Strengths, Weaknesses, and Strategies of the North and the South
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The Union
The Union had huge advantages in manpower and resources
The North had about 22 million people
85% of the nation’s factories were in the North
Almost all the naval power and shipyards were located in the North
The Union’s greatest asset, however, was President Abraham Lincoln
He developed into a remarkable leader
He convinced Northerners that democracy dependend upon preserving the Union
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The Confederacy
The Confederacy only had about 9 million people; 3.5 of that were slaves
The greatest asset for the Confederacy was the generals
The generals were talented, trained, and ready to fight
Robert E. Lee
The Confederacy also had the advantage of fighting a defensive war
This meant that the Northern supply lines would have to be stretched very far
In addition, soldiers defending their homes have more will to fight than invaders do
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Strategies of the Union and the Confederacy
What’s the Plan?
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The Confederate Strategy
The thoughts behind the Confederacy -
“We broke away. It’s up to the Union to make us stay!”
“If we make the war drag on, the Union will give up!”
At first, the Confederacy took a defensive position
It did not want to conquer the North, it only wanted to be independent and left alone
Confederate leaders hoped the Union leaders would tire of the war and accept the South’s independence
The South also depended on King Cotton as a way to win foreign support
Cotton was king because Southern cotton was important in the world market
The South hoped that if they kept cotton from foreign countries like Great Britain and France, they would support the South’s cause
It didn’t work - the other countries didn’t want to get involved in America’s affairs
As the war heated up, the South soon moved away from its cautious, defensive plans
The Confederacy began to take the offensive and try for big victories to wreck the North
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The Union Strategy
The North wanted to bring the Southern states back into the Union
To do this, the North developed an offensive strategy based on General Winfield Scott’s Anaconda Plan - this plan was designed to smother the South’s economy like a giant anaconda snake squeezing its prey
The plan called for a naval blockade of the South’s coastline
In a blockade, armed forces prevent the transportation of goods and people in or out of an area
The plan also called for the Union to gain control of the Mississippi River - this would split the Confederacy in two
One of the drawbacksof Scott’s plan was that it would take time to work - but many people, eager for action, were calling for an immediate attack on Richmond, the Confederate captial
Lincoln ordered an invasion of Virginia in the summer of 1861