Chapter 4: the War Begins

Chapter 4: The War Begins

During early 1861, President Lincoln worked hard to keep the Upper South Border States in the

Union, but after Fort Sumter, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee left the Union. The

Border States of Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri stayed in the Union. With the

majority of the South in rebellion, the US military suffered through the loss of many of its

officers. Robert E. Lee, who helped bring down John Brown’s rebellion at Harper’s Ferry, was

perhaps the most notable officer to leave the US Army for the Confederacy.

In early 1861, the Confederacy officially made Richmond, Virginia its capital. Virginia’s history

of great leaders such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison gave the

Confederacy a history it could use for its own purposes as it developed into a nation. The First

Battle of Bull Run would prove to both sides what lay ahead. The Union army attacked

Confederate strongholds, but—losing the advantage quickly—lost the battle. This early victory

boosted Confederate morale, and also alarmed those in the North who thought the rebellion

would end quickly.

The Confederacy desired the support of European powers. The South used its cotton production

to attempt to gain European support. Unfortunately for the Confederacy its “cotton diplomacy”

never gained the international support it hoped. Union General Winfield Scott’s “Anaconda

Plan” helped in keeping European powers from supporting the Confederacy. Scott planned to

create a naval blockade, effectively keeping the Confederacy from engaging in international

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trade. The plan included taking control of all southern ports. The capture of Port Royal, South

Carolina in November 1861 provided a much-needed morale boost for the Union.

Neither side was prepared for a protracted war. The North successfully mobilized its industrial might for making war, an advantage that led to its eventual victory. The Confederacy had the advantage of fighting a defensive war, while the North needed to win battles and control land, forever advancing. In essence, the Confederacy merely needed to defend its current holdings and keep an army in the field.

While the Confederacy gained early success in the eastern battles, it struggled in the western theater of the war. General Albert Sidney Johnston commanded the Confederate forces in the

West. He was not supplied sufficient resources to protect the South’s access to rivers. Fort Henry and Fort Donelson quickly fell to Union forces now in control of the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. Union General Ulysses S. Grant gained national attention with his successes in the West while General George B. McClellan in the East received criticism for his inability to stop

Confederate forces. Grant eventually gained control of the entire Union Army.

The Battle of Shiloh in April 1862 proved to be one of the most important in the war. With more than 20,000 causalities, the battle shocked the nation. Americans now understood the bloody toll the war would take on the country. Grant was criticized for some of his decisions made during the battle but the Union’s victory provided much needed national support.

Before the Civil War, neither the North nor the South had built a large navy. Yet with the naval blockade and the importance of maintaining supply lines, naval control became necessary for ultimate victory. The Confederacy tested the submarine C.S.S. Hunley in small attacks against the Union blockade. The U.S.S. Monitor and C.S.S. Virginia engaged in the first naval battle between ironclads in the Battle of Hampton Roads, which ended in a draw in early 1862.

Even with a lack of large paper and ink supplies, both northerners and southerners published books, magazines, and newspapers throughout the war. These documents provided historians with an unprecedented look at the effects of war on the people as well as the ideas and thoughts of those involved. Writers such as Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and Emily Dickinson focused on many different aspects of the war from death and grieving to guilt and pity. This literature helps to explain all of the aspects of life that were affected by the war. By studying the military, technological, and literary advances a better understanding of the men, women, and children who suffered during this period comes to light.