Chapter 20 Notes

XI. The coming of the war A. Lincoln’s Inaugural   A. Lincoln’s Inaugural B. South controls facilities C. 75,000 D. Border States E. Critical Border States F. A Brother’s War G. South Ads and Disads H. No revolution had a better chance I. North Ads and Disads

A. Lincoln’s inaugural address sets the tone “In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without yourselves being the aggressors. You have not oath registered in heaven to destroy the government, while I have the most solemn one to ‘preserve, protect, and defend’ it.”

A. Lincoln’s inaugural address sets the tone Lincoln maintains that the Union is indivisible 2. attempts to place the burden of conflict on the South

B. by Lincoln’s inauguration the South controls all U. S B. by Lincoln’s inauguration the South controls all U.S. facilities except Ft. Pickens and Ft. Sumter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

April 12, 1861 Open Fire on Ft. Sumter

The North’s response:

The South’s response:

1. communication lines between the North and South are open and the South indicates that attempts to reinforce Ft. Sumter will be viewed as hostile acts  

2. Lincoln advises of plans to resupply but not reinforce Ft. Sumter

3. Confederate Congress urges the taking of the forts

4. 4-10-61 Major Anderson agrees to surrender in two days time

5. delay is refused and Ft. Sumter is fired upon 4-12-61

6. later confessions indicate that officers felt that if the chance for war were not taken it would slip away, and with it , Southern independence

7. effects of the South firing on Ft. Sumter strengthened Union resolve - indeed brought many over to the cause b. places the burden of disunion, aggression, treason on the South

C. Lincoln calls for 75,000 volunteers

D. contest for the border states is crucial Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas are pretty likely to go confederate 2. Virginia was the key that other states looked to………. - Virginia was the only state to leave after due deliberation Virginia secedes April 17, 1861 - others follow suit

E. critical border states - Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri - why?

F. Morison’s contention that it was truly a brothers war -Lee’s agony -brothers mostly fought side by side

G. advantages and disadvantages - South 1 2 3 4 5

Union Advantages Navy Existing Gov’t Food

Confederate Advantages Home Turf Supplies at hand Strong military tradition

G. advantages and disadvantages - South 1 2 3 4 5

1. fighting a defensive war - similar to colonists during the American Revolution did not have to defeat the North, only discourage them to the point where they recognized Southern independence b. the South was an immense area without significant nerve centers

2. superior moral cause at the outset of the war b c

3. generally more talented officers (Lee and Jackson)

4. frontier background a. trained and skillful in the use of firearms b. Knowledge of terrain and climate

5. possibility of foreign intervention

H. review Bailey’s contention that no revolution in history ever had a better chance of success than the South during the Civil War. -Examine the “what if” syndrome - border states, union resolve, foreign intervention

I. advantages and disadvantages - North 1. 2 3 4 5 6 7

1. industrial capacity 81% of the factories 75% of the wealth produced

2. superiority in transportation - 66% of all railroad mileage -superior links between critical sections

3. superiority in finance a. tax base superior to that of the South b. finance and tax structures in place and people used to the responsibility c. ability to coerce payment rather than request it

4. superior leadership (particularly Presidential) b c

5. superior governmental structure b c

6. dominance of naval power

7. population - 61% - 22m - 9m a. natural population increase a benefit to the North immigration - 800,000 from 1861-1865 - more than the casualties of both sides

End of Ch 20 Notes