What Took The North So Long Analysis
"What Took the North So Long?"
In Williamson Murray's essay he discusses the struggle between the North and the South. Also how it was the first modern war that was fought using technology and industry on the slaughtering fields. The union lacked a cohesive army and a good plan of attack. Once General Grant was in command for the North, the Confederacy was hopeless to win. The Civil War ravaged armies of the North and South, many Americans lost their lives which made this the most costly of all the wars in American history. The North won the war because they "adapted to the conditions of the war." With the help of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, they came up with a strategy and won the war. The North relied on its grand population,
industrial assets, economic reserves, and agricultural production. There are many reasons for the length of the war. The first reason is that Southern soldiers were farmers and the only experience they had in war was shooting game and they were acclimated to the outdoor environment. Most of the Northern population lived in rural areas as well. Another reason for the length of the war is that the land area they were fighting on was huge. Geography was a major reason why the North had such a difficult time industrializing and bringing military power into the Southern states. "Without railroads and steamships, the North would not have been able to bring its power to bear and probably would have lost the war." (pg.314) The first problem was how to mobilize its industry and position it into the Confederacy. None of the armies were prepared for large scale operations. They each had a small army that could fight off Indians and that's it. The politicians knew nothing about war and the military leaders knew only a little. The South had one advantage at the beginning of the war which was the confederacy had many officers spread throughout the newly formed states. But in the North, they had little or no experience in there armies of volunteers. Grant had to train the armies and made them as good as he could. The whole first year of the war was spent raising, equipping, training, and deploying forces. Civil War armies were conducted in a different manner than in the Napoleonic war. They changed the way they deployed and defended themselves. The unknown question was how to deploy offensive tactics against modern firepower. Grant in 1862, conquered Mississippi which opened up the great inlet waterway, split the confederacy, and brought the alliance between the East and the West into light. The rivers in the West allowed the northern armies to penetrate into the very center of the confederacy. In late November 1863 Grant had another victory at Chattanooga. Now the North had hold of Tennessee and could deploy troops into Georgia. Grant's grand strategy in 1864, after he was made commander of all the U.S. armies, wanted to destroy all of the Confederate armies. The reasons for Grant not defeating the confederacy in 1864 was because it was difficult to plan, coordinate, and execute operations. Grant accompanied the army to Potomac. Grant pinned Lee to Richmond, while Sherman battled in Atlanta. In Atlanta the general of the confederate army used bad tactics and wrecked his army, lost Atlanta, and opened a way for Sherman to get to the sea. This loss lead to the further dissection of the confederate army from within. The union came up with a plan to destroy property and homes to try and break the southerners. The Civil war was the first modern war that anyone had ever fought. It was fought over thousands of miles of area. Without steamships and railroads the war could have taken a lot longer than it did. The Union finally came up with a strategy to defeat the Confederates, but the cost was enormous. Over 600000 soldiers were killed. Without the leaders of the Union who knew nothing of war strategy and were masters by the end saw that they could be victorious.
In Williamson Murray's essay he discusses the struggle between the North and the South. Also how it was the first modern war that was fought using technology and industry on the slaughtering fields. The union lacked a cohesive army and a good plan of attack. Once General Grant was in command for the North, the Confederacy was hopeless to win. The Civil War ravaged armies of the North and South, many Americans lost their lives which made this the most costly of all the wars in American history. The North won the war because they "adapted to the conditions of the war." With the help of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, they came up with a strategy and won the war. The North relied on its grand population,
industrial assets, economic reserves, and agricultural production. There are many reasons for the length of the war. The first reason is that Southern soldiers were farmers and the only experience they had in war was shooting game and they were acclimated to the outdoor environment. Most of the Northern population lived in rural areas as well. Another reason for the length of the war is that the land area they were fighting on was huge. Geography was a major reason why the North had such a difficult time industrializing and bringing military power into the Southern states. "Without railroads and steamships, the North would not have been able to bring its power to bear and probably would have lost the war." (pg.314) The first problem was how to mobilize its industry and position it into the Confederacy. None of the armies were prepared for large scale operations. They each had a small army that could fight off Indians and that's it. The politicians knew nothing about war and the military leaders knew only a little. The South had one advantage at the beginning of the war which was the confederacy had many officers spread throughout the newly formed states. But in the North, they had little or no experience in there armies of volunteers. Grant had to train the armies and made them as good as he could. The whole first year of the war was spent raising, equipping, training, and deploying forces. Civil War armies were conducted in a different manner than in the Napoleonic war. They changed the way they deployed and defended themselves. The unknown question was how to deploy offensive tactics against modern firepower. Grant in 1862, conquered Mississippi which opened up the great inlet waterway, split the confederacy, and brought the alliance between the East and the West into light. The rivers in the West allowed the northern armies to penetrate into the very center of the confederacy. In late November 1863 Grant had another victory at Chattanooga. Now the North had hold of Tennessee and could deploy troops into Georgia. Grant's grand strategy in 1864, after he was made commander of all the U.S. armies, wanted to destroy all of the Confederate armies. The reasons for Grant not defeating the confederacy in 1864 was because it was difficult to plan, coordinate, and execute operations. Grant accompanied the army to Potomac. Grant pinned Lee to Richmond, while Sherman battled in Atlanta. In Atlanta the general of the confederate army used bad tactics and wrecked his army, lost Atlanta, and opened a way for Sherman to get to the sea. This loss lead to the further dissection of the confederate army from within. The union came up with a plan to destroy property and homes to try and break the southerners. The Civil war was the first modern war that anyone had ever fought. It was fought over thousands of miles of area. Without steamships and railroads the war could have taken a lot longer than it did. The Union finally came up with a strategy to defeat the Confederates, but the cost was enormous. Over 600000 soldiers were killed. Without the leaders of the Union who knew nothing of war strategy and were masters by the end saw that they could be victorious.