Chapter 11 Section 1

Once the Civil War began, hundreds of military officers had to choose to support the Union or Confederacy Robert E. Lee-> one the best officers in the U.S. Army, chose the Confederacy over commanding the Union Army About 1/3 of all officers joined the Confederacy

South contained 7 of 8 military schools = well trained military leaders and a military advantage North had ¾ of U.S. Navy’s officers, also contained most of U.S. warships and shipyards (South had 1)

What military advantages did the North and the South have at the start of the Civil War?

One-third of the Union’s military officers resigned and joined the Confederacy. The South had a strong military tradition. Seven of the eight military colleges were in the South, so the South had a large number of trained army officers. The North had a strong naval tradition. Three-fourths of the U.S. Navy’s officers were from the North. The North had a large pool of trained sailors from merchant ships. Most of the navy’s warships and all but one shipyard were under Union control.

North Larger population Industrial: produced all war materials=more than 90% of clothing, 93% of unrefined iron=weapons and equipment, produced majority of firearms and gunpowder Better transportation: more railroad availability Financial: controlled the National Treasury, revenue from tariffs, The banks held large reserves of money, could pass legislation to raise funds ex. Legal Tender Act (Greenbacks) Fighting for just cause

South Had strong military leadership Good source of food Fighting for just cause Only had 1 Railroad

 How was having a larger population than the South an advantage for the North?  What was a problem with a 1/3 of the South’s population?  In your opinion, what was the North’s greatest advantage?

South Industrial: limited resources (only one factory able to manufacture cannons=Tredegar Iron Works), Transportation: limited railroads,only had one rail line connecting East to West in Confederacy (Memphis to Chattanooga) Financial: couldn’t raise sufficient funds for the war effort Eventually taxed southerners=very upset

 In your opinion, which disadvantage was the most crippling for the South?

As the Civil War began, President Lincoln’s main goal was to preserve the Union Both parties were going to challenge his policies in the process Two Factions of Northern Democrats: 1. War Democrats->supported the war & opposed ending slavery 2. Peace Democrats (Copperheads)-> opposed war and called for reuniting through negotiation

One major disagreement between Democrats and Republicans concerned civil liberties In 1862, Congress passed a militia law requiring states to use conscription (Draft) Many Democrats opposed it President Lincoln suspended writs of habeas corpus- for anyone who openly supported or encouraged others to resist military draft

 How were Northern Democrats divided over the Civil War?  What was put into place by Congress and eventually caused tensions to rise within the Democratic Party?

Even though he had no opposition in the South, Jefferson Davis still faced political problems Confederate Constitution Emphasized state’s rights and limited central government’s power Often interfered w/ his ability to conduct war Jefferson Davis also ran into problems when he supported conscription->enforced by martial law His own Vice-President Alexander Stephens disagreed, objected to forcing people to join the army Davis eventually also suspended writs of habeas corpus

U.S. Civil War put major gov’ts in Europe in a difficult situation U.S. didn’t want European interference Confederate leaders wanted the exact opposite-> especially the British Wanted British to declare Union blockade illegal and assist the Confederates Britain and France->depended on the South’s cotton Some Southern planters refused to sell cotton to them unless they recognized the Confederacy

British and French met with the Conf. in May 1861 Neither nation was going to recognize the Conf. until they witnessed decisive victories in the conflict Trent Affair -> James Mason (Britain) and John Slidell (France), Conf. ministers to Britain and France, were to leave for Europe Slipped past the blockade and boarded the British ship Trent Charles Wilkes Union captain of the San Jacinto intercepted the ship and arrested Mason and Slidell Were eventually released due the threat of war with Britain

 Why did the Confederacy want Britain and France to recognize them?  Why did the Union want to avoid war with Britain?

1 st Modern War Economic and political situation was very important to outcome Involved huge armies->made up mostly of civilian volunteers Required vast amount of supplies and equipment

By 1850’s French and American inventors had improved the new bullet->conoidal->cone shaped More accurate fire Troops defended positions using trenches and barricades to protect themselves Caused deadly situation for attackers Led to high casualties->attrition Advantage North-> larger pop.