Girding for War: The North and the South

I. Secession

a. Lincoln’s Inauguration

i. Lincoln traveled to DC at night partially disguised to avoid assassins

ii. Done in secrecy at night

iii. He wanted no conflict in his inaugural address because the North and South were connected together

b. The Possibilities

i. Uncontested Secession –

1. What share of the national debt should the South take with it?

2. What portion of the territories should the Confederacy have?

3. How would the fugitive-slave issue be resolved?

4. How would the Underground Railroad be handled?

ii. Delight of European Nations –

1. Would balance the power (an ancient concept)

2. They would be safer against America

3. Could more easily defy the Monroe Doctrine

II. South Carolina Assails Fort Sumter

a. Federal Property In the South

i. The Seceding States seized the U.S.’s arsenals, mints, and other public property within their borders

ii. When Lincoln took office, only two federal forts remained in the South

b. Fort Sumter

i. One of those forts, in Charleston harbor (one of the most important southern ports), had provisions that would last only a few weeks – until April 1861

ii. Lincoln didn’t want to have to surrender the fort, but he didn’t want to send reinforcements for fear SC would fight back

iii. Lincoln decided to send an expedition to provision the garrison, not to reinforce it

iv. Lincoln notified SC of his intent, but they took it as an act of aggression and fired on the fort on April 12, 1861. The fort surrendered

c. Northern Thought

i. They had wanted peace, even in succession

ii. However, the assault on Fort Sumter provoked the North into a fight

d. The Call For Troops

i. Lincoln called for 75,000 militia on April 15^th. Many people volunteered

ii. The president also decided to blockade southern seaports (but it was relatively weak)

III. Brother’s Blood and Border Blood

a. Border States

i. Were Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and later West Virginia (they tore themselves away from the rest of Virginia)

ii. If the North had fired the first shot, most of these States would have joined the South and possibly helped them win

iii. The border States:

1. Had a population of more than half of the entire Confederacy

2. Almost doubled the manufacturing capacity of the South

3. Increased by almost half its supply of horses and mules

b. Keeping the Border States Intact

i. In Maryland, he declared martial law and sent in troops. Maryland threatened to cut off Washington from the North

ii. Lincoln deployed Union soldiers in western VA and Missouri (Missouri had their own civil war going on)

c. The North’s War Aims

i. No to free the blacks. This would’ve driven the border States into the South. Even southern IL, OH, IN had prosouthern settlers/sympathizers in it

ii. Lincoln’s purpose was to save the Union at all costs

d. Indian Territory (OK)

i. Most of the Five Civilized Tribes (Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, and Seminoles) sided with the Confederacy

ii. Some owned slaves and felt loyal to the South

iii. To secure their loyalty, the Confederate government agreed to take over federal payments to the tribes and invited them to send delegates to the Confederate congress. In return, the tribes supplied troops to the Confederate army

iv. A rival faction of Cherokees and most of the Plains Indians sided with the Union. After the war, they were herded onto reservations

e. Brotherly War

i. There were many Northern volunteers from the Southern States and many Southern volunteers from the Northern States

ii. The loyal slave States contributed 300,000 soldiers to the Union

iii. Many brothers fought on opposite sides. Lincoln’s wife had four brothers who fought for the Confederacy

IV. The Balance of Forces

a. Advantages of the South

i. Could fight defensively to a draw to win independence

ii. Had a vast territory

iii. Fought on their own soil, so they were familiar with the land

iv. Fighting to preserve their way of life, so they enjoyed a morale advantage at first

v. Had the most talented officers. General Robert E. Lee was offered command of the Northern armies, but when VA seceded, Lee felt honor-bound to go with his native State. Lee’s chief lieutenant and right-hand man for much of the war was Stonewall Jackson

vi. Southerners rode horses and were taught to shoot at a young age

vii. South seized federal weapons, ran Union blockades, and developed their own ironworks

b. Advantages of the North

i. As the war went on, Southern manufacturing could not keep up (shortage on shoes, uniforms, and blankets)

ii. Food was in short supply because of the South’s bad transportation system. The South had less than 30% of the railroad track and the Union quickly captured or destroyed 20% of it

iii. The North could produce its own food and had most of the industry

iv. The North produced ¾ of the nation’s income

v. The North had the superior navy to:

1. Blockade the South

2. Trade with European nations

vi. Had a larger population (22 million North; 9 million seceding States)

vii. The expanding immigrant population led to large number of them joining the Union forces (1/5 of the Union forces were foreign-born)

c. Strengths and Weaknesses In the Long Run

i. Northern strengths outweighed those of the South

ii. However, many events could have turned the outcome

d. What Ifs?

i. What would’ve happened if…

1. The Border States had seceded?

2. The uncertain States of the upper Mississippi Valley had turned against the Union?

3. The early Northern defeats would have led to an armistice?

4. Britain and/or France had broken the Union’s naval blockade of Southern ports?

V. Dethroning the Cotton South

a. Dependence On Foreign Help

i. The South depended on getting foreign countries to help them win

ii. Most of Europe’s ruling classes were openly sympathetic to the Confederate cause

1. They hated the American democracy

2. They like the South’s semifeudal, aristocratic social order

iii. The working people of European countries were for the North

1. They felt the war might get rid of slavery if the North won

2. These people couldn’t vote, but the aristocracy didn’t want to anger them

b. Foreign Trade With the South

i. British textile mills depended on the South for 75% of their cotton supplies

ii. Between 1857-1860, British warehouses were stocked up with surpluses. The real pinch didn’t come until a 1 ½ later, when thousands of workers were unemployed

iii. By this time, Lincoln had announced his slave-emancipation policy. The “wage slaves” of Britain were not going to demand a war to defend the slaveowners of the South

c. Relief From the Cotton Famine In Britain

i. Hunger among unemployed workers was partially eased when certain kind-hearted Americans sent over several cargoes of foodstuffs

ii. As Union armies penetrated the South, they captured or bought supplies of cotton and shipped them to Britain

iii. The Confederates shipped a limited quantity through the blockade

iv. Cotton growers in Egypt and India increased their output

v. Booming war industries in England, which supplied both the North and South, relieved unemployment

VI. The Decisiveness of Diplomacy

a. The Trent Affair (late 1861)

i. A Union ship stopped a British ship (called the Trent) and forcibly removed two Confederate diplomats

ii. The British:

1. Prepared troops

2. Sent troops to Canada

3. Demanded surrender of the prisoners and an apology

iii. Slow communication on both sides cooled off tensions

iv. Lincoln released the prisoners

b. The Alabama

i. Britain was building ships to raid Northern shipping (commerce-destroyers)

ii. They were not warships, as prohibited by English law. However, they picked up guns elsewhere

iii. The Alabama had Confederate officers and it was manned by Britons, but it never entered a Confederate port. Britain became the chief naval base of the Confederacy

iv. This ship captured 60 vessels and was eventually sunk in 1864

v. The results were:

1. British competitors were pleased

2. The North had to divert naval strength from the blockade

c. Stopping the British-Built Confederate Raiders

i. The British realized that building ships to be used against the North was a dangerous precedent that could be used against them

ii. 1863 – London seized a raider being built for the South and began to loosely enforce their laws against them

iii. Confederate commerce-destroyers captured more than 250 Yankee ships and severely crippled the American merchant marine

iv. Northerners considered capturing Canada when the war was over

VII. Foreign Flare-ups

a. The Laird Rams

i. 1863 – Two Confederate warships were being built in England (by the shipyard of John Laird and Sons) that were much more heavily armed than the Alabama. They were to sink the blockading squadrons and attack Northern cities

ii. In retaliation, the North would’ve invaded Canada

iii. The government of London relented and bought the two ships for the Royal Navy. This satisfied both parties, but disappointed the Confederates

iv. 1872 – England paid Americans $15.5 million for damages caused by wartime commerce-raiders

b. Violence Between the British and the North

i. British authorities tried to prevent violence, but Canadians plotted to burn Northern cities or steal from them

ii. Hatred of England was fierce among Irish Americans, and they unleashed their fury on Canada. They raised several tiny armies of a few hundred men and launched invasions of Canada notably in 1866 and 1870

iii. The national government didn’t do much to stop the Irish Americans because they were key voters

c. Development of Canada and the Civil War

i. Canada was united after the Civil War. The British established the Dominion of Canada in 1867

ii. It was partly designed to bolster the Canadians (politically and spiritually) against possible vengeance from the U.S.

d. France and the North

i. Napoleon III of France dispatched a French army to occupy Mexico City in 1863

ii. The following year, he installed a French official as emperor of Mexico (Maximilian)

iii. Both were against the Monroe Doctrine

iv. Napoleon was gambling that the Union was too weak to enforce its Monroe Doctrine policy in the Western Hemisphere

v. The U.S. had to be careful with France until the end of the war. By the end of the war, France realized it was over in Mexico and cut off support of Maximilian’s reign. It was overthrown by the Mexicans and he was executed in 1867

VIII. President Davis Versus President Lincoln

a. Weaknesses of the Confederate Government

i. The Constitution could not logically deny future secession to the secessionist States

ii. Jefferson wanted a strong central government, but States’ rights supporters fought him to the end:

1. Some State troops didn’t want to serve outside their own borders

2. GA at times seemed ready to secede from the secession and fight both sides

b. Problems For Jefferson Davis

i. Was a good speaker and leader, but didn’t enjoy popularity and was often butting heads against his congress. At times there was serious talk of impeachment

ii. Davis was more inclined to defy rather than go by public opinion

iii. He suffered from nervous disorders

iv. No one could handle all the civil government and military operations like he was doing

c. Lincoln vs. Davis

i. The North had a long-established government that was financially stable and fully recognized both at home and abroad

ii. Lincoln was more flexible and able to interpret public opinion

iii. Lincoln also had more of a sense of humor than humorless Davis, which helped him through tough times

IX. Limitations on Wartime Liberties

a. Lincoln and the Constitution

i. Lincoln wanted to abide by the Constitution, but to preserve the Union, he needed to bend it

ii. Congress, as is often true in times of crisis, accepted the president’s questionable acts

b. Questionable Actions

i. While Congress was not in session, he ordered a blockade

ii. He increased the army without Congress’ consent (Congress later approved)

iii. Suspended the writ of habeas corpus, so that anti-Unionists might be arrested

iv. Arranged for “supervised” voting in the Border States (you had to hold a colored ballot indicating your party preference and walk between two lines of armed troops)

v. Suspended certain newspapers and arrested their editors on the grounds of obstructing the war

c. Jefferson Davis and Possible Questionable Acts

i. Was not able to do what Lincoln did because the South supported States’ rights

ii. For example, a railroad in Petersburg, VA prevented the joining of tracks that would have shipped military supplies for the war effort

X. Volunteers and Draftees: North and South

a. How Were the Northern Armies Filled?

i. North – manned solely by volunteers at first

ii. Each State was assigned a quota based on their population

iii. 1863 – After volunteering had slackened off, Congress passed a federal conscription law for the first time. The law favored the rich because it allowed people to hire substitutes or purchase an exemption for $300

b. Draft Riots

i. In New York City, a riot broke out in 1863 by Irish Americans (who hated blacks)

ii. Disordered lasted for several days in the city and many lives were lost

iii. In other places conscription met with resistance and an occasional minor riot

iv. 90% of Union troops were volunteers (social and patriotic pressures were strong)

v. As able-bodied men became scarcer, bounties for enlistments were high (you could make $1,000)

c. Bounty Brokers

i. Some people, known as Bounty Brokers, induced many poor and drunken people to enlist

ii. Some of them enlisted and volunteered elsewhere, making more money (one did this 32 times)

iii. Desertion wasn’t just by Bounty Jumpers. The Union and Confederate armies each had about 200,000 of them

d. How Were the Southern Armies Filled?

i. The South also relied on volunteers at first. However, since the Confederacy was much less populous, it had to pass a conscription law much faster (April 1862 – a year sooner than the Union)

ii. As in the North, a rich man could hire a substitute or purchase exemption. Slaveowners who 20 slaves or more might also claim exemption

iii. This made for bad feeling among the less prosperous

iv. No large draft riots broke out like in New York, but conscription agents avoided the mountain whites, who were for the Yankees

XI. The Economic Stresses of War

a. Raising Revenue In the North

i. Taxes –

1. Excise tax – put on tobacco and alcohol were increased

2. Income tax – created for the first time

ii. Customs duties –

1. Morrill Tariff Act of 1861 –

a. Increased existing duties 5-10%

b. This was to provide revenue and protect protection for manufacturers who were paying higher taxes on their goods

iii. Paper Money –

1. Issued $450 million in paper money at face value; inflation occurred (80%)

2. It was inadequately supported by gold, so its value was determined by the nation’s credit. Money fluctuated with the fortunes of the Union army and at one point was worth only 39 cents on the gold dollar

iv. Bonds –

1. Netted over $2.5 billion in the sale of bonds

v. National Banking System –

1. National Banking Act –

a. Designed to stimulate the sale of bonds and establish a national bank note currency

b. Banks that joined the National Banking System could buy government bonds and issue sound paper money backed by them

c. This was the first unified banking network since 1836 and it lasted until 1913

b. Raising Revenue In the South

i. Customs duties –

1. Were cut off with the Northern blockade

ii. Bonds –

1. Netted $400 million

iii. Taxes –

1. Increased sharply

2. 10% tax on farm produce

3. States righters were opposed to taxes by the central government and little revenue was raised this way

iv. Paper money –

1. Printed paper money with complete abandon; inflation occurred (9,000%)

2. $1 billion in money was produced

3. Confederate dollar worth only 1.6 cents when Lee surrendered

XII. The North’s Economic Boom

a. Economic Successes of the War

i. New Factories –

1. Helped by the protective tariff

2. Manufacturers and businesspeople made lots of money

ii. Millionaire Class

1. War bred a millionaire class for the first time

2. Many were speculators and peculators (people who embezzled (arbitrarily took) money)

iii. Yankee Scams

1. Dishonest agents sold blind horses to government purchasers

2. Manufacturers supplied shoes with cardboard soles and fast-disintegrating uniforms that were poorly made

iv. Labor-Saving Machines

1. These machines allowed the North to expand economically, even though most of its manpower was being drained off to the war

a. Sewing machines and machinery that could make sized clothing changed the industry forever

b. Mechanical reapers released thousands of farm boys for the army and produced surpluses of grain

v. Petroleum

1. Found in PA in 1859

2. Started a new industry

vi. Pioneers Move West

1. Free gold nuggets and 160 acres of free land under the Homestead Act of 1862

b. Economic Failures of War

i. Only one was ocean-carrying trade

ii. They were being harassed by the Alabama and other raiders

c. Civil War and Women

i. Opened new opportunities for women

1. Became clerks

2. Manufacturers (sewing machine). ¼ industrial workers were women

a. Shoes

b. Clothing

3. 400 posed as male soldiers

4. Spies

5. Nurses (all made nursing a respectable profession)

a. Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell –

i. America’s first female physician

ii. Created the U.S. Sanitary Commission to assist the Union armies in the field. The commission:

1. Trained nurses

2. Collected medical supplies

3. Equipped hospitals

b. Clara Barton –

i. Nurse for the Union army

ii. Searched for missing after the war

iii. Found the Red Cross in 1881

c. Dorothea Dix –

i. Nurse for the Union army

ii. Was the one who was concerned for conditions at almshouses and for the insane. Got legislation passed to improve conditions

ii. Organized bazaars and fairs that raised million of dollars for the relief of widows, orphans, and disabled soldiers

XIII. A Crushed South

a. Financial Results of the War in the South

i. The blockade and destruction in the South (the war was fought mainly there), took a big toll

1. South had 30% of the nation’s wealth at beginning; 12% by 1870

2. Average per capita income of Southerners was 2/3 of Notherners; by the end of the war it was 2/5

b. Transportation Problems in the South

i. Pulled up rails from the less-used lines to repair the main ones

ii. Gourds (half of hard-rinded fruit) were used to make dishes

iii. Window weights were used for bullets

iv. Pins became scarce

c. Resistance and the End of the War

i. South was resourceful and high spirited to the end

ii. Women wanted to cut off their hair to pose as men and fight in the war

iii. The South didn’t gain anything positive from the war