Civil War part 1

1. Civil Warpart 1 Prof Jensen TAH 2008

2. What Caused Civil War? • One-Cause Models • States Rights vs Nationalism • Sectionalism (Turner) • Economics: Plantations vs Industry (Beard) • Slavery (neo-abolitionists) • Who best represents American republicanism?

3. Response to Ft Sumter in USA • North galvanized and united • Lincoln calls for 75,000 state troops • to march south & quell small rebellion • Northern governors have already secretly mobilized

4. Border Response to Ft Sumter • Call for Troops = illegal invasion • Upper south sense of betrayal by Lincoln • Tyranny is the issue (not slavery) • Kentucky neutral; others try to join CSA • CSA declares war on USA (May)

6. Strength of North = Long Term • Vast superiority of manpower, money, economic modernity; engineering & organizational skills • more food too • A strong government needed to realize it • Business = profit from supporting war • Psychology: patriotism, profit, party, idealism

7. Strength of North = Long Term • Government: national government in place • Political: vigorous republican party; used state govt well; private organizations • Diplomatic: USA = powerful nation, insist Britain & France stay neutral else war

8. Weaknesses of USA • No unity on war goals; half reject idea of fighting on behalf of blacks • Democrats support union in 1861; anti-war 1862-5 • Regular army was far too small & needed on Indian frontier; Winfield Scott = brilliant, too old • 1/3 of officers joined the Confederacy • Solution: create & train a new volunteer army • Generals = picked by Lincoln • Colonels = selected by governors • Soldiers: volunteers recruited by pols • Equipment: all new

9. Strengths of CSA • Unity; thrill of a new nation; promise of military glory; defense of homes & way of life • Fear of destructive Yankees; confidence in own military prowess and in the moral weakness of money- grubbing Yankees • Command experience of slave-owners • Large, rich nation with experienced leaders • Geography: vast terrain & much disease • Supplies: adequate for short war • Manpower: enough for 2-3 years

10. Long-term Weaknesses of CSA • Fragile economy • cotton useless • few factories • no gold or real $$$ • Weak credit • No foreign trade • Too few cities (big ones soon captured) • Weak rail network • Dependent on sea and river transport soon controlled by Yankees • King cotton fails; false hope in Europe Tredegar factory in Richmond– the only major factory in Confederacy

16. Slaves in South • Would slaves revolt, or keep on working? • Support rebel army as laborers • Mix of cotton and food • Zero revolts • Underutilization of blacks; delay combat use • Class tensions; poor white unrest grows against slaveowning elite

17. CSA Leadership • Jefferson Davis: president & war leader • Too self-confident; plays favorites; weak cabinet • Congress & governors; states rights trouble • No political parties to rally grass roots support • Slaveowners as talented leaders with deep commitment to slavery and Confederacy

18. CSA Generals • Excellent generals & colonels • Robert E. Lee t • tactical genius • weak strategist • Revered leader • Stonewall Jackson • battlefield genius • Dead hero

19. War Goals: CSA • Independence, legitimacy, recognition • Hold Richmond; defend every square mile • Honor, glory & defense of homes • Ferocious combat • Defending your home = desertion? • Keep slavery? Keep white supremacy! • Very hostile to armed USA black soldiers • Delay arming slaves until 1865 • Defense of “rights” • States rights & local opposition to CSA

20. War Goals: USA • Restore the union • Destroy CSA, capture Richmond • No harsh treatment of erring Americans • Modernized strong state = never happen again • Republicanism = core value incompatible with slave power; must be restored in south • Give political power to loyal republicans in south • Free slaves in CSA; purchase slaves of loyalists • Protect freedmen; keep in south • Blacks must be soldiers to become true republicans • And should be landowners too

21. USA Leadership • Lincoln: as president, strategist, moral leader • Strong cabinet; all GOP factions • Stanton in war dept • Wells in navy • Congress mostly supportive • Radicals say Lincoln too lenient • Governors & GOP powerful • Peace Democrats: tyranny is the issue

22. USA Generals • George McClellan: planner & trainer • Career: railroad president; had ‘the slows’ re combat • Ulysses Grant: best strategist of war; vg tactician • Career: Mexican war; oblivion; return 1861 • William Sherman: slow start, strong finish • Career: US army; family = powerful GOP pols • West pointers: command nearly all battles • Many political generals: John Logan, Ben Butler

23. USA: Dual Armies • US army ("regular") • Main use = frontier protection • Combat = artillery • Promotion system slow but permanent • Enlisted men = immigrants; low on patriotism • US volunteers (temporary) 2 million strong • Promotion system: fast • Brevet = temporary rank • State based regiments; strong home ties

24. Army Structure • Infantry: rifled musket = DEADLY new bullets • Fighting units; infantry assaults in open field • Garrison duty = most soldiers spend war in forts • Cavalry: horse & carbine; intelligence • Artillery-field: light guns • Artillery-forts: heavy guns • Non-combat • Medical, quartermaster, adjunct (legal) • Signal (telegraph); engineers ("pioneers") • Military railroads; raids; destroy rebel RRs

25. Army Life • Finding & training tens of thousands of officers; hundreds of thousands of soldiers; all volunteers • Enthusiasm of 1861; few big battles • Class lines; elect your officers; chain of command • Camp life: regimental communal experience; drill • Hygiene: poor, disease serious; more deaths by disease than battle; battlefield surgery: amputation; ether shortage • US sanitary service and volunteer efforts to help; south lags in medicine, hospitals • Supplies: excellent for USA; poor for CSA

26. Yankee Engineering Superiority

27. USA Military Strategy • Strangle rebels with blockade • Entice planters to sell cotton for $$ • Capture border states • Nasty guerilla warfare; assassinations • "On to Richmond" (1861-65): impossible • Capture Mississippi & split west (1862-3) • Capture Atlanta; march to sea (1864) • Total warfare: mobilize all resources of USA and destroy all of rebels; destroy rebel nationalism • Vengeance: soft approach gives way to hard

28. CSA Military Strategy • Make Yankees want peace • Whip their armies using stronger "spirit" • High casualty will weaken USA morale • Defend entire nation = spread thin • Defend Richmond as symbol of nation • Force Europe to support CSA by cotton embargo • Invade north to cause war-weariness • Hold out until Lincoln defeated at polls • Count on northern peace democrats • Failure: defend border, rivers, ports

29. USA Controls Border States • USA controls the border • Butler defends DC, seizes Maryland • West Virginia breaks away from Virginia • Kentucky seeks neutrality, fails • Anderson, Sherman fail; Grant holds Ky • Oklahoma: Indians join Confederacy

30. 1861-62: West: Yankees win • Halleck controls St Louis & Missouri • Grant moves toward Nashville, Tennessee • Grant captures Ft Donelson (Feb 1861) • First great battle: Grant @ Shiloh (April 1862)

31. 1861-62: East: Rebel success

32. Lee: Brilliant Tactician atFredericksburg & Chancellorsville

33. 1861-62: few battles • Political control of border • Recruit and train vast armies • Build huge new navy • Build up factories (N) • No Long term plan on either side

34. USA Strategy: Naval • Blockade entire coast • Control Mississippi & major rivers • No rebel traffic; fast movement for USA • Construct hundreds of armored gunboats • Capture Tennessee & Cumberland rivers (1862) • Capture New Orleans (1862) & Vicksburg (1863)

35. USA Controls the Mississippi • Grant moves south from Cairo Illinois (1861-62) • Seizes Tennessee and Cumberland rivers • Gunboats overwhelm rebels • Farragut & navy take New Orleans (1862) • "Beast" Butler in N.O.; Loyal southerners?

36. Mississippi River 1862-63 • Grant works on Vicksburg (1862-63) • Richmond ignores the west • Divided CSA commands; Pemberton • Grant works with the Navy • Grant abandons supply line; stunning victories • Siege of Vicksburg (July 1863)

37. Will Europe Intervene? • King cotton; CSA embargo on cotton • Legality of Lincoln's blockade • Recognition of CSA = war with USA • Mason-Slidell affair; war with USA? No • France let's help CSA; seizes Mexico • Britain: opinion divided; peace; wheat • Cotton prices soar; unemployment in mills • Rebel loans in Europe (few) • Brits sell warships; Alabama = raider

38. Blockade • Blockade all southern ports • Goal: no cotton out, no munitions in • Build 600 ships steaming back & forth • Stop blockade runners; success by 1864 • High seas: sink Alabama & other commerce raiders

39. Success of Blockade • 95% of imports cut off; south a prison • Cotton a liability; Lincoln buys cotton • Economics of supplies in, cotton out • Luxuries vs. Medicine & ammo • Neutral (British & Spanish) bases • Build fast, small, unarmed blockade runners • Vast investment by British • US blockade navy = dull, rewarding work • Closing the ports; capturing the runners

40. Books • McPherson Online • Collins, Origins. short book online • Civil War on Web -- online free for TAH