I. Mobilization A. Initial Assets
1. North
a. Demographic:
– 22 million people compared to CSA's 9m (3m of whom were slaves)
– more soldiers and more labor would keep economy going
c. Political:
– Had established government and relations with foreign powers
– Good political leadership in Lincoln
d. Military:
– More railway lines allowed supplies and men to be transported more locations at a faster pace
– Standing military force, including a navy
– More factories to produce guns, ammunition, uniforms, shoes, etc.
b. Political:
– More united over “moral narrative” of the war: saw selves as defending states' rights, homeland, way of life, right to self-governance. Identified with the founders in the Revolutionary War against Britain.
c. Military:
– better military leadership, including most of nation's officers and General Lee
– High morale
– More familiar with the home terrain
– Fighting defensively on interior lines allowed for efficient movement of troops between fronts
B. Initial Challenges 1. North
- Had to defend long supply lines and captured areas, thus decreasing demographic advantage
- Had to change status quo
2. South– Depended on Britain for manufactured
goods and ships
– Belief in state sovereignty hindered creation of strong central government
C. Initial Strategies 1. North
a. General Winfield Scott's “Anaconda Plan”:
– blockade Southern ports and prevent supplies coming from Great Britain
– Thrust down the Mississippi to split the South in twain
– Wait for Southern unionists to seize power and return South to Union
2. South- Gain foreign recognition
- Defend Southern territory until the North becomes exhausted and quits
C. Recruitment and Conscription
- At first, volunteers on both sides were many, and recruitment was handled locally
- Eventual drafts in both North and South worked largely by stimulating people to volunteer (only 8% of Union soldiers were draftees or substitutes), as they knew they'd be drafted anyway
1. North
- Passed draft in 1863
- Wealthy citizens could pay $300 to avoid the draft or hire a substitute to serve in their place
- Unpopular among the poor and immigrants
- In July 1863 draft riots broke out in NYC. Rioters lynched many blacks, who were blamed for the war, and killed over 100 people total
2. South
- Enacted the first draft in 1682, drafting all able-bodied white men age 18-35 for three years
- Exemptions existed for many occupations, those who hired substitutes, and those with over 20 slaves (“A rich man's war but a poor man's fight.”)
- Upset CSA belief in state sovereignty
1. North
- Little problem producing food, arms, and clothes for army
- Delivery could be more difficult: Southern guerillas sabotaged Northern railroads, and most fighting occurred in the South, where transportation infrastructure was poor
2. South
- Early on, South relied on arms from Europe, those confiscated from federal arsenals, and those captured on the battlefield
- Soon the CSA found a good head of ordinance, Josiah Gorgas
- Developed factories like the Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond and Augusta Powder Works in GA
- Lack of arms was not a factor for the South
- Lack of food and clothing was worse: CSA soldiers had to be left behind during the invasion of Maryland because without shoes they couldn't march on MD's gravel roads
- Poor or destroyed railroads, a cotton- and tobacco-based economy, and Union disruptions kept Lee's army constantly short of food
- The Southern government passed laws allowing the seizure of food at set prices and the impressment of slaves into army labor gangs
E. Financing the War
- Government activity (both sides) in the economy increased from 2% to 15% during the war, necessitating serious funds
- Americans were not used to income or property taxes, which generated only 21% of Union and 5% of CSA revenue
- Both sides quickly issued war bonds: people would pay the government money now with a promise that it would be repaid with interest later
- Both sides issued paper money, which was not trusted as much as gold or silver
1. North
- GOP used war to push a National Bank Act through Congress, which modernized the financial systemInflation was relatively low in the North,
2. South
- The CSA's paper money lost confidence, and thus value (leading to more money being printed, which compounded the problem). but a huge problem in the South
- Lincoln was inexperienced, opposed by Northern Democrats, undercut by more prominent members of his own cabinet like Seward and Chase
- Radical Republicans (Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase, Senator Charles Sumner, and Rep. Thaddeus Stevens) often attacked Lincoln for being soft on rebels and not pushing emancipation
- Lincoln's open, deliberative, but ultimately decisive leadership style helped bring many former opponents to his side
- Strong Democratic opposition actually helped the GOP rally around Lincoln and helped him pass his policies
- Tried to push unifying war aims of defending the Union and democracy (not yet abolition)
2. South
- Jefferson Davis was considered experienced and commanding, but made enemies easily and never got the states to cooperate on the war effort