Assess the reasons why the Union failed to win the Civil War by 1863. and How successful were t - page 2
Keywords: The American Civil war – The war 1861-63
By ROYDS on 29/09/2008
Level: A Level (Year 12) / AS Level
Page Number: 2 of 8 pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
prevent the export of cotton, tobacco, and other cash crops from the South and to keep them from importing much-needed war supplies -‘Anaconda Plan’-“to squeeze the life out of the Confederacy”. In terms of resources and materials the north possessed 80% of US factories and produced over 80% of the country’s wheat and oats, the most of its mineral wealth, financial and banking resources and the majority of all the shipping facilities. In 1861 the north produced 15times more iron and 38 times more coal than the south. The north’s infrastructure was also far superior, the north had twice as much railway track in 1861 and its workforce was much more skilled. The north’s advantages were so prominent that historians such as Shelby Foote have said, “the Union fought the civil war with one hand behind its back. If it had needed to, it could at any time have brought out the other one.”
These were very looming advantages for the south to face however the Confederacy also had a number of advantages that counteracted Union expectations and advantages. The nature of the civil war meant they only had to defend not cease Washington; they had to survive until the next election when they hoped Lincoln would be voted out. This meant it was easier for them, there were many natural defences and the sheer size of the south meant it was difficult for the north, as they had stretched communications. This meant that it was very difficult to supply the Union army and fighting away from home for a cause many didn’t really believe in made moral low. Whenever the north did breech the Confederacy’s 750,000-mile long blockade they were unable to keep open supply lines or hold down resentful populations as the south had interior lines of communication and were able to move quickly to resist invasion. This suggests that it could be a reason for the Union’s failure to triumph by 1863. The south also knew the land very well, which helped them with their victories up to 1863 such as the First Battle of Manassas (July 1861), Wilson’s Creek (Aug 1861) and Fredericksburg (Dec 1862) to name a few and in the south were notable geographical advantages including the Mississippi and Shenandoah valley, which the north struggled to take over until Vicksburg in July 1863 when the Union gained control of the Mississippi - however on the
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