Download ch. 20 girding for war

Girding for War: The North and the South
I.
II.
Secession
a. Lincoln’s Inauguration
i. Lincoln traveled to DC at night partially disguised to avoid
assassins
ii. Done in secrecy at night
iii. He wanted no conflict in his inaugural address because the North
and South were connected together
b. The Possibilities
i. Uncontested Secession –
1. What share of the national debt should the South take with
it?
2. What portion of the territories should the Confederacy
have?
3. How would the fugitive-slave issue be resolved?
4. How would the Underground Railroad be handled?
ii. Delight of European Nations –
1. Would balance the power (an ancient concept)
2. They would be safer against America
3. Could more easily defy the Monroe Doctrine
South Carolina Assails Fort Sumter
a. Federal Property In the South
i. The Seceding States seized the U.S.’s arsenals, mints, and other
public property within their borders
ii. When Lincoln took office, only two federal forts remained in the
South
b. Fort Sumter
i. One of those forts, in Charleston harbor (one of the most important
southern ports), had provisions that would last only a few weeks –
until April 1861
ii. Lincoln didn’t want to have to surrender the fort, but he didn’t
want to send reinforcements for fear SC would fight back
iii. Lincoln decided to send an expedition to provision the garrison,
not to reinforce it
iv. Lincoln notified SC of his intent, but they took it as an act of
aggression and fired on the fort on April 12, 1861. The fort
surrendered
c. Northern Thought
i. They had wanted peace, even in succession
ii. However, the assault on Fort Sumter provoked the North into a
fight
d. The Call For Troops
i. Lincoln called for 75,000 militia on April 15th. Many people
volunteered
III.
IV.
ii. The president also decided to blockade southern seaports (but it
was relatively weak)
Brother’s Blood and Border Blood
a. Border States
i. Were Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and later West
Virginia (they tore themselves away from the rest of Virginia)
ii. If the North had fired the first shot, most of these States would
have joined the South and possibly helped them win
iii. The border States:
1. Had a population of more than half of the entire
Confederacy
2. Almost doubled the manufacturing capacity of the South
3. Increased by almost half its supply of horses and mules
b. Keeping the Border States Intact
i. In Maryland, he declared martial law and sent in troops. Maryland
threatened to cut off Washington from the North
ii. Lincoln deployed Union soldiers in western VA and Missouri
(Missouri had their own civil war going on)
c. The North’s War Aims
i. No to free the blacks. This would’ve driven the border States into
the South. Even southern IL, OH, IN had prosouthern
settlers/sympathizers in it
ii. Lincoln’s purpose was to save the Union at all costs
d. Indian Territory (OK)
i. Most of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws,
Chickasaws, and Seminoles) sided with the Confederacy
ii. Some owned slaves and felt loyal to the South
iii. To secure their loyalty, the Confederate government agreed to take
over federal payments to the tribes and invited them to send
delegates to the Confederate congress. In return, the tribes
supplied troops to the Confederate army
iv. A rival faction of Cherokees and most of the Plains Indians sided
with the Union. After the war, they were herded onto reservations
e. Brotherly War
i. There were many Northern volunteers from the Southern States
and many Southern volunteers from the Northern States
ii. The loyal slave States contributed 300,000 soldiers to the Union
iii. Many brothers fought on opposite sides. Lincoln’s wife had four
brothers who fought for the Confederacy
The Balance of Forces
a. Advantages of the South
i. Could fight defensively to a draw to win independence
ii. Had a vast territory
iii. Fought on their own soil, so they were familiar with the land
iv. Fighting to preserve their way of life, so they enjoyed a morale
advantage at first
V.
v. Had the most talented officers. General Robert E. Lee was offered
command of the Northern armies, but when VA seceded, Lee felt
honor-bound to go with his native State. Lee’s chief lieutenant and
right-hand man for much of the war was Stonewall Jackson
vi. Southerners rode horses and were taught to shoot at a young age
vii. South seized federal weapons, ran Union blockades, and developed
their own ironworks
b. Advantages of the North
i. As the war went on, Southern manufacturing could not keep up
(shortage on shoes, uniforms, and blankets)
ii. Food was in short supply because of the South’s bad transportation
system. The South had less than 30% of the railroad track and the
Union quickly captured or destroyed 20% of it
iii. The North could produce its own food and had most of the industry
iv. The North produced ¾ of the nation’s income
v. The North had the superior navy to:
1. Blockade the South
2. Trade with European nations
vi. Had a larger population (22 million North; 9 million seceding
States)
vii. The expanding immigrant population led to large number of them
joining the Union forces (1/5 of the Union forces were foreignborn)
c. Strengths and Weaknesses In the Long Run
i. Northern strengths outweighed those of the South
ii. However, many events could have turned the outcome
d. What Ifs?
i. What would’ve happened if…
1. The Border States had seceded?
2. The uncertain States of the upper Mississippi Valley had
turned against the Union?
3. The early Northern defeats would have led to an armistice?
4. Britain and/or France had broken the Union’s naval
blockade of Southern ports?
Dethroning the Cotton South
a. Dependence On Foreign Help
i. The South depended on getting foreign countries to help them win
ii. Most of Europe’s ruling classes were openly sympathetic to the
Confederate cause
1. They hated the American democracy
2. They like the South’s semifeudal, aristocratic social order
iii. The working people of European countries were for the North
1. They felt the war might get rid of slavery if the North won
2. These people couldn’t vote, but the aristocracy didn’t want
to anger them
b. Foreign Trade With the South
VI.
i. British textile mills depended on the South for 75% of their cotton
supplies
ii. Between 1857-1860, British warehouses were stocked up with
surpluses. The real pinch didn’t come until a 1 ½ later, when
thousands of workers were unemployed
iii. By this time, Lincoln had announced his slave-emancipation
policy. The “wage slaves” of Britain were not going to demand a
war to defend the slaveowners of the South
c. Relief From the Cotton Famine In Britain
i. Hunger among unemployed workers was partially eased when
certain kind-hearted Americans sent over several cargoes of
foodstuffs
ii. As Union armies penetrated the South, they captured or bought
supplies of cotton and shipped them to Britain
iii. The Confederates shipped a limited quantity through the blockade
iv. Cotton growers in Egypt and India increased their output
v. Booming war industries in England, which supplied both the North
and South, relieved unemployment
The Decisiveness of Diplomacy
a. The Trent Affair (late 1861)
i. A Union ship stopped a British ship (called the Trent) and forcibly
removed two Confederate diplomats
ii. The British:
1. Prepared troops
2. Sent troops to Canada
3. Demanded surrender of the prisoners and an apology
iii. Slow communication on both sides cooled off tensions
iv. Lincoln released the prisoners
b. The Alabama
i. Britain was building ships to raid Northern shipping (commercedestroyers)
ii. They were not warships, as prohibited by English law. However,
they picked up guns elsewhere
iii. The Alabama had Confederate officers and it was manned by
Britons, but it never entered a Confederate port. Britain became
the chief naval base of the Confederacy
iv. This ship captured 60 vessels and was eventually sunk in 1864
v. The results were:
1. British competitors were pleased
2. The North had to divert naval strength from the blockade
c. Stopping the British-Built Confederate Raiders
i. The British realized that building ships to be used against the
North was a dangerous precedent that could be used against them
ii. 1863 – London seized a raider being built for the South and began
to loosely enforce their laws against them
VII.
VIII.
iii. Confederate commerce-destroyers captured more than 250 Yankee
ships and severely crippled the American merchant marine
iv. Northerners considered capturing Canada when the war was over
Foreign Flare-ups
a. The Laird Rams
i. 1863 – Two Confederate warships were being built in England (by
the shipyard of John Laird and Sons) that were much more heavily
armed than the Alabama. They were to sink the blockading
squadrons and attack Northern cities
ii. In retaliation, the North would’ve invaded Canada
iii. The government of London relented and bought the two ships for
the Royal Navy. This satisfied both parties, but disappointed the
Confederates
iv. 1872 – England paid Americans $15.5 million for damages caused
by wartime commerce-raiders
b. Violence Between the British and the North
i. British authorities tried to prevent violence, but Canadians plotted
to burn Northern cities or steal from them
ii. Hatred of England was fierce among Irish Americans, and they
unleashed their fury on Canada. They raised several tiny armies of
a few hundred men and launched invasions of Canada notably in
1866 and 1870
iii. The national government didn’t do much to stop the Irish
Americans because they were key voters
c. Development of Canada and the Civil War
i. Canada was united after the Civil War. The British established the
Dominion of Canada in 1867
ii. It was partly designed to bolster the Canadians (politically and
spiritually) against possible vengeance from the U.S.
d. France and the North
i. Napoleon III of France dispatched a French army to occupy
Mexico City in 1863
ii. The following year, he installed a French official as emperor of
Mexico (Maximilian)
iii. Both were against the Monroe Doctrine
iv. Napoleon was gambling that the Union was too weak to enforce its
Monroe Doctrine policy in the Western Hemisphere
v. The U.S. had to be careful with France until the end of the war. By
the end of the war, France realized it was over in Mexico and cut
off support of Maximilian’s reign. It was overthrown by the
Mexicans and he was executed in 1867
President Davis Versus President Lincoln
a. Weaknesses of the Confederate Government
i. The Constitution could not logically deny future secession to the
secessionist States
IX.
X.
ii. Jefferson wanted a strong central government, but States’ rights
supporters fought him to the end:
1. Some State troops didn’t want to serve outside their own
borders
2. GA at times seemed ready to secede from the secession and
fight both sides
b. Problems For Jefferson Davis
i. Was a good speaker and leader, but didn’t enjoy popularity and
was often butting heads against his congress. At times there was
serious talk of impeachment
ii. Davis was more inclined to defy rather than go by public opinion
iii. He suffered from nervous disorders
iv. No one could handle all the civil government and military
operations like he was doing
c. Lincoln vs. Davis
i. The North had a long-established government that was financially
stable and fully recognized both at home and abroad
ii. Lincoln was more flexible and able to interpret public opinion
iii. Lincoln also had more of a sense of humor than humorless Davis,
which helped him through tough times
Limitations on Wartime Liberties
a. Lincoln and the Constitution
i. Lincoln wanted to abide by the Constitution, but to preserve the
Union, he needed to bend it
ii. Congress, as is often true in times of crisis, accepted the
president’s questionable acts
b. Questionable Actions
i. While Congress was not in session, he ordered a blockade
ii. He increased the army without Congress’ consent (Congress later
approved)
iii. Suspended the writ of habeas corpus, so that anti-Unionists might
be arrested
iv. Arranged for “supervised” voting in the Border States (you had to
hold a colored ballot indicating your party preference and walk
between two lines of armed troops)
v. Suspended certain newspapers and arrested their editors on the
grounds of obstructing the war
c. Jefferson Davis and Possible Questionable Acts
i. Was not able to do what Lincoln did because the South supported
States’ rights
ii. For example, a railroad in Petersburg, VA prevented the joining of
tracks that would have shipped military supplies for the war effort
Volunteers and Draftees: North and South
a. How Were the Northern Armies Filled?
i. North – manned solely by volunteers at first
ii. Each State was assigned a quota based on their population
XI.
iii. 1863 – After volunteering had slackened off, Congress passed a
federal conscription law for the first time. The law favored the
rich because it allowed people to hire substitutes or purchase an
exemption for $300
b. Draft Riots
i. In New York City, a riot broke out in 1863 by Irish Americans
(who hated blacks)
ii. Disordered lasted for several days in the city and many lives were
lost
iii. In other places conscription met with resistance and an occasional
minor riot
iv. 90% of Union troops were volunteers (social and patriotic
pressures were strong)
v. As able-bodied men became scarcer, bounties for enlistments were
high (you could make $1,000)
c. Bounty Brokers
i. Some people, known as Bounty Brokers, induced many poor and
drunken people to enlist
ii. Some of them enlisted and volunteered elsewhere, making more
money (one did this 32 times)
iii. Desertion wasn’t just by Bounty Jumpers. The Union and
Confederate armies each had about 200,000 of them
d. How Were the Southern Armies Filled?
i. The South also relied on volunteers at first. However, since the
Confederacy was much less populous, it had to pass a conscription
law much faster (April 1862 – a year sooner than the Union)
ii. As in the North, a rich man could hire a substitute or purchase
exemption. Slaveowners who 20 slaves or more might also claim
exemption
iii. This made for bad feeling among the less prosperous
iv. No large draft riots broke out like in New York, but conscription
agents avoided the mountain whites, who were for the Yankees
The Economic Stresses of War
a. Raising Revenue In the North
i. Taxes –
1. Excise tax – put on tobacco and alcohol were increased
2. Income tax – created for the first time
ii. Customs duties –
1. Morrill Tariff Act of 1861 –
a. Increased existing duties 5-10%
b. This was to provide revenue and protect protection
for manufacturers who were paying higher taxes on
their goods
iii. Paper Money –
1. Issued $450 million in paper money at face value; inflation
occurred (80%)
XII.
2. It was inadequately supported by gold, so its value was
determined by the nation’s credit. Money fluctuated with
the fortunes of the Union army and at one point was worth
only 39 cents on the gold dollar
iv. Bonds –
1. Netted over $2.5 billion in the sale of bonds
v. National Banking System –
1. National Banking Act –
a. Designed to stimulate the sale of bonds and
establish a national bank note currency
b. Banks that joined the National Banking System
could buy government bonds and issue sound paper
money backed by them
c. This was the first unified banking network since
1836 and it lasted until 1913
b. Raising Revenue In the South
i. Customs duties –
1. Were cut off with the Northern blockade
ii. Bonds –
1. Netted $400 million
iii. Taxes –
1. Increased sharply
2. 10% tax on farm produce
3. States righters were opposed to taxes by the central
government and little revenue was raised this way
iv. Paper money –
1. Printed paper money with complete abandon; inflation
occurred (9,000%)
2. $1 billion in money was produced
3. Confederate dollar worth only 1.6 cents when Lee
surrendered
The North’s Economic Boom
a. Economic Successes of the War
i. New Factories –
1. Helped by the protective tariff
2. Manufacturers and businesspeople made lots of money
ii. Millionaire Class
1. War bred a millionaire class for the first time
2. Many were speculators and peculators (people who
embezzled (arbitrarily took) money)
iii. Yankee Scams
1. Dishonest agents sold blind horses to government
purchasers
2. Manufacturers supplied shoes with cardboard soles and
fast-disintegrating uniforms that were poorly made
iv. Labor-Saving Machines
XIII.
1. These machines allowed the North to expand economically,
even though most of its manpower was being drained off to
the war
a. Sewing machines and machinery that could make
sized clothing changed the industry forever
b. Mechanical reapers released thousands of farm boys
for the army and produced surpluses of grain
v. Petroleum
1. Found in PA in 1859
2. Started a new industry
vi. Pioneers Move West
1. Free gold nuggets and 160 acres of free land under the
Homestead Act of 1862
b. Economic Failures of War
i. Only one was ocean-carrying trade
ii. They were being harassed by the Alabama and other raiders
c. Civil War and Women
i. Opened new opportunities for women
1. Became clerks
2. Manufacturers (sewing machine). ¼ industrial workers
were women
a. Shoes
b. Clothing
3. 400 posed as male soldiers
4. Spies
5. Nurses (all made nursing a respectable profession)
a. Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell –
i. America’s first female physician
ii. Created the U.S. Sanitary Commission to
assist the Union armies in the field. The
commission:
1. Trained nurses
2. Collected medical supplies
3. Equipped hospitals
b. Clara Barton –
i. Nurse for the Union army
ii. Searched for missing after the war
iii. Found the Red Cross in 1881
c. Dorothea Dix –
i. Nurse for the Union army
ii. Was the one who was concerned for
conditions at almshouses and for the insane.
Got legislation passed to improve conditions
ii. Organized bazaars and fairs that raised million of dollars for the
relief of widows, orphans, and disabled soldiers
A Crushed South
a. Financial Results of the War in the South
i. The blockade and destruction in the South (the war was fought
mainly there), took a big toll
1. South had 30% of the nation’s wealth at beginning; 12% by
1870
2. Average per capita income of Southerners was 2/3 of
Notherners; by the end of the war it was 2/5
b. Transportation Problems in the South
i. Pulled up rails from the less-used lines to repair the main ones
ii. Gourds (half of hard-rinded fruit) were used to make dishes
iii. Window weights were used for bullets
iv. Pins became scarce
c. Resistance and the End of the War
i. South was resourceful and high spirited to the end
ii. Women wanted to cut off their hair to pose as men and fight in the
war
iii. The South didn’t gain anything positive from the war