What was the military position in April 1861 and was the South bound to lose? Flashcards
(23 cards)
Percentage of US population split Union and Confederacy?
Union: 71% (23,000,000 people)
Confederacy: 29% (9,000,000 people)
- included 3.5 million slaves
What was the farm acreage split Union to Confederacy?
Union: 65%
Confederacy: 35%
What percentage of manufacturing workers and output was the Union v. Confederacy?
Union: 92%
Confederacy: 8%
How many Union v Confederacy factories in 1861?
Union: 11,000
Confederacy: 9,000
How many Union v Confederacy states?
Union: 22
Confederacy: 11
How many miles of railroad in 1861 Union v Confederacy?
Union: 22,000
Confederacy: 9,000
Where are the previous Confederacy v Union stats from?
US Army Centre of Military History
Support for secession in Virginia?
For: 129,000
Against: 32,000
Support for secession in Tennessee?
For: 105,000
Against: 47,000
Limitations of Virginia seceding?
West Virginia remained loyal to Union
Border states: Delaware
- Slave state but relatively few slaves
- Economic links to Union
Border states: Maryland
- US troops passing into state of Washington DC, local confederate supporters fired on them
- Lincoln used as excuse to occupy state, suspending habeas corpus and arresting opponents
Border states: Kentucky
- Proclaimed neutrality due to divisions
- By September, Union forces established control
Importance of border state loyalty to Union:
- Robbed Confederacy of 2 million people
- Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, Missouri, part of Virginia
How many men served for Union v Confederates (not a part of study)?
Union: 2,100,000
Confederacy: 900,000
Numbers of soldiers in each army at respective peaks?
Union: 1 million
Confederacy: 600,000
Proportion of army to population?
- Confederacy was more efficient
Strengths of Confederacy army:
- Men were farmers so used to horses, cavalry units often superior
- Military leadership stronger, in early stages of war. Had same training as Union
- Foreign countries would recognise Confederacy due to ‘king cotton’
- Size of South.
How did the size of the South benefit the Confederacy?
- 3550 miles of coastline
- 189 harbours
- Navigable river mouths
An effective blockade by Union naval forces difficult
- Occupation of 11 states would have needed a far larger army than the initial 75,000 Lincoln called for
Military developments:
- Minié bullet (1855)and rifled musket equalised forces –> assaults more accurate for both sides with this technology
- Reduce chance of decisive battles + increase rate of casualty
- Ultimately advantaged side with more people
Weaknesses of North:
- Lincoln elected by only 40% of American voters in 1860
- Not all supported war, especially over slavery
- Outrage produced by firing at Sumter was short
Total deaths in Civil War?
600,000
How many military actions taken in the Civil War?
10,000
