5.10 North won the war

Section Objectives

  • Explain why the North won the Civil War.

Initial Expectations

  • Both sides initially expected a swift victory.
    • The North saw it as suppressing an uprising.
    • The South viewed it as a war for independence.

The Reality of the War

  • The Civil War became the bloodiest war in US history.
    • Casualties were all Americans, making reconciliation difficult.

Understanding the North's Triumph

  • Historians sought to understand the North's victory after General Lee's surrender.
  • Civil wars are divisive, leading to debates about the victor and reasons for victory.

Reasons for the North's Victory

  • The North's overwhelming numerical superiority.
    • Lee's forces were often outnumbered by more than three to one.
  • The North's ability to exploit various situations to their advantage, leading to the Confederacy's surrender.

Resource Advantage

  • The North possessed a significant resource advantage.
  • Industrial Growth:
    • The early 1800s saw unprecedented industrial growth in the North.
    • The Union used its factory system for mass production of goods and supplies.
  • Agricultural Advantage:
    • The North had a clear agricultural advantage.
    • Southern plantations produced cash crops (cotton, sugar, tobacco, rice) which were not suitable for sustaining armies.
  • Superior Transportation Systems:
    • The North had vastly superior mass transportation systems.
    • More than 75% of the railroad tracks were in the North.
  • Collapse of the Southern Economy:
    • The South's slave-based economy was insufficient to support the war effort.
    • Slaves escaped to the North, leading to empty plantations.
    • The Southern economy collapsed under the pressure of the war.

The Anaconda Plan

  • Union forces employed the Anaconda Plan:
    • Blockade the South.
    • Take control of the Mississippi.
    • Isolate Confederate forces in Virginia.
  • Union Navy:
    • The South seceded without claiming naval forces.
    • The Southern Navy consisted of small ships, no match for the North's blockades.
  • The plan took years to execute but ultimately led to Lee's surrender due to starvation and lack of reinforcement.

Leadership

  • Abraham Lincoln:
    • Initially an erratic war leader, quickly relieving officers after unfavorable results.
    • Found strategists in Generals Grant and Sherman who believed in total surrender.
  • Grant and Sherman:
    • Favored a total war approach, treating the South like a foreign nation.
    • Examples: destruction of Atlanta and Savannah.
    • Aligned military outcomes with Lincoln's political objectives.
  • Alignment of Goals:
    • Allowed Grant and Sherman to use appropriate means to achieve total surrender and reunification.
  • Confederate Leadership:
    • Jefferson Davis was perceived as more interested in being a general than a president.
    • Robert E. Lee struggled with Davis' interference and poor strategies.

The Emancipation Proclamation

  • Lincoln changed the war's purpose with the Emancipation Proclamation.
    • Shifted the war from preventing secession to ending slavery.
    • Union soldiers now fought to free slaves.
  • The North gained the moral advantage.

Failure of Southern Diplomacy

  • The South failed to gain recognition from major European nations.
    • Without recognition, they could not receive supplies or military reinforcements.
  • European Interests:
    • Some nations saw benefit in a divided United States as it was emerging as a global power.
  • Missed Opportunities:
    • The South lost battles at critical moments (Antietam and Vicksburg).
    • European nations withdrew from discussions with the South.
  • Philosophical Differences:
    • Many European nations opposed slavery.
    • The South became isolated due to its reliance on slavery.