Historians have argued for years about possible outcomes of the Civil War. A consensus has been reached among many historians that because of the substantial difference in resources available to the North and the South, the North was bound to win. The North's larger population, its wealth and industrial power, and the fact that the Union government already had relations with other nations all seemed to make the outcome a foregone conclusion. Relative to the North, however, the Confederacy had far more resources available than the Patriots had possessed in 1775.
In addition it should be noted that the North and South had different objectives: the North had to pursue an aggressive strategy; it could not force the Confederate states back into the Union without invading the South and winning a decisive victory. The South, on the other hand, did not really need a total victory—a draw would suffice. It just needed to keep the war going until the North ran out of patience and resources. (The outcomes of the American Revolution and the Vietnam War both suggest that victory can be achieved in this ways; the ways; the British were not driven out of North America, nor were the Americans driven out of Vietnam.)
The Union strategy initially conceived by General Winfield Scott sought to divide and conquer the South. He envisioned a complete blockade of the South by hemming the Confederate states in on both land and sea. He then planned to force them to a position where surrender was the only option. The main points of Scott's strategy included a blockade of the Confederate coastline. They would control the Mississippi and cut off Southern use of the waterway, seizing the capital of Richmond. As the war progressed, Union forces would divide the Confederacy along a line through Georgia. The Northern press derided Scott's plan and dubbed it the "Anaconda Plan." The press and other critics called for an "On to Richmond!" approach, thinking that a swift attack would bring quick victory.
In addition to directing the conduct of the war as Commander-in-Chief, President Lincoln was also concerned with keeping other nations out of the conflict and keeping the remaining border states, especially Kentucky and Maryland, in the Union. (Lincoln no doubt recalled that without French assistance, the American Revolution might have ended differently.)
The Confederate strategy, as initially mapped out and to some extent put into practice, though not successfully, was to take Washington and advance into Maryland and Pennsylvania, cutting the Northeast off from the rest of the nation. The South also sought to defend its homeland with aggressive tactics, which eventually proved very costly. The primary goal of Confederate foreign policy was to gain recognition of their independence and to gain assistance through intervention in the conflict on their behalf. The South attempted to gain foreign assistance, especially from Great Britain. They believed that cotton was "king," and that British dependence on Southern cotton would cause her to intervene and assist the South. For a variety of reasons Great Britain did not follow that course, not wanting, among other things, to cut herself off from Northern grain supplies. Alternative sources of cotton (Egypt and India) were also a factor.
Northern advantages were fairly obvious: a larger population, greater industrial capacity, better railroad system, control of the Navy, an established government with diplomatic ties to other nations, and a mature political organization. Northern disadvantages included the fact that the United States Army was small and mostly confined to the Western theaters. President Lincoln knew little of warfare or foreign affairs, though he was a quick study.
Southern advantages were perhaps less obvious but nonetheless real: The South had interior lines, meaning they could shift forces more rapidly than the Union; Northern business interests were tied to the South; the South had outstanding military leaders, including President Jefferson Davis, who had served as U. S. secretary of war; the South could take advantage of their defensive position, and they had a more homogenous population. Southern disadvantages included the fact that the states' rights philosophy tended to hamper unity. Furthermore, President Davis was politically handicapped by a one-party system which did not provide for a "loyal opposition."
The Balance: Southern problems included the fact that the Confederate government had to be created—they had plenty of experienced leaders, but the basic machinery had to be established. Post offices and such continued to function, but government offices, clerks, etc., needed to be organized. All things considered, the outcome could have gone either way.
The war was fought in two theaters, East and West, but the Washington-Richmond line became the main line of concern. There was also significant action on lesser fronts such as the trans-Mississippi area, the Southern coasts and on the high seas. The naval war was fought
By cruisers, raiders, and blockade runners, and by gunboats and transports in operations along inland waterways. Although Scott's "Anaconda Plan" was scorned, it eventually won the war.
April 19 Blockade. One of Lincoln's first acts was to proclaim a blockade of the Southern coastline. He faced a legal dilemma, however, which was how to avoid recognizing the South as a belligerent power. Lincoln was concerned over possible British responses and did not want to influence her position away from that of neutrality. Lincoln's hope was that because Great Britain was the world's leading naval power and relied on blockades as a war measure, she would recognize the Union blockade. Lincoln and Seward were concerned about other international responses, but it was likely that most nations would follow Great Britain's lead. Lincoln's overriding diplomatic challenge was to keep the South isolated. As the war progressed, amphibious operations carried out by Union forces brought much of the Southern coastline and many Southern ports under Federal control.
Early Actions. Once the shots were fired on Fort Sumter, both sides knew that war had begun. The tension that had been mounting for more than a decade was broken, and for a brief period, many felt a sense of relief. In the South, however, the mood soon turned to one of grim determination, a deep-seated belief that the North would at last pay for its arrogance in trying to dictate to the South. The steady drumbeat of abolitionist sentiment had infuriated many in the South, and the prospect of disruption of the Southern way of life was more than many could bear. Southerners whose feelings of loyalty to the Union remained intact learned quickly to keep silent—to challenge the cause of the South was tantamount to treason. For some Southerners who realized the power that lay in Northern industry and numbers, the future looked grim and foreboding. Yet thousands of young men in the South were more than prepared to fight for what they saw as their rights.
To understand the mood in the North, one needs to recall Daniel Webster's Union address of 1831 as well as his speech in the 1850 Compromise debates. The idea of the Union was powerful. When Beauregard ordered his batteries to fire on the American flag, thousands in the North were outraged. They flocked to the enlistment offices in numbers far greater than could be processed. American flags appeared in thousands of windows, and a well-known New York diarist wrote, GOD SAVE THE UNION, AND CONFOUND ITS ENEMIES! AMEN!83
As both sides organize themselves for war, skirmishes broke out along the border areas between the Union and the Confederacy. In western Virginia, citizens met and decided that the 50 counties west of the Appalachians where slavery was scarce would carry out their own act of secession. They voted to leave the state of Virginia and create a new state. West Virginia was admitted to the Union in 1863.
The West Virginia region was also the scene of the heaviest fighting before the real war began. General George McClellan, who would eventually lead the Union Army of the Potomac, oversaw the fighting in the region. He won a small-scale victory at the Battle of Philippi, which cleared the Confederates out of the Kanawha River Valley. McClellan sent dispatches to Washington claiming credit for his actions, though much of the success was the work of his subordinates, especially General William S. Rosecrans. McClellan's flaw as a general, which ultimately doomed his career, was his willingness to take full credit for everything that happened within his command, while quickly blaming others for his failures.
World History
