When The Civil War Came The Union Was Unprepared

The duration of the war, however, highlighted what was barely evident to those
early recruits: Union military strength outlasted the South.
When the Civil War Came the Union was Unprepared

The shots that forced the surrender of Ft. Sumter may have signaled the
beginning of a defensive resistance to the North, but it also encouraged an
outpouring of patriotic emotion for the Union in the North. Unlike the initial
Northern military buildup, however, Southern military leadership was far better
prepared. Many of the front-line commanders were army veterans, having
served in the Mexican War as well as manning western garrisons. One third of
all U.S. officers that resigned their commissions from the U.S. army to return
South in early 1861 were West Point graduates.
Southerners were defending their homeland, a prospect driven into their

collective consciousness after President Lincoln requested 75,000 men to force
Southern compliance. Both North and South initially recruited volunteers.
Southern farmers were relentlessly trained by their generals – men with years
of military experience. Although the North also had seasoned West Pointers,
many high ranking officers were political appointees, like Carl Schurz and
Benjamin Butler.
Northern Advantages Begin to Erode the Confederate Defense

The fiasco of First Bull Run in 1861 represented the first major shift in military
policy. The war would not be over within a few months and Southern soldiers
demonstrated their skills and determination. By early 1862, Union victories at
Forts Henry and Donelson began the process of Northern domination in the
western theater. In April, New Orleans fell to a Union invasion fleet. After
Congress passed legislation allowing for the recruitment of African American
soldiers, General Benjamin Butler recruited several black regiments in New
Orleans.
Northern advantages also included a network of railroads that allowed for faster
troop deployments and freighting supplies. An industrial complex far superior to
anything found in the South churned out weaponry and munitions. Once
General Grant eliminated Vicksburg in July 1863, western food supplies
desperately needed by the South, including beef from Texas, were curtailed.
Finally, the inability of Southern armies to strike a decisive blow, such as at
Antietam in 1862 or Gettysburg in 1863, kept European nations like Britain and
France from committing more substantial aid to the South.
The Role of Manpower in the Civil War
In the course of the war, the North was able to muster 2,046 regiments, of
which 1,696 were infantry. The South, however, only raised approximately
1,000 regiments. Although the South had more armies than the North (23 to
16), its divisions were 2,500 men stronger than Northern divisions. Unlike the
North, there was no on-going immigration in the South. Northern immigration
patterns allowed the Northeast to replace workers later drafted into the army
and in some cases new immigrants went right from their ships to the Civil War
front lines.
Although many Northern generals were promoted for political reasons, ethnic
promotions helped to recruit ethnic regiments as well as instill pride within the
urban ethnic communities of the North. Black soldiers also provided the North
with fresh recruits, of which the 54th Massachusetts under the command of
Robert Shaw was the most distinguished.
Union Victory in the Civil War Depended on Greater Troop

Strength
As the battlefields became conflicts of attrition, the North was able to replenish
troops with greater ease than the South. Even at the start of the war, white
Southern population was dwarfed by the teeming millions in the North. The
inability to supply troops – a key factor in Lee’s surrender, helped end the war
in 1865. The Union’s utter destruction of the agricultural base, such as
Sheridan’s foray in the Shenandoah Valley and Sherman’s march through
Georgia and the Carolinas, further exacerbated the problems of supply.
References:
1. Gabor S. Boritt, Lincoln the War President (Oxford University Press,

1992)
2. David Detzer, Dissonance: The Turbulent Days Between Fort Sumter
and Bull Run (Harcourt, Inc., 2006)
3. Gerald A. Patterson, Rebels from West Point (Stackpole Books, 2002)
4. Page Smith, Trial By Fire: A People’s History of the Civil War and
Reconstruction (McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1982)
5. T. Harry Williams, Lincoln and His Generals (Alfred A. Knopf, 1952)

When The Civil War Came The Union Was Unprepared

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

When The Civil War Came The Union Was Unprepared

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

When The Civil War Came The Union Was Unprepared

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The duration of the war, however, highlighted what was barely evident to those

early recruits: Union military strength outlasted the South.

When the Civil War Came the Union was Unprepared

Southerners were defending their homeland, a prospect driven into their

Northern Advantages Begin to Erode the Confederate Defense

Union Victory in the Civil War Depended on Greater Troop

1. Gabor S. Boritt, Lincoln the War President (Oxford University Press,

You might also like