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Why Did the Civil War Last Four Years? (Resources (Economic backing,…
Why Did the Civil War Last Four Years?
Resources
Economic backing
Military arms
The types of arms were not too different between the North and South, but here were differences
The North was more wealthy, so there weapons were a little more advanced, like the grenade and early machine gun
The South was less wealthy with arms supplies that, although not bad, were not as good as the North
Manpower
Roughly 1.5 to 2.4 million soldiers fought for the Union
The North had a much more powerful army in terms of numbers with possibly a million more soldiers. This is most likely one of the reasons why the North won the war
Roughly 750,000 to 1,000,000 soldiers were in the Confederacy
Military Strategy
Objectives of North
Capture the South's capital, Richmond, Virginia
Use the numerical advantage the North had to engage the South
Blockade all southern coast
Objectives of South
Defend and wait for the North. Defend until they are done or surrender
Cut off the supply of cotton for Europe in attempt to gain help from Europe
Chip away at the Northern army until they were weak
What went wrong
With the emancipation of slavery, the production of cotton decreased, hurting the South
The North had far more resources. They had workers, railroads, corn, and more value of manufactured goods
The South's plan to defend and chip away at the North did not work. They did not have the resources or money to keep up the fight, but had good generals and recruits.
Leadership
How Davis managed war:
Gave Robert E. Lee a wide scope of control over the military
Had to out think the North due to his lack of resources, men, and money
At first, bargained for peace and to end the war before it started
How military leaders managed war:
The Southern military leaders were better and more experienced, having mostly attended military schools and being taught the art of war
Abraham Lincoln, although not previously experienced, was a good military leader and understood his role in the military. Jefferson on the other hand was very experienced and was a good military leader
The military leaders of the North were not as experienced as the South. George McClellan failed to follow the retreating Robert E. Lee which could have potentially ended the war early
How Lincoln managed war:
Suspended citizens civil liberties who opposed him in order to keep North on his side
He acted first to win the war for the North and preserve the Union, then to abolish slavery
Weakened the South by proposing the 13th amendment
Political Aims
Political desires of South
Preserve slavery
Use cotton and slaves to keep the funding of the new confederacy
Splitting away from the North and run their own country
How these political desires interfered or intertwined with the war
The South's necessity in preserving slavery caused problems with priorities and gave the North more leverage and purpose, especially when the Emancipation Proclamation was passed
The North used the South's reliance on slaves as leverage to use against them with the emancipation of the slaves
The South's separation from the North caused them to depend on their own resources and there base of agriculture in contrast to the North's industrial nature
Political desires of North
Keeping the Union intact
Keeping the strength of the country
The abolition of slavery in the Union