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Civil War Casualties
in Comparison to Other Wars
Home Front
Politics
Preview of Main Points
Keeping control of the home front
can be just as important as
fighting battles in a war. The Civil
War forced both the North and
South to confront many volatile
issues internally.
Politics in the SouthThe South had many obstacles to overcome
because it also had to set up its own
government. Ironically, the single greatest issue
the South rallied around, state’s rights, became
a major roadblock in the Confederate’s attempt
to wage war. War demands central control and
direction rather than a loose organization of
government, a confederacy to make decisions.
No matter what, the South needed to make the
most out of its resources because it had so few
compared to the North.
Why the North Won
(or Why the Confederacy Lost)
“The Army of Northern Virginia has been compelled to yield
to overwhelming numbers and resources." Robert E. Lee
"God is always on the side of the heaviest battalions"
Railroad Lines, 1860
471 total,
19 CSA,
452
union
Resources: North & the South
Government
-South passed a constitution similar to the
US one, but it recognized state’s rights
and slavery.
-The South had continuous disputes within
itself on how to exercise power.
“Died of States’ Rights”
z
Joseph Brown,
Georgia Governor
Zebulon Vance,
North Carolina 
Mobilizing for War in the South
-April 1862 passed a conscription (not a
draft) white men 18-35
-Extend service to all volunteers for 2
more years
-Age rose to 45 after Antietam
-50 at the end of the war
90% of all eligible white men fought in the
war!
All Southerners were not Confederates
How many southerners fought for
the Union?
Southern slaves
Border state whites
Confederate state whites
150,000
200,000
100,000
Total
450,000
1/3 of all southerners who fought in the Civil War
fought for the Union
Economy
-Determined how much goods should be
produced
-Took ownership of RR from private
individuals
-Farmers had to give 1/10 of crop to the
government- still food shortage was a
serious problem for the South
-Personal income tax
Financial Strength
Sources of Revenue
Bonds
Taxation
Paper Money
CSA
35%
5%
60%
USA
66%
21%
13%
Indices of Prices and Real Wages
During the Civil War(1860=100)
Union
Confederate
Year Prices Real Wages
1860 100
100
1861 101
100
1862 113
93
1863 139
84
1864 176
77
1865 175
82
Prices Real Wages
100 100
121
86
388
35
1,452
19
3,992
11
9,200 approx.
Abroad
No one in Europe formally
recognized the Confederacy
-Britain allowed the South to
build 11 privateer ships to raid
Union shipping
South’s #1 hope was to get
Britain to ally with the South by
cutting off all cotton trade with
Britain, “cotton diplomacy,”
failure because of British
Abolitionist
Politics in the North
Active Congress with no Southern opposition passed the:
1861 – Morrill Tariff Act-higher import tax
1862 – Homestead Act- 160 acres free land
1862 – Legal Tender Act- a national currency, called the
greenback.
1862 – Morrill Land Grant Act- sale of land for state
colleges, like OHIO STATE, GO BUCKEYES #1
1862 –Emancipation Proclamation (Presidential)
1863 – Pacific Railway Act- transcontinental railroad
(The effects of these laws were not truly seen until after the
Civil War! Remember these laws!)
All these acts strengthened the power of the
federal government.
•Lincoln resorted to extreme measures to quash protest.
•The Union had to exercise a firm hand with slave states that did not
secede to keep their loyalty.
•Lincoln put Kentucky under martial law to secure it.
•Also Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus, the right to be
charged with a crime when arrested, in Latin it literally means produce
the body
•Ex Parte Milligan- Supreme Court case that ruled military trials of
civilians were illegal unless the civil courts were inoperative or the
region was under military rule.
•In all, more than 13,000 Americans were arrested and jailed because
of their political opposition to the government.
•Lincoln’s main goal was to preserve the union.
Emancipation Proclamation
-Legal document that freed the slaves in areas
that were rebelling against the Union
-Slaves seen as contraband, property seized
during wartime
-Dramatically changed the war into a fight to end
slavery
-Thousands of African Americans rushed to join
the Union army after this was announced
Opposition to the War
The North also
issued a draft
for the Civil
War. Riots
erupted in New
York City in
protest.
Copperheads
= Democrats
in congress
that opposed
the war effort
Ken Burns Video
Disc 3

The Universe of Battle
Bottom Rail on Top
59 to 1:12