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Civil WarCivil Warpart 1part 1

Prof Jensen

TAH 2008

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What Caused Civil War?What Caused Civil War?

• One-Cause Models– States Rights vs Nationalism– Sectionalism (Turner)– Economics: Plantations vs Industry (Beard)– Slavery (neo-abolitionists)– Who best represents American republicanism?

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Response to Ft Sumter in USAResponse to Ft Sumter in USA

• North galvanized and united

• Lincoln calls for 75,000 state troops – to march south & quell

small rebellion

• Northern governors have already secretly mobilized

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Border Response to Ft SumterBorder Response to Ft Sumter

• Call for Troops = illegal invasion

• Upper south sense of betrayal by Lincoln– Tyranny is the issue

(not slavery)– Kentucky neutral;

others try to join CSA

• CSA declares war on USA (May)

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Strength of North = Long TermStrength of North = Long Term

• Vast superiority of manpower, money, economic modernity; engineering & organizational skills – more food too

– A strong government needed to realize it

• Business = profit from supporting war

• Psychology: patriotism, profit, party, idealism

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Strength of North = Long TermStrength of North = Long Term

• Government: national government in place

• Political: vigorous republican party; used state govt well; private organizations

• Diplomatic: USA = powerful nation, insist Britain & France stay neutral else war

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Weaknesses of USAWeaknesses of USA

• No unity on war goals; half reject idea of fighting on behalf of blacks– Democrats support union in 1861; anti-war 1862-5

• Regular army was far too small & needed on Indian frontier; Winfield Scott = brilliant, too old – 1/3 of officers joined the Confederacy

• Solution: create & train a new volunteer army– Generals = picked by Lincoln– Colonels = selected by governors– Soldiers: volunteers recruited by pols – Equipment: all new

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Strengths of CSAStrengths of CSA

• Unity; thrill of a new nation; promise of military glory; defense of homes & way of life

• Fear of destructive Yankees; confidence in own military prowess and in the moral weakness of money- grubbing Yankees

• Command experience of slave-owners• Large, rich nation with experienced leaders• Geography: vast terrain & much disease• Supplies: adequate for short war• Manpower: enough for 2-3 years

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Long-term Weaknesses of CSALong-term Weaknesses of CSA

• Fragile economy– cotton useless– few factories– no gold or real $$$– Weak credit– No foreign trade– Too few cities (big ones

soon captured) – Weak rail network– Dependent on sea and river

transport soon controlled by Yankees

– King cotton fails; false hope in Europe

Tredegar factory in Richmond– the only major factory in Confederacy

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Slaves in South Slaves in South

• Would slaves revolt, or keep on working?

• Support rebel army as laborers• Mix of cotton and food• Zero revolts• Underutilization of blacks;

delay combat use• Class tensions; poor white

unrest grows against slaveowning elite

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CSA LeadershipCSA Leadership

• Jefferson Davis: president & war leader– Too self-confident; plays favorites; weak cabinet– Congress & governors; states rights trouble– No political parties to rally grass roots support

• Slaveowners as talented leaders with deep commitment to slavery and Confederacy

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CSA GeneralsCSA Generals

• Excellent generals & colonels

• Robert E. Lee t– tactical genius– weak strategist– Revered leader

• Stonewall Jackson– battlefield genius – Dead hero

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War Goals: CSAWar Goals: CSA

• Independence, legitimacy, recognition– Hold Richmond; defend every square mile

• Honor, glory & defense of homes– Ferocious combat– Defending your home = desertion?

• Keep slavery? Keep white supremacy!– Very hostile to armed USA black soldiers– Delay arming slaves until 1865

• Defense of “rights” – States rights & local opposition to CSA

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War Goals: USAWar Goals: USA

• Restore the union– Destroy CSA, capture Richmond– No harsh treatment of erring Americans– Modernized strong state = never happen again

• Republicanism = core value incompatible with slave power; must be restored in south– Give political power to loyal republicans in south– Free slaves in CSA; purchase slaves of loyalists– Protect freedmen; keep in south– Blacks must be soldiers to become true republicans

• And should be landowners too

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USA LeadershipUSA Leadership

• Lincoln: as president, strategist, moral leader– Strong cabinet; all GOP factions

– Stanton in war dept

– Wells in navy

• Congress mostly supportive

• Radicals say Lincoln too lenient

• Governors & GOP powerful

• Peace Democrats: tyranny is the issue

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USA GeneralsUSA Generals

• George McClellan: planner & trainer– Career: railroad president; had ‘the

slows’ re combat

• Ulysses Grant: best strategist of war; vg tactician– Career: Mexican war; oblivion; return

1861

• William Sherman: slow start, strong finish– Career: US army; family = powerful

GOP pols

• West pointers: command nearly all battles

• Many political generals: John Logan, Ben Butler

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USA: Dual ArmiesUSA: Dual Armies

• US army ("regular")– Main use = frontier protection– Combat = artillery– Promotion system slow but permanent– Enlisted men = immigrants; low on patriotism

• US volunteers (temporary) 2 million strong– Promotion system: fast

• Brevet = temporary rank– State based regiments; strong home ties

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Army StructureArmy Structure

• Infantry: rifled musket = DEADLY new bullets– Fighting units; infantry assaults in open field– Garrison duty = most soldiers spend war in forts

• Cavalry: horse & carbine; intelligence• Artillery-field: light guns

– Artillery-forts: heavy guns

• Non-combat– Medical, quartermaster, adjunct (legal)– Signal (telegraph); engineers ("pioneers")– Military railroads; raids; destroy rebel RRs

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Army LifeArmy Life

• Finding & training tens of thousands of officers; hundreds of thousands of soldiers; all volunteers– Enthusiasm of 1861; few big battles– Class lines; elect your officers; chain of command– Camp life: regimental communal experience; drill

• Hygiene: poor, disease serious; more deaths by disease than battle; battlefield surgery: amputation; ether shortage– US sanitary service and volunteer efforts to help; south

lags in medicine, hospitals

• Supplies: excellent for USA; poor for CSA

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Yankee Engineering SuperiorityYankee Engineering Superiority

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USA Military StrategyUSA Military Strategy

• Strangle rebels with blockade– Entice planters to sell cotton for $$

• Capture border states – Nasty guerilla warfare; assassinations

• "On to Richmond" (1861-65): impossible• Capture Mississippi & split west (1862-3)• Capture Atlanta; march to sea (1864)• Total warfare: mobilize all resources of USA and

destroy all of rebels; destroy rebel nationalism• Vengeance: soft approach gives way to hard

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CSA Military StrategyCSA Military Strategy

• Make Yankees want peace– Whip their armies using stronger "spirit"– High casualty will weaken USA morale

• Defend entire nation = spread thin– Defend Richmond as symbol of nation

• Force Europe to support CSA by cotton embargo• Invade north to cause war-weariness

– Hold out until Lincoln defeated at polls– Count on northern peace democrats

• Failure: defend border, rivers, ports

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USA Controls Border StatesUSA Controls Border States

• USA controls the border– Butler defends DC, seizes Maryland– West Virginia breaks away from Virginia– Kentucky seeks neutrality, fails

• Anderson, Sherman fail; Grant holds Ky

– Oklahoma: Indians join Confederacy

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1861-62: West: Yankees win1861-62: West: Yankees win

• Halleck controls St Louis & Missouri– Grant moves toward

Nashville, Tennessee

– Grant captures Ft Donelson (Feb 1861)

• First great battle: Grant @ Shiloh (April 1862)

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1861-62: East: Rebel success 1861-62: East: Rebel success

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Lee: Brilliant Tactician atLee: Brilliant Tactician atFredericksburg & ChancellorsvilleFredericksburg & Chancellorsville

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1861-62: few battles1861-62: few battles

• Political control of border

• Recruit and train vast armies

• Build huge new navy• Build up factories (N)• No Long term plan on

either side

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USA Strategy: NavalUSA Strategy: Naval

• Blockade entire coast

• Control Mississippi & major rivers– No rebel traffic; fast movement for USA– Construct hundreds of armored gunboats– Capture Tennessee & Cumberland rivers (1862)– Capture New Orleans (1862) & Vicksburg

(1863)

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USA Controls the MississippiUSA Controls the Mississippi

• Grant moves south from Cairo Illinois (1861-62)– Seizes Tennessee and

Cumberland rivers– Gunboats overwhelm

rebels

• Farragut & navy take New Orleans (1862)– "Beast" Butler in N.O.;

Loyal southerners?

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Mississippi River 1862-63Mississippi River 1862-63

• Grant works on Vicksburg (1862-63)– Richmond ignores the west– Divided CSA commands; Pemberton– Grant works with the Navy– Grant abandons supply line; stunning victories– Siege of Vicksburg (July 1863)

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Will Europe Intervene?Will Europe Intervene?

• King cotton; CSA embargo on cotton– Legality of Lincoln's blockade

• Recognition of CSA = war with USA– Mason-Slidell affair; war with USA? No

• France let's help CSA; seizes Mexico– Britain: opinion divided; peace; wheat– Cotton prices soar; unemployment in mills– Rebel loans in Europe (few)– Brits sell warships; Alabama = raider

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BlockadeBlockade

• Blockade all southern ports– Goal: no cotton out, no

munitions in– Build 600 ships

steaming back & forth – Stop blockade runners;

success by 1864– High seas: sink

Alabama & other commerce raiders

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Success of BlockadeSuccess of Blockade

• 95% of imports cut off; south a prison– Cotton a liability; Lincoln buys cotton– Economics of supplies in, cotton out– Luxuries vs. Medicine & ammo

• Neutral (British & Spanish) bases– Build fast, small, unarmed blockade runners– Vast investment by British

• US blockade navy = dull, rewarding work– Closing the ports; capturing the runners

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BooksBooks

• McPherson Online• Collins, Origins. short

book online• Civil War on Web -- o

nline free for TAH