SECESSION AND THE CIVIL WAR BEGINS

1
SECESSION AND THE CIVIL WAR BEGINS

• AdvantagesDisadvantages
• StrategiesMoliblization
• TOTAL WAR

2
The Storm Gathers

• Secession does not necessarily mean war
• One last attempt to reconcile North South?
• Federal response to secession debated

3
The Failure of Compromise

• Crittenden Plan extend the Missouri Compromise
  line to the Pacific
• Lincoln rejects
• does not think it will end secession
• viewed as being in opposition to Republican
  principles
• Buchanan had taken no action to stop secession
• Some wish to let the South depart in peace !

4
The Deep South Secedes

• December 20,1860--South Carolina secedes
• February 1861--Confederate States of America
  formed
• included South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
  Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas
• Wrote a constitution (patterned on US
  constitution) that supported states rights
  philosophy
• Elected representatives to the Confederate
  government controlled by moderates
• Aim to restore pre-Republican Party Union
• Southerners hope to attract Northern states into
  Confederacy
• ALL THIS WAS DONE BEFORE LINCOLN TOOK THE OATH OF
  OFFICE

5
Secession
6
And the War Came

• North seeks action to preserve Union
• April 13, 1861--Fort Sumter, S.C, falls
• April 15--Lincoln calls out Northern state
  militias to suppress Southern insurrection
• April-May--Upper South secedes
• Border states--slave states remain in Union
• War defined as effort to preserve Union

7
Total War

• North must win by destroying Souths will to
  resist!
• Total War--a test of societies, economies,
  political systems as well as armies

8
Capital City

• North
• Washington, D.C.

• South
• Richmond, Va.

President

• South
• Jefferson Davis

• North
• Abraham Lincoln

9
Political Leadership Northern Success and
Southern Failure

• Lincoln expands wartime powers
• declares martial law
• imprisons 10,000 "subversives" without trial
• briefly closed down a few newspapers
• Jefferson Davis
• concerned mainly with military duties
• neglects civilian morale, economy
• lacks influence with state governments

10
Advantages in War

• North
• Population
• Diverse economy industry agriculture
• Leadership of Lincoln

• South
• Military leadership
• High troop morale
• Cause to fight for
• Home turf
• Sympathy from Europeans Cotton Diplomacy

11
Resources of the Union and the Confederacy, 1861
12
Disadvantages in War

• North
• Long supply lines
• Difficult to blockade long coastline
• Lack military leadership

• South
• Small population
• King Cotton
• Lack industries to supply war effort
• Poor transportation
• States Rights philosophy- citizens resist a
  national govt authority

13
Strategy

• North
• The Anaconda Plan
• - Blockade the South
• - Split at the Mississippi River
• - Squeeze from all directions to force surrender
• - Capture Richmond

• South
• Defense
• -Defend independence
• (Even a tie is a victory)
• -Capture Washington,D.C.

14
Overview of Civil War Strategy
15
Mobilizing the Home Fronts

• 1862--North South begin conscription
• Northern mobilization
• finance war through taxes, bonds, paper money
• private industry supplies Union armies well
• Confederate mobilization
• government arsenals supply Confederate armies
• efforts to finance lead to runaway inflation
• transportation system inadequate

16
The Diplomatic Struggle

• England
• belligerent rights extended to Confederacy
• Not recognized as sovereign nation, but given
  rights of a sovereign nationaccess to foreign
  ports, etc.
• conditions recognition of independence on proof
  that South can win independence
• Institution of slavery is obstacle to English
  support
• France
• Confederacy not recognized unless England does so
  first
• "King Cotton" has little influence on foreign
  policy decisions of other nations.

17
Weapons of Mass Destruction

• Most soldiers were issued smoothbore muskets that
  were difficult to load and could be fired at an
  accurate range of only about 100 yards, only
  three times in one minute. Rifled muskets were
  much more accurate and deadly with a range of up
  to 500 yards.

18
Destruction from Artillery

• In the Civil War, some Cannons were rifled for
  better accuracy and more power.
• Rifled cannons could accurately lob shells for
  almost 2000 yards that is almost one mile!.
• Smoothbore cannons were not as accurate and could
  be lobbed 500 yards.