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Aims, Strategies and Prospects

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Stated in simple terms, the aim of the Confederacy was to sustain its independence while the Union was intent upon restoring the Union. One side had defensive aims with time on its side; the other needed to take the war directly to its enemy.

The Northern strategy was originally conceived by General Winfield Scott who, although elderly and in poor health, was able to devise what was called the Anaconda Plan, named after the constricting South American snake. The plan envisioned the following, to:

1. Split the Confederacy by sending army and navy forces down the Mississippi River and occupy strategic points
2. Starve the Confederacy by blockading the Southern port cities, making it impossible for them to receive European support or goods
3. Invade the South and capture the confederate capital, Richmond, Virginia.

The Southern strategy has often been described as offensive-defensive, meaning that the emphasis would be on defending Southern territory but offensive opportunities would be taken when presented. Confederate armies were split into state or regional contingents, in part in anticipation of potential invasion points, but also because of the political reality of allowing soldiers to remain under the control of local commanders or state governors. This spreading of troop strength risked the possibility of breakthroughs by the opposition. Later in the war the South would turn to a war of attrition, in the hopes that their entrenched forces could drag out the conflict until the Union withdrew in exhaustion. Both sides eventually resorted to the draft to fill their ranks.

Many of the material advantages in the looming conflict rested with the North. The South, however, had less tangible advantages and remembered America’s surprising victory over a superior world power in the War for Independence. A summary of the two sides’ prospects follows:

	North	South
Population	22 million	9 million (including 3.5 million slaves)
Railroad mileage	20,000 miles of track	9,000 miles of track
Supply and communication lines	Long and exposed to hostile forces	Short interior lines—defending home territory
Gold reserves	$56 million	$27 million
Industry	Converted to war production	Little existed
Shipping	Merchant marine traded worldwide	Little; had depended on North
Theater of war	Enemy territory; unfamiliar	Home territory; well known
Military leadership	Some experienced officers	Many experienced officers from Mexican War
Military readiness of soldiers	Disproportionate number of immigrants; hiring of substitutes common; desertion	Young men accustomed to outdoor life, guns, horses; desertion also a problem
Public support	Public opinion sharply divided; Copperheads, draft riots, bounty jumpers	Generally supportive of war effort, but tax evasion and profiteering common