Could South Win Civil War? Essay Example
How Did The South Think They Could Win The Civil War?
How did the South think they could win the Civil War? The Southern states were convinced at the onset of the Civil War that they would effectively protect their way of life and their rights. They were sure of this victory mainly due to these three reasons.
First, the south had a great business exporting cotton to England. As the Southern U.S. cotton industries grew, foreign countries began to rely on the South for their cotton supply. The South placed so much emphasis on their cotton’s importance that at the beginning of the Civil War, they trusted cotton as their secret weapon of foreign diplomacy. The Confederate’s relied on the assistance of England. The South held off the exporting of cotton hoping that the English textile mills would get into a financial crisis, so the mills would place pressure on the English government to recognize and support the Confederate government. Using cotton as leverage was an understandable plan. England did depend greatly on the cotton they got from the Southern States. Unfortunately this great strategy did not work. The Confederacy overestimated England’s dependence on their cotton. England bought cotton primarily from the South because it was cheaper. England quickly switched to cotton suppliers from Egypt and India. The South’s plan to rely on King Cotton did not work.
Second, the South thought they could force the North to recognize their independence by winning a major war. The original plan by President Davis was to copy the military strategy used by George Washington in the American War for Independence. The plan was to only fight in battles that they felt the South could win, the rest of the time they would stay away and not fight. This plan was designed to make the North stop supporting the war against the Confederacy. This plan also did not work, mainly because by doing this plan, there would have to be much retreating and rendering of the
How did the South think they could win the Civil War? The Southern states were convinced at the onset of the Civil War that they would effectively protect their way of life and their rights. They were sure of this victory mainly due to these three reasons.
First, the south had a great business exporting cotton to England. As the Southern U.S. cotton industries grew, foreign countries began to rely on the South for their cotton supply. The South placed so much emphasis on their cotton’s importance that at the beginning of the Civil War, they trusted cotton as their secret weapon of foreign diplomacy. The Confederate’s relied on the assistance of England. The South held off the exporting of cotton hoping that the English textile mills would get into a financial crisis, so the mills would place pressure on the English government to recognize and support the Confederate government. Using cotton as leverage was an understandable plan. England did depend greatly on the cotton they got from the Southern States. Unfortunately this great strategy did not work. The Confederacy overestimated England’s dependence on their cotton. England bought cotton primarily from the South because it was cheaper. England quickly switched to cotton suppliers from Egypt and India. The South’s plan to rely on King Cotton did not work.
Second, the South thought they could force the North to recognize their independence by winning a major war. The original plan by President Davis was to copy the military strategy used by George Washington in the American War for Independence. The plan was to only fight in battles that they felt the South could win, the rest of the time they would stay away and not fight. This plan was designed to make the North stop supporting the war against the Confederacy. This plan also did not work, mainly because by doing this plan, there would have to be much retreating and rendering of the