Resources, Strategies and
Lesser-known Battles
CHAPTER 7, SECTION 1
Union and Confederate Resources
 Advantages of the Union
 Population—31 million people lived in the North, compared to
9 million* in the South (*not including slaves)
 Industrialization—resources included coal, iron, gold, silver and
manufacturing. These resources allowed the North to produce war
materials in larger numbers than the South.
 Railroad networks—this provided the North with easier access to
move troops and materials.
 Navy —the South had none at all, and having one allowed the
North the opportunity to blockade southern ports and cripple their
trade networks.
 Established government—the Union retained the government
that the country had been founded upon, whereas the Confederate
States had just created theirs seemingly overnight.
Union and Confederate Resources
 Advantages of the Confederacy
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Mindset—Confederacy was willing to fight for what they believed in:
the institution of slavery; even those that didn’t own slaves still did
not like the North’s domination over them.
Strong military leaders—people like Robert E. Lee, an
outstanding military leader who had actually opposed slavery and
secession. The North struggled to find a leader of his caliber.
Strategic location—the South simply had to go on the
defensive on territory they were familiar with; they believed that
in time, the North would give up.
Supplies for Union forces had to travel farther during the Civil War.
 The Union was taxed with defending Washington, D.C., a short
distance away from Confederate Virginia.

Confederate and Union Strategies
 Union forces hoped for a quick victory, whereas
the Confederacy hoped for a prolonged war.
 Confederacy Strategy:
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Preserve small armies while wearing down Union’s will.
Win formal recognition from Britain and France.

The Confederacy needed trade with these countries to supplement
the manufacturing they had lost being cut off from the North.

Europe was also dependent on southern cotton, so eventually
European mills would be forced to trade with the South the longer
the war dragged on.
Confederate and Union Strategies
 Union Strategy:

Anaconda Plan: formulated by General Winfield Scott.
Blockade Southern ports, cutting the South off from supplies and
income.
 Union forces move southward down the Mississippi River, cutting
the Confederacy in two and weakening it.

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Some believed this plan would not work and instead favored
a massive military campaign.
Anaconda Plan
Confederate and Union Strategies

Certain states, known as border states, had not joined
the Confederacy but allowed slavery. These states
included Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia,
Maryland, Delaware.

In his inaugural address, Lincoln claimed he had no desire to free
slaves. His plan worked—these states did not secede.
Early Conflicts in the Civil War
 Southwest
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Desired access to gold mines and access to California and the
Pacific.
Both sides hoped to gain support from local Native American
tribes.
Although no major fighting took place in the southwest, both sides
still hoped for control.
 New Orleans
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David Farragut sailed through the Gulf of Mexico and captured the
strong southern port of New Orleans.
Farragut pushed up the Mississippi River to try and take the
stronghold of Vicksburg. However, both Farragut and Grant were
stopped short of their goal.
Stalemate Develops in the East
 Major fighting in the East (away from the Mississippi
Valley fighting) took place in Virginia.
 After the Battle of Bull Run, General McClellan
turned his attention towards Richmond.

Lincoln wanted McClellan to attack and win quickly, but McClellan
believed in waiting until the right moment. The two disagreed over
the best course of action.
 McClellan faced off against General Lee in a series of
battles known as the Peninsular Campaign.
 McClellan’s cautiousness led the Confederacy to
victory, and Union forces were pushed back.