Chapter 20 - Girding for War: The North and the South

Chapter 20 – Girding for War: The North and the South 1861- 1865

I. The Menace of Secession

1. Lincoln’s inaugural address was conciliatory
   • He said there wouldn’t be conflict unless the south provoked it.
   • The dis-united Americas were bound together geographically
2. Separation would cause too many problem
   • Like how to split national debt and territories
   • And the fact that the European nations could conquer them easier

II. South Carolina Assails Fort Sumter

1. The southern territories took thsumbter t it.e arsenals, mints and public property in their borders when they seceded.
2. The north only had 2 forts left.
   • The most important one was fort Sumter and they needed supplies but the southerners were very weary wouldn’t let them send any.
   • Lincoln sent provisions for his soldiers not reinforcements but the south was suspicious and attacked anyways.
3. Obviously the north had to defend their honor so they fought back
   • 4 more states ended up seceding from the nation

III. Brothers Blood and Border Blood

1. The only slave states left were the much needed Border States.
   • Lincoln didn’t only persuade the Border States to stay, he occasionally used martial law. Any official statement from the North was said with the teetering Border States in mind
   • They were important because they held lots of population, animals and river transportation.
2. Most of the 5 civilized tribes in the territories sided with the confederacy.
   • They supplied troops in congress for them and federal expenses paid.
3. Most of the Plain Indians and some Cherokees were on the union side.

IV. The Balance of Forces

1. At first the south seemed to have the advantage
   • They didn’t even have to win the war to get independence- only succeed in a draw.
   • They had great morals at first and better military officers.
   • Their boys were accustomed to firearms and horses so they had plenty of foot soldiers.
2. Economy was the greatest southern weakness and the greatest strength for the North
   • The north controlled the sea and established a blockade; they could also get supplies from Europe.
   • The north had more people (22 million in N and only 9 million in the south) and they had immigrants coming in all the time.
   • However they didn’t have great commanders.

V. Dethrone King Cotton

1. Successful revolutions generally have succeeded because of foreign intervention; however, the south didn’t get that.
   • Ruling classes sympathized with the south
   • The Working class rooted for the north.
2. The south thought that England would need cotton exports but England had actually been stockpiling them for a long time and didn’t need them as desperately as the south thought they would.
   • Britain got cotton from Egypt and India and even the north sent over the cotton sometimes.
3. King wheat and King corn were rulers now
   • Blessed with good weather the north had lots of wheat to supply Britain whose crops were failing that year.

VI. The Decisiveness of Diplomacy

1. 1st major crisis came over the Trent affair.
   • Union ships stopped a British ship and took to confederate diplomats,
   • The Alabama was a confederate ship in Britain; it captured 60 vessels but was eventually destroyed.

VII. Foreign Flare-ups

1. Laird Rams: two confederate warships constructed in Great Britain
   • London repented and didn’t send the ships over.
2. Americans also raided Canada; the British formed the dominion of Canada in defense to make Canada a more united nation.
3. Emperor Napoleon III of France sent Maxmilian to invade and become emperor of Mexico.
   • That action violated the Monroe Doctrine and the U.S. government aided the Mexican resistance.

VIII. President Davis vs. President Lincoln

1. The confederate government, stemming from secession couldn’t prohibit secession from other states.
   • President Jefferson Davis wanted a united government but states’ rights supporters fought him.
   • Davis couldn’t handle all the problems
2. Lincoln did have problems with the government too but they were easier to solve and Lincoln was a tactful, quite, patient yet firm person.

IX. Limitations on Wartime Liberties

1. Lincoln ruled without congress or court approval and did things unconstitutionally during the war time.
   • Proclaimed blockades, suspended writ of habeas corpus, increased the army size and even “supervised” the voting

X. Volunteers and Draftees: North and South

1. The war needed lots of men.
   • At first, the north had volunteers but those eventually dwindled and so they ended up drafting men.
   • The Rich could get out of the draft by having a substitute go in their place or paying 300 dollars
2. There were draft riots in New York caused because of draft resentment.
3. Eventually the government offered enlistment bounties but a lot of people deserted the army.
4. The south too originally ran on volunteers and the rich got to exempt.

XI. The Economic Stresses of War

1. The north had more money than the south.
   • The north taxed tobacco, alcohol and introduced income taxes.
2. The Morrill Tariff increased duties some 5-10%
   • The republicans came o be identified with protective taxes.
3. Borrowing and bonds was a good way of make money.
   • Banks were trying to establish standard currency.
4. The south had problems generating money
   • Only 1% came from taxes, the government was forced to print more paper money and had a huge inflation.

XII. The North’s Economic Boom

1. New factories mushroomed
2. The Civil war bred a million class for the first time.
   • Unfortunately a lot of people put profit before patriotism and sold the war effort shoddy wool, fast disintegrating uniforms and cardboard soled shoes.
3. Machinery proved to be very helpful now that there was less man-power.
   • Mechanical reapers and sewing machines were remarakable.
4. Petroleum was discovered and sent the “59-ers” to Pennsylvania.
   • A new industry was formed.
5. Civil war was a women’s war too, it opened new opportunities for women.
   • Women took over men’s jobs and went into industrial employment when the need for shoes and clothes was combined with the sewing machine.
   • Women buoyed men’s spirits and gave up costly silks and satins from their skirts.
6. More than 400 women followed their men into battle posing as male soldiers.
7. Elizabeth Blackwell- America’s first female doctor organized medical assistance for men in the fields.
   • Nursing became a respected profession.

XIII. A Crushed King Cotton

1. The southern blockade and the war destruction took terrible tolls.
2. Transportation collapsed, tracks were taken off the less used routes to patch up the main areas.
3. Cotton capitalism had lost out to industrial capitalism.