Girding For War: North & South

1861-1865

Lincoln’s inauguration

• Mar 4, 61- Lincoln came to DC incognito– To thwart assassins– Promised no conflict unless we are provoked• European nations pleased by split of only Democracy• Might weaken Monroe Doctrine, too?

Fort Sumter• Most forts surrendered.• Last two forts needed to be resupplied.• Lincoln notified SC Gov of intention to send ship

of provisions only.– To South: same as reinforcing fort– 34 hour siege w/ cannons.– Fort surrendered.

• Northerners saw that as an attack on them; 75,000 volunteered; more than could be used.

• April: Lincoln also called for a blockade.– South felt N was waging war.

» Joined by 4 of the border states: VA, AR, TN, NC» Confederate capital moved from Montgomery to Richmond

Border States

• Crucial to both sides– Would double manufacturing capacity of S– Wd increase supply of horses, mules by half– Must retain them for N!• Lincoln used: Moral persuasion• Some methods of dubious legality• Martial law decl’d in MD to prevent enclosing D.C.

completely by Confederacy– Union troops sent to VA, MO

Border States (2)

• Lincoln said repeatedly war was to save Union, not to free slaves.– If seen as war to free slaves; we would have lost

border states• Most of 5 civilized tribes sided w/ S– Though parts of Cherokee, most Plains Inds pro

No.• W. VA split off, joined Union; sent 50k troops

to join union.

Border States (3)

• Slave holding region– DE: fiercely loyal– KY divided– MD divided

• At Baltimore crowds threw rocks at Union troop transports• Martial law: Fed troops occupied Balt.• Frederick (NW) strongly Union- MD legislature there: loyal• Mountains of NC, TN, WVA ^^ Union support

– Few slaves

MO• Badly divided: its own civil war– Unionist vets of KS struggle: Jay Hawkers

• Cpt Francis P Blair, Nathaniel Lyon– German immigrants– Lyon killed @ Wilson’s Bridge, Aug 61– Large pt MO in CSA control

• Attacked CSA supporters on farms• Rebel bands retaliate• Gov Claiborne Jackson tried to seize arsenal St Louis;

– Unionist troops arrested his militia– People pelted arresting soldiers w/ rocks; shooting starts

• JC Fremont led union forces: Aug 30 ‘61: ‘Martial Law’– Ordered Reb property confiscated; freed slaves!

» MO whites strongly against!» Lincoln revoked proclamation- removed Fremont

Balance of Forces• South’s advantages at war’s start:– Only had to fight to a draw to win– Keep N. from invading and conquering– Had most talented officers

• Officer corps: W. Pointers• Rbt E. Lee• Stonewall Jackson

– Most Southerners taught to fight since children– Most Northerners had no military exp.

– Home Ct adv• Defending way of life

– Tredigar Iron Works

South’s handicaps:• Shortage of factories, manufacturing plants– Developed some in wartime

• South suffered constant shortages of shoes, uniforms, blankets, food– Affected troops

• Strategy: get European allies by defeating invaders at Bull Run– Org’d army: Gen Beauregard– Gen Joseph E. Johnston: commander Army of VA– Albert Sidney Johnston- army of W

• Threatened S IL, KY & Fed held part of MO

Northern strategy

• Anaconda plan: – Contain South in series of blockades– Divide it at MS River

• George B. McClellan (W Pt) new commander to train troops– Wins loyalty

• Winfield Scott retired to W. Pt• Gen Henry Halleck takes command @ St Louis– Fremont removed

Most of fighting 1861• West– 2 struggles:

• For Captial cities• For enemy armies & country sides

• Black Civilians– Fall ‘61: Port Royal (sea island, SC/GA)– Taken by US Navy

• Planters fled; slaves fearful- cd be sold to Cuba• Abolitionists train them for freedom

– Schools, social workers– US Gen: Rufus Saxton has freedmen work their own land on farm sized

plots post war title controversy• Existing policy: return runaways

– To keep from losing border states; or having riots in N. Cities• Gen Butler (MA) declared escaped slaves = contraband of war

– Intermediate status: between slave & free

Strengths of North

• Huge economy• Much more men• Controlled sea• Superior transportation (RR) – Troop movements, supplies

• Better resources: food, coal, iron

Dethroning King Cotton

• South depended upon foreign intervention to win– Didn’t get it– Euro nations wanted a split Union

• But people were pro North, anti-slavery• Would not help a nation that legitimized slavery

– Before war, England, France had huge surplus of cotton• As North won S territory; it sent cotton, food to Europe• India, Egypt upped cotton production

– King Wheat, King Corn (N) beat King Cotton; Europe needed food more.

Decisiveness of Diplomacy• S. almost got foreign help in a few occasions– Late 1861: union warship stopped Br mail steamer

TRENT & removed 2 Confed diplomats (headed for Europe)• Brits outraged• Lincoln released prisoners (“One war at a time.”)

– 1862: ALABAMA escaped to Portuguese Azores, took on weapons, crew from Brits.. Stopped from reaching Confed base.

– Chas. F. Adams persuaded Brits not to build any more ships for Confed; might one day be used against England

Trent Affair

• Jeff Davis named John Slidell & James Mason (VA) commissioners to London, Paris– Escaped Charleston blockade Havana– Boarded British ship: Trent– US captain Wilkes intercepted Trent, took Slidell &

Mason off• Brits furious might wage war w/ US; sent troops to CA• Lord Palmerstone sent letter requesting apology, suggests

Wilkes acted w/o authority• Lincoln ordered S & M freed. They go to Europe

Foreign flare ups• Brits had 2 Laird rams (Confed warships that

could destroy wooden Union ships)• US threatened war; Brits kept ships for royal navy• Near Canada, Confed agents plotted to burn US

cities– Several mini-armies raised by Brit hating Irish, sent to

CA• Napoleon III (Fr) set up puppet gov in MX city:– Austrian Archduke Maximilian: emperor of MX

• After war, US threatened violence• MX captured & executed Max

Jeff Davis vs Abe Lincoln

• S states had ability to secede in future

• Getting S states to send troops to help other states: difficult

• Davis: never popular• Davis: overworked

• Lincoln led an established govt

• Squabbling cabinet still cooperated

Limits on Wartime liberties

• Lincoln’s blockade: illegal• Proclaimed acts w/o Congress’ consent• Sent troops to Border states– Always said acts were temporary; to preserve

Union• Advanced $2mill to 3 private citizens for war

purposes• Suspended Habeas Corpus to arrest anti-

Unionists

Volunteers & Draftees• Many to start- less later• Congress passed conscription law• Angered poor; rich cd hire substitute instead of joined up

for $300– Many riots broke out; one in NYC 1863: 3 days

• Volunteers= more than 90% of Union army• Became scarce; money offered to lure them into service• Still many deserters• So had to resort to a draft by 1862

– Also had privileges for rich– Those w/ 20+ slaves: exempt

Manpower

• N: total #s: 2 million fought (less than half available)

• S: #s- 600,000 to 1 million (90% S whites of fighting age)

• Both sides paid bounties to volunteers• Attracted poor, unemployed (still from

depression)– chance for excitement, adventure

• 1st Confed draft: white men 18-35; later: 17-50

Economic stress

• N. passed Morril Tariff Act– Increased tariff rates 5-10%

• War drove rates higher

• Washington treasury issued green backed paper money– $450 million

• Unstable; sank to 39 cents per gold dollar– Fed Treasury sold $2.61 trillion in bonds– National banking system: landmark of war

• To est standard bank note currency• Banks who joined NBS cd buy gov bonds, issue sound paper $$• First step twd unified banking network S. 1836 when BUS killed by

Jackson

Economy (2)

• South: runaway inflation.. Up to 9000%– North: 80%

• North: Economic boom– N. emerged from war more prosperous– New factories, first millionaire class– Many Union suppliers used shoddy equip in

supplies• Ie: cardboard soles of shoes• Sizes for clothing invented

Women• New advances: taking jobs of men who soldier• Some women posed as men; joined husbands in battle• Clara Burton, Dorothea Dix transformed nursing

– Bcm respected profession (from low service)– South: Sally Tompkins ran Richmond infirmary for wounded

Confed soldiers: • Awarded rank of Captain by Jeff Davis

• Dr. Eliz Blackwell- 1st woman doctor: est’d program to train women recruits

• Helped org US Sanitary Commission– Cared for wounded– Amer. Freedman’s Aid Commission helped black refugees from

slavery; sent teachers to union held territory

Crushed Cotton Kingdom

• Transportation collapsed• Supplies of everything: scarce• South ruined– By war’s end: 12% of national wealth down from

30%– Per capita income: 2/5 if N’s, down from 2/3