Transcript Presentation

By the end of this lesson, students will understand
and be able to list at least 3 advantages and
disadvantages of both the Union and Confederates.
After the April 1861 surrender of Ft. Sumter in South
Carolina, President Lincoln ordered 75,000 troops to quell
the rebellion in the South. Government representatives
from the Union supported this bold move, but Lincoln’s
move drew a line in the sand between North and South.
Lincoln quickly sent union troops into the border states
of Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky and
Missouri to control these areas, and to make sure they
stayed pro-Union. Maryland was a key border state, as its
land area protected the nation’s capital, Washington D.C.,
from the South. It was also here that in 1861 West Virginia
seceded from Virginia and the CSA. Lincoln’s wife, Mary
Todd Lincoln, even had four brothers who fought for the
Confederacy. This split deeply divided the nation’s people.
As the war begins to take
shape, both sides look at the
resources they possess to
assess their readiness for war.
Numbers tell an important story
about the Civil War, and why,
possibly, the Union eventually
won. This was a true favorite
versus underdog situation. The
following slides will disseminate
the resources and
advantages/disadvantages for
each side in the war.
The population of the North was roughly 2.5 times
larger than that of the South. In relation, the free
population of the North had almost 4 times the amount
of the South. This advantage meant that the Union
could supply more troops to their army than the CSA.
Since the Union held the
population advantage, Confederate
soldiers had to compensate for its
army’s lesser numbers. Using the
knowledge of their lifestyle in the
South, most of the CSA soldiers
were more skilled fighters than their
Union counterparts. This helped the
CSA win battles early in the war.
One of the greatest strengths of the Union was its
transportation network. The North had roughly 3 times as
many miles of roads, canals, and tracks. This helped the
North move soldiers, supplies, and products throughout
the North, as well as to other countries.
The miles of rail also strengthened the
communication network of the Union.
Telegraph lines accompanied rail lines,
and allowed Lincoln to communicate
with his officers and monitor battlefield
reports and strategies in real time. The
Union also developed a military
telegraph corps in 1861, allowing them
to communicate efficiently.
As you learned earlier in the year, the North was far
more industrialized than the south. Since the South
relied on slave labor to export their cash crops, the north
built factories and grew into a large industrial machine.
Because of this, the Union had more cash resources
than the Confederates at the start of the war.
The Union also had a large fleet of
private trading ships to trade products
to other countries to raise funds for the
war effort. Also, the Union had a larger
navy to protect their trade ships. This,
in turn, led to the Union’s strategy of
attacking Southern coastal port cities.
As you learned from Population slide, the people of the
North outnumbered those from the South by 2.5:1. The
free population of the North was even larger, roughly
outnumbering the South by a 4:1 ratio. Because the
North had far more factories, they were able to supply
those factories with a larger workforce.
Because of the war effort, the North
increased its production of vital
resources for the soldiers, as well as
doubled their export of corn, wheat,
beef, and pork to Europe. Exports
decreased in the South as the Union
navy blockaded profitable coastal port
cities of the Confederacy.
The standard bullet used during the Civil War for both
the North and South was the Minie ball. The bottom was
hollow because after the bullet was rammed into the
bore of the musket, it would expand into the grooves of
the barrel (rifling). This process caused the bullet to spin
as it traveled down the barrel, making it more accurate.
This forced soldiers and commanders to fight
defensive battles rather than traditional frontal assaults.
Since the bullet was made from soft lead, when it
entered the body and struck a bone, it would flatten out
and shatter the bone, thus inflicting more damage. If
soldiers survived the wounds, they may have later died
from lead poisoning. The average Civil War soldier
could load and fire his musket 3 times per minute.
Since average soldiers could only get 3
shots off in a minute, the Union developed a
new technology where soldiers could get
repeat shots off in battle. This rifle was
called the Spencer Repeating Carbine.
designed in 1860, it was not assigned to
Union soldiers until 1863, mainly because
wagons could not deliver the ammunition
needed to keep the rifle productive.
An experienced soldier could fire 7 shots
from the Spencer Carbine in 15 seconds.
Confederate soldiers could not use these
captured rifles as they did not have the
ammunition needed to fire these rifles.
One advantage the
South held over the North
was the leadership in
their armies. Lee was
asked by Lincoln to
command the Union, but
he declined, as he would
not fight against Virginia.
Many of the Federal Army’s best officers were from the
South. When the war started, many of them left to fight
for the CSA. Leadership, paired with the Confederate
soldier’s defense of their homeland, made them a
formidable army early in the Civil War.
Soldier gear was generally the same for each army,
although Union soldiers were usually better equipped.
Soldiers gear started with undergarment drawers (like long
underwear, usually not worn), a shirt (most from home),
and wool socks. Each soldier was issued one per year of
each of these items. Soldiers had trousers made of wool,
boots (ankle high) called “brogans,” suspenders, and a
vest, not issued by the army. Soldiers also wore Sack
coats (cheap and easy to make) and Forage caps
(comfortable).
Outer garments included the haversack (backpack-like)
and mucket (mug, bucket, cooking pot), cartridge and cap
boxes, a bayonet, and a musket. Most soldiers were given
a single-shot musket, that doubled as a sword when a
bayonet was attached.
Billy Yank
Johnny
Reb
General Winfield Scott, a Virginia native, was tabbed to
help command the Union Army. He offered Lee the chance
to lead it, but was refused. Scott had a plan to slowly crush
the CSA. It was called the Anaconda Plan.
GOAL: To keep the Union
(country) intact.
The Anaconda Plan:
1. Blockade Southern
ports to stop import of
supplies.
2. Split the Confederacy
by gaining control of
the Mississippi River.
3. Capture Richmond, the
Confederate capital.
The CSA plan was simple. The South wanted the
Union to grow tired of fighting and give up. Jefferson
Davis wanted to demoralize the Union troops, thus,
getting them to surrender their cause.
GOAL: Gain recognition as
an independent nation.
1. Get Britain to pressure
North to end blockade and
restore supplies. Do this
through Cotton Diplomacy.
2. Defend the homeland until
North grew tired of
fighting.
3. Capture Washington, D.C.