Download Trial by Fire: The American Civil War and the Utility of Force

Trial by Fire: The American Civil War
and the Utility of Force
Background
•
North Vs South
Federals Vs Confederates
•
Slavery and Lincoln election the triggers
•
State rights the main issue
•
War breaks out – April 12, 1861 after Confederate forces
attacked Fort Sumter, South Carolina
•
Conflict continues until 1865
What Was the South's Strategy in the
Civil War?
Did it have any prospect of success?
• In the Civil War, political strategy control military strategy.
• Southern military strategy: defensive war until the Union tired of
the conflict. But the South can only win by not losing.
• Northern military strategy: use the pressure of a blockade and a
campaign to control the Mississippi River to seceded states to
return to the Union, Anaconda Plan.
• Emergence of “offensive-defensive” strategy in the South:
offensive manoeuvres for defensive strategic results.
• Union’s material superiority over the Confederacy and April
1861 blockade of the Confederate ports
• Confederate’s advantage: would not be the invader, huge
territory difficult to occupy, long coastline difficult to blockade,
Mexico border.
A foreign power intervention?
• The Confederacy principal goal in
foreign relations was to obtain
diplomatic recognition and
material assistance from
European countries, but
recognition was problematic
• Try to economically blackmail
Britain: hope an embargo on
cotton exports in 1861 would force
Britain to intervene : “King’s
Cotton illusion” but the cotton
exports were big enough to supply
the mills
• September 1862, Lincoln passed
the “Emancipation Proclamation”
to free the slaves, and reduced
the chances for the South to be
morally supported by European
nations
Robert E. Lee: A Great
Commander?
The Argument For
Background
• Son of a Revolutionary hero
• West Point – no demerits
• Corps of engineers in Mexican War –
proved efficient and innovative
• Harper’s Ferry – put down John Brown
• Asked to lead Northern Armies
Points to competent, experienced
professional soldier
Leadership Quality
• “Uncle Robert”
• Superb relationship T.J. (Stonewall) Jackson and
other Generals
Victories
• Command of Army of Northern Virginia in June
1862
• Beat McClellan back to Harrison’s Landing
• 2nd Bull Run in August 1862 – Turned to invading
Maryland to deal knock out blow to the North, and
to hopefully convince Europe to support the
Southern cause
• Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and many other
victories in battle
• Later aim was to defend Richmond and wear down
North with small victories. Success shown in New
York riots
The Battle of
Fredericksburg
The Argument Against
Correct Strategy?
• Was invading the North necessary?
• Was Washington the centre of Gravity?
• Did the South need to fight a conventional war?
Tactics
• Losses – Gettysburg etc… Was attacking the best tactic?
• New technology led to heavy losses in battle. Perhaps
avoiding attacks would have been best given his lack of
numbers
• Helped by enemy – McClelland’s failure to exploit captured
orders in Maryland
• Grant’s view – Just a man
Did the North win by Industrial
Might Alone?
Evidence shows Northern industrial
superiority
•
•
•
•
North had 4/5 of the Nations factories
Shipbuilding almost entirely in the North
North held 21,000 out of a total 30,000 miles of railroad
The North spent $2,300,000,000 to the South’s
$1,000,000,000
• The North had a larger population – more workers
• The North had the majority of the resources
• Why Lee thought the North won
However…
• Did this matter?
• Crushing the North was impossible, so why
bother?
• The North would only win if the South gave up
• The lack of European intervention surely a factor
• Despite economic superiority, still had to invade
and occupy
Was the Northern victory down to industrial power,
or down to the South allowing this power to be
used to its full potential by fighting a conventional
war?
The Impact of the Naval War to the
Defeat of the South
•
•
•
•
The Ironclads – Virginia Vs Monitor
Vicksburg – Grant’s use of naval power
Cotton supplies – would Britain join the war?
The blockade (The Anaconda Plan)– economic
impact
The Blockade
Fleet supports Grant
at Vicksburg
How Much Impact?
• Prediction in 1864 that the
South would surrender in
5 months due to severe
economic hardship
• Combined with the
invasions of Grant,
Sherman and other
Generals. May not have
succeeded on its own
Sherman’s Conduct of the March
Through Georgia: Confirmation of the
American View of the Utility of
Violence?
Sherman’s
Campaign
• Following a long campaign, General Sherman takes Atlanta
on 2nd September 1864
• As a result, Sherman’s communication lines were subject
to threat from the Confederates. However, after his victory
Sherman believed the Confederate army to be so weak that
the Union army could afford to ignore the enemy threat
• 16th November 1864, Sherman embarks on a march
towards Savannah on the coast, expecting little resistance
March through Georgia
• Sherman designed this
march to be not only
destructive toward enemy
resources, but to deliberately
inflict terror upon the
enemy’s minds by means or
barbarity and cruelty with the
intention of fatally
diminishing the moral of the
people
• This was achieved when
Sherman burnt everything of
value in Atlanta. On arrival at
Savannah on 21st December
1864, a 50 mile wide, 250 mile
long trail of destruction lay
behind him, including ruined
buildings, railways, livestock
and provisions
Any consideration towards the implications of the
brutality of the march on postwar relations were
sacrificed in favor of the immediate and complete
victory over the South and as a result, the
population of Georgia was left in a state of despair.
Sherman saw his method as a quick and efficient
way to win the war, and does seems to be
consistent with a preceding American tendency
resolve matters by use of brute force rather than
compassion.