>