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Chapter 20:
Girding for War: The North and South
1861 - 1865
March 4, 1861 Abraham Lincoln
inaugurated
– stated that
geographically, the
United States could
not be split
– A split U.S. brought
up questions about
the sharing of the
national debt and the
allocation of federal
territories
– A split U.S. also
pleased the
European countries
Fort Sumter
Most fed. forts in the south had given power to the
Confederacy
– Ft. Sumter (SC) refused—running low on supplies
If Lincoln sent reinforcements, fighting would surely begin
– If he didn’t resupply, the commander would surrender w/o a shot
– Informed SC that he intended to resupply but not re-enforce the fort
– Confederacy considered supplies to be reinforcements
April 12, 1861 - cannons were fired onto the fort; after 34
hours of non-lethal firing, the fort surrendered
– (only casualty > a confederate horse)
April 19 and 27 - Lincoln also called a blockade that was
leaky at first but soon clamped down tight
South, feeling that Lincoln was now waging an aggressive
war, was joined by four more states Virginia, Arkansas,
Tennessee, and North Carolina
– capital of the Confederacy moved from Montgomery, AL to
Richmond, VA
Border States
Border States were crucial for both sides
– would have almost doubled the manufacturing capacity
of the South and increased its supply of horses and
mules by half
to retain them, Lincoln used moral
persuasion…and methods of dubious legality:
– Declared martial law in MD
– Told them the war was to save the Union—not free the
slaves
5 civilized tribes went with the south
Northern Advantages
Economy (established)
– ¾ of nation’s wealth
Transportation of goods and soldiers
– ¾ of nation’s railroads
Controlled the navy & overseas trade
– blockade southern ports
Larger reserve of manpower (22 million pop.)
– Large # of immigrants to add to reserves
Disadvantages
Many not as devoted to the cause, not fighting for their
homes
Most volunteers not very familiar with firearms
Confederate Advantages
only had to fight to a “draw” to win
most of the fighting on “home turf”
had the most talented officers
– Robert E. Lee; Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson; P.G.T. Beuregard
Many volunteers were already very familiar with firearms
– Hunters & commonly used their own rifles when they signed up for
service
Disadvantages
South had 9 million (3.5 of which were slaves)
Weak agrarian economy
– handicapped by a shortage of factories and manufacturing plants
shortage of shoes, uniforms, blankets, clothing, and food, which
didn’t reach soldiers due to supply problems
As the war dragged on, Northern strengths beat Southern
advantages
King Cotton
South was depending on foreign intervention to
win the war, but didn’t get it (why?)
– Foreign attitude toward slavery
– pre-1861: cotton production had been
immense, and thus, England & France had
huge surpluses of cotton
– As the North won Southern territory, it sent
cotton and food over to Europe
India and Egypt upped their cotton production to
offset the hike in the price of cotton
Davis vs. Lincoln
Problem with the South was that it gave
states the ability to secede in the future
(state’s rights)
Davis was an able orator, but
Lincoln had the benefit of leading an
established government and grew
patient as the war dragged on
Honest Abe?????
illegally proclaiming a blockade (needed
consent of Congress)
sending in troops to the Border States-justified his actions by saying that such acts
weren’t permanent--had to do those things
in order to preserve the Union
suspension of habeas corpus so that antiUnionists could be arrested, and the
intimidation of voters in the Border States
Volunteers and Draftees: North and South
Volunteers were plentiful until the war dragged on
Congress passed the 1st conscription law
Angered many because rich could hire a substitute for $300
Deserters were a problem on both sides
Economic Stresses of War
Union passed the Morril Tariff Act
– increasing tariff rates by about 5-10%
green-backed paper money totaled nearly $450 million
– unstable and sank to as low as 39 cents per gold dollar
National Banking System was a landmark of the war, created to
establish a standard bank-note currency
National Banking Act was the first step toward a unified national
banking network since the Bank of the United States was killed
by Andrew Jackson
South, runaway inflation plagued the Confederates
– overall, in the South inflation went up to 9000%, as opposed to just
80% in the North
North’s Economic Boom
North became more prosperous during the war
– new factories had been formed
– a millionaire class was born for the first time in history
Sizes for clothing were invented
– For speedy production & standardization of military clothing
the reaper helped feed millions
1859 - a discovery of petroleum oil sent people to
Pennsylvania
Women gained new advances in the war, taking the jobs left
behind by men
A Crushed Cotton Kingdom
Lack of transportation & supplies caused the South to suffer
By the end of the war, the south claimed only 12% of the
national wealth as opposed to 30% before the war
it’s per capita income was 2/5 that of Northerners, as
opposed to 2/3 of Northerners prior to the war