The Pros And Cons Of Sherman's War

The North lost 360,000 lives and the untold resources that were indefinable, yet a Confederates who said they fought for the same goals as their forebears of 1776 would have been surprised by the intense convictions of northern soldiers they were upholding the legacy of the American Revolution” (McPherson, 1994) The Gettysburg Address gives a wide view of why the North was fighting, Abraham Lincoln’s Most famous speech, but considerate a failure at the time given. In the Gettysburg Address speech, Lincoln summarizes the reason why there was a war sever years prior to the Civil war, he says that our Father

The Confederate victory gave them the confidence and shocked the North, who soon realized the war will not be won as easily as they thought. Two months after the Confederate soldiers opened fire

During the first half of the Civil War, the South had the upper hand and the Confederate army was taking most of the victories. The leadership of General Lee was a force to be reckoned with and the South had the advantage of knowing the geography and having the ability to quickly obtain fresh reinforcements and supplies, since most of the battles were fought locally. Northern generals had failed to stop the Southern advances and things were looking bleak for the Union. Fortunately, General Ulysses S. Grant was granted the authority to make the major military decisions, and as a result of his relentless pursuit of the Confederate army, the Union won the Civil War.

He also gave the Gettysburg Address, which helped the soldiers of the Union remember what they were fighting for, giving them the morale to push onward with the war effort. The reasons for the South seceding varied. Lincoln’s election was the main reason, since none of the southern states voted for him yet

On May the 5th 1964 Major William Tecumseh Sherman was beginning his invasion of Atlanta. He first started with Atlanta because Georgia was “Heart of the Confederacy”. Georgia was heart of the Confederacy because it was an important location. It was mainly important because it had many founderies, factories, supply depots, and it was where the countries main arsenal factories

The State was split on their beliefs and where their allegiance should be placed. ”(Bengstun, 2012). Sherman had to ask the Secretary of War for a large amount of back up. This didn’t perceive well with the people. “His numerous requests for reinforcements and his generally nervous behavior caused some newspapers to describe him as insane”(Biography, 2012).

To demonstrate, it prevented another Civil War from ever happening again, and thus united the country. This is because when Sherman used this tactic in his March to the Sea, he quelled the issue so forcefully that the North and South would always remember it. Sherman stole everything, and if he could not take it, he burned it. He raided plantations, stole food, and committed rapes, proving to the South that this would be the last Civil War among the United States. Besides evolving the United States to unite, the Civil War also brought progressive movements towards blacks.

Why the North Won the Civil War is a compact and concise collection of essays, that are short and get straight to the authors point. This book was compiled after the second meeting of the Gettysburg Conference on the Civil War, in 1958. The five contributing authors are all scholars of the Civil War and each have a different take on the question “why the North won?” Each chapter is a different authors presentation from the conference, each one looks at a different problem dealing with operation, direction, or conduct of the war by the armies and leadership of both the North and the South.

Throughout the war, the North and the South’s viewpoints had been continuously changing. Their opinions were both similar and different throughout the war. Both sides initially believed they would win the war, swiftly and easily. Both also realized that their thought was wrong. The North carried the idea that they were morally just and correct.

If the South had more troops available and less casualties they would have had a greater chance at winning the Civil

He was more interested in disciplining the seceding states. In “Sherman’s March to the Sea,” F.O.C. Darley depicts a house burning, a child weeping at the side of his mother, and an old man struggling to go on all while Sherman’s men march toward the fleeing Confederates. Through the destruction of civilian towns and plantations, Sherman damaged countless lives mentally and economically. This depiction shows that the current generation and future generations would feel the effects of Sherman’s march. From the rubble emerged a broke economy and an enormous population of vengeful citizens.

That means the North thinks they will prevail. Also, the North was against slavery unlike the South where slavery was a big part of Southerners' everyday life. A letter written by Phineas Hage in 1864, said that “After this war is over, this whole country will undergo a change for the better abolishing slavery will dignify labor; that fact of itself will revolutionize everything.” These are the North’s viewpoints about the Civil War.

Lincoln stated, “the purpose of the Northern war effort: ‘It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us–that from these honored dead we take increased devotion–that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain–that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom–and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.’”(History). Lincoln said this to show that the fight isn't over against the South and to rally the Union troops around a noble and just cause. The Gettysburg address was a key to the turning point of the Civil

The north and the south did not develop along similar economic or ideological views, that created a deep-rooted uncertainty in the US. At some point in time, the two opposing sides would have inevitably gone to war their viewpoints and beliefs were too different from one another even after once all other options and compromises had been

This advantage was not immediately acknowledged, however if it hadn’t been realized at all, it is possible that millions of African Americans would still be enslaved. “He understood that the Union had more men and resources than the confederacy. But he also knew that the secessionists could win by not loosing- that is, by hanging on until the Northern states lost their will to fight.” Being able to understand the enemy is a key skill in battle. Without such skills as those, it would doubtless be exponentially more difficult for the Union to win the Civil War.