Unit 2: The Civil War

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

b. Economic:

– 90% of nation's industrial capacity

– 2/3 of railroad milage

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.

2. Southa. Demographic:

– Reliance on slavery allowed high percentage of white males to fight

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

- but pro-Union Southerners were weak, and the Union lacked the strength to seize the Mississippi

b. So, back-up plan:

– Blockade ports

– Secure border states

– capture the CSA capital in Richmond

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

D. Supplying the War

- Early volunteers often provided their own horses, guns, and uniforms

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

F. Political Leadership 1. North

- 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

- States' rights was at odds with the South winning the war

- Southern Whigs and Democrats agreed to suspend party rivalries during the war, but this dissolved the organizations that could mobilize the government to pass necessary measures.