1. Ch. 20 Notes Girding for War: The North and the South

2. The Beginning of the War 1.As the southern states secede, they take over all federal property within their borders (except Ft. Sumter, in Charleston Harbor). 2.Under the control of John Anderson, who refuses to surrender, its in need of supplies. 3.When Lincoln attempts to resupply the fort, Confederate forces in Charleston fire on the fort, starting the war.

3. Raising an Army 1.As both sides begin raising armies, many young men volunteer – the Union will rely on volunteers until around 1863,when they begin conscripting men into service (the Confederacy will start in 1862). 2.Most of the volunteers were farmers – especially after conscription begins and wealthy men can pay to have someone take their place. 3.Neither side expects the war to last long and many of the men will look at it as a great adventure (they will be disappointed).

4. Advantages 1.The Union has an already existing army and navy. 2.The Union has more men to add to their military. 3.The Union has more industry. 4.The Union has many more miles of railroads. 5.The greatest advantage the north ends up having during the war will be their booming economy. 6.The Confederacy has excellent generals and soldiers raised with weapons – Lincoln will look for his generals through trial and error. 7.The Confederacy is defending their homeland so they fight harder. 8.The Confederacy knows the terrain better – since most of the fighting does take place in the south. 9.The biggest disadvantage the Confederacy ends up having during the war is their struggling economy.

5. Problems for the North “Copperheads” 1.Many northerners feel the U.S. is better off without the south. 2.Some northerners have no objection to slavery (although Lincoln steers clear of that issue at the beginning of the war). 3.Some northerners believe the south has a legal right to secede. 4.There were fewer “Copperheads” though after the Confederacy fired on Ft. Sumter.

6. The Confederacy’s Strategy 1.The Confederacy’s strategy is to just hold their own until European nations recognize them as an independent nation and come to their aid – because they need cotton – but it never happened. 2.If a war broke out, the Confederacy didn’t even have to win, they just had to fight to a draw.

7. Europe During the War 1.European countries held off on recognizing the Confederacy – even though they were thrilled with the war because it weakened the U.S. as a whole and opened up the Western Hemisphere for more colonization (Napoleon III and Maximilian in Mexico). 2.Even without official support, though, Great Britain aided the Confederacy, mainly by building them ships like the Alabama – a swift commerce raider. 3.The Trent Affair, which occurred when a Union ship stopped a British ship and arrested two Confederate diplomats did nearly bring Great Britain into the war but Lincoln released them.

8. The Border States 1.When the war began, Lincoln ignored the issue of slavery for fear of losing the border states – Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and West Virginia. 2.However, he did use legally dubious methods to make sure they remained in the Union, such as declaring martial law in Maryland, deploying Union troops to West Virginia and Missouri and supervising elections in those states.

9. The Northern Blockade 1.Lincoln used the navy to blockade Confederate ports. 2.The effect was the destruction of the Confederacy’s economy and severe shortages in the Confederacy. 3.Confederate soldiers will go without basic supplies and even food