Download Girding for War: The North & the South

Girding for War:
The North & the South
1861 - 1865
President of the Disunited
States of America
Lincoln took office on March 4, 1861
7 states had already succeeded, 8 more were
trying to decide
Inaugural address – there would be no conflict
unless the South provoked it
A Split in the Union?
Split brought up questions about the sharing
of the national debt & the allocation of
federal territories
Split would please European countries:
US was the only major display of democracy in
the Western Hemisphere
Monroe Doctrine could be broken
SC Assails Fort Sumter
South seized all arsenals, mints, & other
public property within their territory
Fort Sumter
Occupied by Northern
troops who needed
supplies
Lincoln’s Plan
Lincoln decided to send supplies to troops
promised Governor Pickens(SC) that he was not
sending more men or weapons
South demanded surrender of Fort Sumter
Grounds for war if North sent supplies
The War Begins
(April 12, 1861)
South fired on Fort
Sumter
34 hour bombardmentno lives lost
Northern troops
surrendered
The Civil War had
begun
“Remember Fort Sumter”
Provoked the North to fight
Gen. Scott Commander of the Army (75 yrs. old)
April 14, 1861 – Lincoln called for 75,000 union
troops
April 19 & 27, 1861 - ordered a
blockade of Southern ports
4 more states seceded
VA, Ark., Tenn., & NC
map p. 447
Capital of Confederacy moved
from Montgomery to Richmond
The Valuable Border States
map page 447
Border States
MO, KY, MD, Del, & later WV
WV split from VA in 1861 over secession
MD, MO, & KY would almost double the
manufacturing capacity of the South & increase
by nearly half its supply of horses & mules
Ohio River – Cumberland & Tennessee Rivers was
where much of the Confederacy’s grain,
gunpowder, & iron was produced
Lincoln deals with
the Border States
Lincoln:
In MD declared marital law & sent in troops
Sent federal troops to WV & MO
He declared publicly that he was not fighting to
free slaves
Declared that his goal was to get the Union back
together
Indian Territory mainly
sided with the South
Brother’s Blood
Many brothers fought against each other
Particularly in the border states
Northerners fought on the side of the
South and vice versa
Senator Crittenden’s sons fought
on opposite sides
Lincoln’s wife had 4 brothers who
fought for the Confederacy
Advantages/ Strengths
South
Fighting defensively
on familiar territory
Strong support
Strong military
leadership ****
Southerners were well
trained
Didn’t have to win the
war
Shortage of supplies
North
Economy*****
Large population
22 million to 9 million
(3.5 were slaves)
Immigrants
Industry
Abundant resources
Shipping
Railway system
Abraham Lincoln
Disadvantages/ Weaknesses
South
Small population
Economy
Few factories
Few railroads
Belief in states’
rights/ government
lacked power
Lack of supplies
North
Had to invade the
South
Public opinion was
divided/ support
was shaky
Northerners were
not as experienced
as Southerners
Dethroning King Cotton
South depended on foreign intervention
didn’t get it
Many Europeans were pro-North & anti-slavery
Shortage of cotton during war?
England & France had a surplus
As North won Southern territory, they sent
cotton & food to Europe
India & Egypt upped their cotton production
**Result** – Europe needed more wheat & corn
from the North than cotton from the South
The Decisiveness of Diplomacy
Crisis
1861 – Union warship stopped the British
mail steamer theTrent & forcibly
removed two Confederate diplomats
bound for Europe
Lincoln released the prisoners & tension
cooled
The Alabama
British build ships for the Confederacy
(unarmed)
1862 – the Alabama went to the Portuguese
Azores & took on weapons & crew from Britain
Never actually arrived in the South
Destroyed in 1864 off the coast of France
Charles Francis Adams
persuaded Britain not to build any more ships for
the Confederacy
Could be used against England in the future
Foreign Flare-Ups
Britain had two Laird rams
2 Confederate warships that could destroy
wooden Union ships
Britain decided to use ships in its Royal Navy
Near Canada
Confederate agents plotted to burn down
American cities
Mini-armies raised by British-hating IrishAmericans sent to Canada
Napoleon III installed Austrian Archduke
Maximilian as emperor of Mexico
President Davis vs.
President Lincoln
Problems for the South:
Gave states the ability to secede in the
future (from the Confederacy)
Getting Southern states to send troops
to help other states was difficult
J. Davis – never very popular
A. Lincoln – benefit of leading an
established government
Limitations on
Wartime Liberties
Lincoln
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Illegally proclaimed a blockade
Increased the size of the army & sent troops
Advancement of $2 million to 3 private
citizens for war purposes
Suspended habeas corpus
Intimidation of voters in border states
Justification: actions weren’t permanent &
were needed to preserve the Union
South refused to sacrifice state’s rights
& therefore lost the war
Volunteers & Draftees:
The North
1863 - Congress passed the first
conscription law
Angered the poor because rich could hire a
substitute by paying $300 to Congress
Riots broke out – New York City Draft Riot –
1863
Volunteers manned more than 90% of the Union
army
Later money was offered for service when volunteers
became scarce
Many deserters
The South
Had to resort to a draft nearly a year
before the North
Also included privileges for the rich
Those who owned 20+ slaves were
exempt from the draft
The Economic Stresses of War
North - Morrill Tariff Act
Increased tariff rates by about 5-10%
Later increased more
Treasury issued green-backed paper money
Money was unstable & sank to as low as 39
cents per gold dollar
Treasury sold war bonds
Runaway inflation
9000% inflation rate in the South
80% for the Union
National Banking System
Created to establish a standard banknote currency
Banks that joined could buy government
bonds & issue sound paper money
1st step towards a unified national
banking network
The North’s Economic Boom
Emerged from the war more prosperous
than before
A millionaire class was born
Many Union suppliers used shoddy
equipment in their supplies
Sizes for clothing were invented
Reaper helped feed millions
1859 – discovery of petroleum oil sent
people to Pennsylvania
Women in War Times
Women gained new advances:
Took jobs left behind by men
Some posed as men & fought in the war
Clara Barton & Dorothea Dix
Helped transform nursing to a respectable
profession
Sally Tompkins
Ran an infirmary for wounded in Richmond
Received rank as Captain from Davis
A Crushed Cotton Kingdom
South was ruined by the war
Transportation collapsed
Supplies became scarce
End of war, South claimed only 12% of
the national wealth
Pre war – 30%
Per capita income –2/5 that of
Northerners
Pre war – 2/3 of Northerners
War Aims & Strategies
South
Defensive strategy
Expected Britain &
France to pressure
the North so
cotton supply would
be restored
North
Blockade of
Southern ports
Gain control of
Mississippi River
Capture Richmond,
Virginia