The American Civil War: An Exhaustive Study of Strategy, Governance, and Conflict

After the election of Abraham Lincoln, southern states seceded from the Union, forming the Confederacy.
The South sought a "divorce" to maintain slavery, while Lincoln viewed secession as a "constitutional impossibility."

Location: South Carolina, the first state to secede and a core part of the Confederacy.
Status: Federal installation controlled by Union soldiers despite being in Confederate territory.
Crisis of April 1861: Union troops required fresh supplies of food and munitions.
Lincoln's Strategy: To send Union ships for resupply, forcing a decision on Confederate response.

Jefferson Davis faced a dilemma: allow a Union fort in Confederate territory or initiate hostilities.
Ordered an attack on the Union ship and pressured the fort.
After two days of bombardment, Union soldiers surrendered, justifying Lincoln’s war against the Confederacy to save the Union.

Population Statistics:
- The North: Population nearly 5 times that of the Confederacy.
- The South: Primarily agricultural and less densely populated.
Economic Resources:
  - Union Advantages: Majority of banks, factories, and railroads resided in the North.
  - Confederate Economy: Wealth generated from cotton exports.
  - Foreign Relations: South hoped for military alliances from Britain and France due to cotton dependency, which ultimately failed.
Military Leadership:
- South had talented generals like Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
- Northern generals struggled early on; Lincoln eventually appointed Ulysses S. Grant.

Definition: Conflicts using all societal and economic resources where soldiers and civilians are indistinguishable.
Initial Expectations: Civilians anticipated a quick resolution, turned into a prolonged conflict requiring total war strategies.
Confederate Draft (Conscription):
- States’ rights conflict hampered central government’s drafting power.
- The draft created class inequalities with exemptions for wealthy individuals.
Union Draft and Executive Power:
- Federal draft more effective due to centralized government.
- Suspension of habeas corpus was permitted in response to security concerns.

Causes:
- Five-day riot involving Irish immigrants due to resentment over the draft's substitution clause.
- Fears of job competition from freed Black people after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Outcome:
- Riots targeted Black New Yorkers and were suppressed by federal troops sent from Gettysburg.

First Battle of Bull Run (1861):
- First major battle; Confederate victory led to the retreat of Union troops and shifted public perception about a quick resolution.
Siege of Vicksburg (1863):
- Goal: Control the Mississippi River.
- Grant’s siege resulted in the surrender of 29,000 Confederate troops, splitting the Confederacy.
Gettysburg (1863):
- A pivotal victory for the North that turned the tide of the war in their favor.

War of Attrition: Grant leveraged the North’s wealth and population to exhaust the Confederacy.
Southern Hardships (1863):
- Severe inflation and food shortages led to bread riots in the South, undermining public support.
Sherman’s March to the Sea:
- Sherman adopted a scorched-earth strategy, devastating Atlanta and subsequently moving toward Savannah, destroying vital resources and infrastructure along the way.

Final Maneuvers (1865): Grant cut off the escape routes of the Confederate army by seizing a railroad junction in Virginia.
Surrender at Appomattox (1865):
- Lee met Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, resulting in the formal surrender of Confederate forces, officially ending the American Civil War.