Lesson 1: The Outbreak of War

Lesson Focus

Following the attack on Fort Sumter, both the Union and Confederacy prepared for what they believed would be a quick victory, revealing their initial strategies and resources.

People to Know

Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee

Learning Objectives

• Compare the distinct strengths and weaknesses of the Union and the Confederacy as they entered the war.
• Explain the initial military strategies each side adopted to achieve a swift victory.
• Discuss the critical role of diplomacy, especially the Confederacy's pursuit of European support and the Union's naval blockade.

President Lincoln's decision to resupply the federal Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor forced the new Confederacy to act.

On April 12, 1861, Confederate President Jefferson Davis ordered an attack on the fort rather than appear weak.

After 34 hours of bombardment, the fort surrendered. This direct attack on federal property ended all hopes of compromise, unified both sides for battle, and officially started the American Civil War.

The attack on Fort Sumter inspired patriotism, but Lincoln needed to secure the loyalty of undecided slave states.

To do this, he framed the war as a fight to preserve the nation, not to end slavery. He also used martial law—a form of military rule—to keep Maryland from seceding and protect the U.S. capital.

Note that while four more states joined the Confederacy, Lincoln’s firm actions successfully kept the strategic border states in the Union.

The North possessed superior resources and population, which shaped its military plan.

The Union developed a three-part strategy: first, blockade Southern ports to cut off trade; second, seize the Mississippi River to split the Confederacy in two; and third, capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, Virginia.

This plan aimed to surround and squeeze the South, methodically destroying its economy and ability to fight a long war.

The South lacked the North's industrial might and therefore adopted a different military strategy.

Led by brilliant officers like Robert E. Lee, the Confederacy planned to fight a defensive war on familiar terrain, hoping to wear down the North’s will to fight.

Pay special attention to how the South's own belief in states' rights created a weak central government, making it difficult to collect taxes and raise a unified army.

To prevent the Confederacy from exporting cotton and importing supplies, the Union established a naval blockade of Southern ports.

At first, the Union navy was too small to be effective, allowing small, fast blockade runners to slip through. As the Union navy grew, however, the blockade became increasingly successful.

This severely damaged the Southern economy and deprived its armies of essential war materials, proving to be a critical element of the North's strategy.

The Confederacy desperately needed an alliance with a European power like Great Britain to win the war.

Southern leaders tried to use Britain’s need for cotton as leverage, while Union diplomacy worked to prevent any foreign intervention. During the Trent Affair, Lincoln wisely avoided war with Britain over seized diplomats.

Ultimately, Britain found new cotton sources and remained neutral, a major diplomatic failure that crippled the Confederacy’s hopes for victory.