Choosing Sides

1
Choosing Sides

• General Winfield Scott asked Robert E. Lee to
  command Union troops. ?

• Lee was one of the best senior officers in the
  United States Army. ?
• Lee, however, was from Virginia, so when his
  state voted to secede, Lee chose to support the
  Confederacy. ?
• Hundreds of other military officers chose to
  support the Confederacy.

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2
Choosing Sides (cont.)

• The South had a strong military tradition. Seven
  of the eight military colleges were in the South.
  ?

• So the South had a large number of trained army
  officers. ?
• The North had a strong naval tradition.
  Three-fourths of the U.S. Navys officers were
  from the North. ?
• The North had a large pool of trained sailors
  from merchant ships.

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3
Choosing Sides (cont.)
What military advantages did the North and the
South have at the start of the Civil War?
Hundreds of the Unions military officers
resigned and joined the Confederacy. The South
had a strong military tradition. Seven of the
eight military colleges were in the South. So the
South had a large number of trained army
officers. The North had a strong naval tradition.
Three-fourths of the U.S. Navys officers were
from the North. The North had a large pool of
trained sailors from merchant ships.
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4
The Opposing Economies

• The Norths population was more than twice as
  large as the Souths population. ?

• This gave the North an advantage in raising an
  army and in supporting the war. ?
• The Norths industries gave it an economic
  advantage over the South. ?
• The North had almost 90 percent of the countrys
  factories, and it could provide ammunition and
  other supplies more easily.

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5
The Opposing Economies (cont.)

• The South had only one railroad line connecting
  the western states of the Confederacy to the
  east. ?

• Northern troops easily disrupted the Souths rail
  system and prevented the distribution of supplies
  and troops. ?
• The North had several financial advantages over
  the South. ?
• The North controlled the national treasury and
  was able to continue collecting money from
  tariffs.

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6
The Opposing Economies (cont.)

• Northern banks loaned the federal government
  money by buying government bonds. ?

• Congress passed the Legal Tender Act in February
  1862. ?
• This created a national currency and allowed the
  government to issue green-colored paper money
  known as greenbacks.

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7
The Opposing Economies (cont.)

• The Confederacys financial situation was not
  good to start, and it continued to worsen. ?

• Southern planters and banks could not buy bonds.
  ?
• The Union Navy blockaded Southern ports, so money
  raised by taxing trade was greatly reduced. ?
• To raise money, the South taxed its own people.

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8
The Opposing Economies (cont.)

• Many Southerners refused to pay the taxes. ?

• The South was forced to print its own paper
  money, which caused rapid inflation in the South.

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9
The Opposing Economies (cont.)
What financial advantages did the North have over
the South?
The North controlled the national treasury and
was able to continue collecting money from
tariffs. Northern banks loaned the federal
government money by buying government bonds. The
Legal Tender Act passed by Congress created a
national currency and allowed the government to
issue paper money. Southern planters and banks
could not buy bonds. The Union Navy blockaded
Southern ports, so money raised by taxing trade
was greatly reduced. To raise money, the South
taxed its own people. Many Southerners refused to
pay the taxes. The South was forced to print its
own paper money, which caused rapid inflation in
the South.
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10
The Political Situation

• As the Civil War began, there were many
  Republicans and Northern Democrats who challenged
  Lincolns policies. ?

• Lincolns goal was to preserve the Union, even if
  that meant allowing slavery to continue. ?
• The War Democrats supported the Civil War and
  restoring the Union. They opposed ending slavery.

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11
The Political Situation (cont.)

• The Peace Democrats, referred to as Copperheads
  by Republicans, opposed the war. ?

• They wanted to reunite the states by using
  negotiation. ?
• In 1862 Congress introduced a militia law that
  allowed states to use conscriptionthe drafting
  of people for military serviceto fill their
  regiments. ?
• Many Democrats opposed the law, and riots erupted
  in many cities. ?

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12
The Political Situation (cont.)

• To enforce the militia law, Lincoln suspended
  writs of habeas corpusa persons right not to be
  imprisoned unless charged with a crime and given
  a trial. ?

• The Confederate Constitutions commitment to
  states rights limited Confederate president
  Jefferson Daviss ability to conduct the war.

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13
The Political Situation (cont.)

• Many Southern leaders opposed president Jefferson
  Daviss policies. ?

• They objected to the Confederacy forcing people
  to join the army. ?
• They also opposed suspending writs of habeas
  corpus.

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14
The Political Situation (cont.)
Why was president Jefferson Daviss ability to
conduct the war limited?
The Confederate Constitution emphasized states
rights, which limited the central governments
power and interfered with Daviss ability to
conduct the war.
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15
The Diplomatic Challenge

• The United States did not want Europeans to
  recognize the Confederate States of America as an
  independent country. ?

• The South wanted Europeans to recognize the
  Confederacy and provide it with military
  assistance. ?
• To pressure France and Britain, Southern planters
  stopped selling cotton to these countries.

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16
The Diplomatic Challenge (cont.)

• In 1861 the Confederacy sent two diplomats to
  Britain and France. ?

• In the Trent Affair, a Union warship intercepted
  the British ship that the two men were on and
  arrested them. ?
• Eventually they were freed, but the Confederacy
  failed to gain the support of Europeans.

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17
The Diplomatic Challenge (cont.)
At the outbreak of the Civil War, what did
Confederates want from Europeans?
Confederates wanted Europeans to recognize the
Confederacy and to provide the South with
military assistance.
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18
The First Modern War

• The Civil War was the first modern war. ?

• The war involved huge armies made up of mostly
  civilian volunteers who required vast amounts of
  supplies and equipment. ?
• New cone-shaped bullets used in the Civil War
  were more accurate and could be loaded and fired
  faster than previous bullets. ?
• Instead of standing in a line, troops began to
  use trenches and barricades to protect themselves.

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19
The First Modern War (cont.)

• The new military technologies and tactics caused
  attacking forces to suffer high casualties. ?

• Attritionthe wearing down of one side by the
  other through exhaustion of soldiers and
  resourcesmeant that the armies had to keep
  replacing their soldiers. ?
• Jefferson Davis wanted to wage a defensive war of
  attrition against the Union.

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20
The First Modern War (cont.)

• Southerners scorned defensive warfare, however. ?

• Southern troops instead often went on the
  offensive, charging enemy lines and suffering
  large numbers of casualties.

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21
The First Modern War (cont.)

• The Union implemented the Anaconda Plan. ?

• This strategy, proposed by Winfield Scott,
  included a blockade of Confederate ports and
  sending gunboats down the Mississippi to divide
  the Confederacy.

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22
The First Modern War (cont.)
Why was the Confederacys defensive war of
attrition unsuccessful?
Defensive warfare was scorned by many
Southerners. Southern troops instead often went
on the offensive, charging enemy lines and
suffering large numbers of casualties.
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