The following links will help you widen your knowledge:
Basic accounts in Prof. Gallagher's Great Courses book
(pdf) on: • Women at War (Chs 32-33) • Confederate Home Front (Chs 38-39) • Northern Home Font (Ch 40-41)
The fighting, especially the Union’s ‘Total War’ (eg Sherman’s ‘March to the Sea’) destroyed
towns, railroads and farms.
The Union troops ‘lived off the land’ confiscating crops and livestock.
Maybe 800,000 men served in the Confederacy (80% of white males of military-age). Even before the Emancipation Act enslaved people were running away to the North or to join the Union Army, and Exodusters were leaving to go West after the Homestead Act. This created a massive shortage
of labour, resulting in less planting, harvesting, and production.
As a result, agricultural production plummeted, especially cotton (the
South’s most profitable cash crop), leading to economic collapse in many
areas.
The Anaconda Plan wrecked the Confederacy’s trade.
This meant no revenue from Cotton to buy weapons, and shortages of essential
imports, including food and manufactured goods.
To pay for the war, the Confederate government simply
printed money; this caused inflation, the prices of everyday goods soared,
and the Confederate currency became nearly worthless.
It is difficult to underestimate the degree of suffering in the
South. We have already seen the degree of economic dislocation there – the collapse of the cotton industry, the effect of the blockade on
shortages, the loss of most of the male workforce to the Army, and the runaway inflation. To this you need to add the destruction of the war, the privations of invasion and sieges,
Union occupation, the depredations of 'total war', and hundreds of thousands of
displaced refugees fleeing the fighting.
Added to that:
in 1862 the Confederate government passed a Conscription Act, calling up all male aged 18-35 (changed to 17-50 by 1864);
in 1863 it imposed a 10 percent
'tax-in-kind' on certain crops, such as corn, wheat, and sweet potatoes, to
be given to governmen collectors;
also in 1863 it
passed an Impressment Act giving itself the right to buy supplies at a 'fair
price' (which it reckoned at about 50% of the market price).
These measures were so unpopular that some historians have wondered if they helped the Confederacy lose the war.
Much more significant, however, was the hardship faced by soldiers' wives. A Confederate soldier earned $11 a month; by 1864 a chicken cost $15.
There are thousands of letters from soldiers' wives begging their husbands to
come home, and in fact 10% of the Confederate Army deserted.
Source A
Louisiana in 1864
From Mansfield to the Mississippi River was one scene of desolation. The fine estates were all devastated – houses, gins, mills, fences and barns
were burned, every living thing driven away or killed. You can travel for miles, in many portions of Louisiana, through a once thickly-settled country, and not see a man, nor a woman, nor a child, nor a four-footed beast. The farmhouses have been burned. The plantations deserted.… A painful melancholy, a death-like silence, broods over the land, and desolation reigns supreme.
Henry Watkins Allen, Governor of Confederate Louisiana.
Source B
[A shabbily-dressed woman came to Mrs Varina Davis, the wife of
the Confederate President Jefferson Davis, to appeal to her on behalf of her husband, who
was to be shot for desertion.]
She told her story simply, but over and over again. Her poor little Susie had just died, and the boy was ailing. Food was so scarce and so bad. They all had chills,
and she was so miserable. The Negroes had all gone to the Yankees.
There was nobody to cut wood, and it was so cold.
"I wrote – and I wrote – 'If you want to see the baby
alive, come. If they won't let you – come anyhow!'
"He only intended to stay one day, but we coaxed and begged him, and then he stayed and stayed, and he was afraid afterward to go back. He did not mean to be a coward nor to desert. So he went on the gunboats on the river, to serve there. And then some of his old officers saw him,
and they would not believe his story. They are going to shoot him. I would not let him alone.
You see, I did it.
Don't you see?"
Mrs Davis went to the President. She was gone ever so long. And the stiff, cold woman, white as wall, sat there and told it to me many times. I wanted to go home, but she clutched me:
"You stay – you are sorry for me."
Then Mrs Davis came in, smiling.
"Here it is – all that you want."
The creature stood straight up – then fell down on the
sofa pillow, sobbing as if soul and body would come asunder.
A story told in the Diary of Mary Chesnut, June 1864.
Consider:
How and why do Sources A and B give different
interpretations of the effect of the Civil War upon civilians in the South?
Consider:
The table below lists thirteen impacts of the war on Southern
civilians. The quotes on the right are all from letters and diaries of the
time – but they are all wrongly placed. Spend some time considering which quote best illustrates which experience before clicking on the
'Get Correct Order' button to find out if you were right.
AQA-style Questions
4. Describe two problems faced by: • the Confederate government
• Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.
5. In what ways were the lives of: • Southern
civilians • Southern women affected during the
American Civil War?
Shortages of food, clothing etc. There were bread riots in Richmond in 1863
“What is to become of all the living things in this
place when the boats commence shelling, God only knows. Shut up as in a trap are thousands of women and children.” (4)
Rampant inflation (9000%)
“Oh! so anxious. A rough Federal scouting party
came up and acted very badly this morning. They took nearly all our
little cows, and a good many fowls, all remonstrance was vain.”
(3)
Destruction of homes and property
“We are so
anxious to hear from the North and wonder they do not write oftener. Everybody there seems flourishing. Here we are on the last squeeze.” (1)
Siege conditions (eg starvation, shelling in
Vicksburg, where refuges were living in caves dug out of the hillside)
“It takes a fortune to send to the City – Shoes
$100 a pair – Flour $200 a barrel – Eggs $3:00 per dozen.” (1)
Communities dealing with occupation by Union
soldiers
“Three miles from town we began to overtake the
fugitives. Hundreds of women
and children were walking along, some bareheaded and in all costumes. It was a
heart-rending scene. Women
searching for their babies where they had been lost; others sitting in
the dust crying and wringing their hands.” (5)
Displacement and refugee status
“[My husband] dressed very shabbily. I have used
sheets, curtains and the linings of my dresses to clothe him and now we
know not where to get anything more… We have-been out of meat some days. Live on corn and rice. No one has anything to sell – all are short.” (1)
Emotional toll from loss of loved ones
“We have a poor, sick soldier here, he came Monday
… and has been in the hospital three months. He is a perfect skeleton,
and could not walk up stairs.” (2)
Emotional impact of being cut off from loved ones
“I can't bear the thought of Willie's going away,
and yet I am anxious for him to serve his country… Willie says he cannot
stay at home; though if he applied he could easily get exemption from
the conscript law on account of his arm and his ill health.” (2)
Women having to do without menfolk or enslaved servants.
“Dilapidation and decay mark the course of
everything here. Both people
and place are gradually falling into ruin.” (3)
Women having to managing farms/ plantations/ their workforce
“[I was forced to work for the Confederacy,] which I hated to do, but could not help it … they talked about lynching me if I did not do it.” (9)
Women involved in nursing anor joined the local Soldiers’ Aid Society rolling bandages, making cartridges and preparing sandbags
“I tell you candidly, all this attention to farming is uphill work with me... I'm heartily tired of having to manage
free Negroes; it is so lonesome here.” (8)
Hundreds of women disguised themselves and joined
up as soldiers; others served as spies.
“When found, the unfortunate man had evidently been
dead for some time. His wife
and relations were distressed beyond measure, and filled the air with
their cries and groans.” (6)
Men unable to fight faced social pressure/ some
were sent petticoats
“I was now more than ever
disposed to take an active part in the war, if only for the purpose of
revenging my husband's death… I had resolved to go to the front, with a view of leading a life
of stirring adventures.” (7).
Free Blacks faced heightened racial violence and
suspicion
“Miss Mary and I have a great deal to do. I never before
realized half the care of housekeeping. nor half the trial it is to the
patience.” (2)
Shortages of food, clothing etc. There were bread riots in Richmond in 1863
“[My husband] dressed very shabbily. I have used
sheets, curtains and the linings of my dresses to clothe him and now we
know not where to get anything more… We have-been out of meat some days. Live on corn and rice. No one has anything to sell – all are short.” (1)
Rampant inflation (9000%)
“It takes a fortune to send to the City – Shoes
$100 a pair – Flour $200 a barrel – Eggs $3:00 per dozen.” (1)
Destruction of homes and property
“Dilapidation and decay mark the course of
everything here. Both people
and place are gradually falling into ruin.” (3)
Siege conditions (eg starvation, shelling in
Vicksburg, where refuges were living in caves dug out of the hillside)
“What is to become of all the living things in this
place when the boats commence shelling, God only knows. Shut up as in a trap are thousands of women and children.” (4)
Communities dealing with occupation by Union
soldiers
“Oh! so anxious. A rough Federal scouting party
came up and acted very badly this morning. They took nearly all our
little cows, and a good many fowls, all remonstrance was vain.”
(3)
Displacement and refugee status
“Three miles from town we began to overtake the
fugitives. Hundreds of women
and children were walking along, some bareheaded and in all costumes. It was a
heart-rending scene. Women
searching for their babies where they had been lost; others sitting in
the dust crying and wringing their hands.” (5)
Emotional toll from loss of loved ones
“When found, the unfortunate man had evidently been
dead for some time. His wife
and relations were distressed beyond measure, and filled the air with
their cries and groans.” (6)
Emotional impact of being cut off from loved ones
“We are so
anxious to hear from the North and wonder they do not write oftener. Everybody there seems flourishing. Here we are on the last squeeze.” (1)
Women having to do without menfolk or enslaved servants.
“Miss Mary and I have a great deal to do. I never before
realized half the care of housekeeping. nor half the trial it is to the
patience.” (2)
Women having to managing farms/ plantations/ their enslaved workforce
“I tell you candidly, all this attention to farming is uphill work with me... I'm heartily tired of having to manage free Negroes; it is so lonesome here.” (8)
Women involved in nursing and aiding the war effort
“We have a poor, sick soldier here, he came Monday
… and has been in the hospital three months. He is a perfect skeleton,
and could not walk up stairs.” (2)
Hundreds of women disguised themselves and joined
up as soldiers; others served as spies.
“I was now more than ever
disposed to take an active part in the war, if only for the purpose of
revenging my husband's death… I had resolved to go to the front, with a view of leading a life
of stirring adventures.” (7).
Men unable to fight faced social pressure/ some
were sent petticoats
“I can't bear the thought of Willie's going away,
and yet I am anxious for him to serve his country… Willie says he cannot
stay at home; though if he applied he could easily get exemption from
the conscript law on account of his arm and his ill health.” (2)
Free Blacks faced heightened racial violence and
suspicion
“[I was forced to work for the Confederacy,] which
I hated to do, but could not help it … they talked about lynching me if
I did not do it.” (9)
Quotes taken from the
Diaries/letters of: (1) Julia Johnson Fisher from Georgia; (2) Sarah Wadley,
Louisiana; (3) Catherine Couse, Virginia; (4) Emma Balfour, Vickburg; (5) Sarah
Morgan, Louisiana; (6) Mary Longborough, who had followed her solider husband to
Vicksburg; (7) Loretta Janeta Velasquez, who dressed in men's clothing and
served as a fighting soldier; (8) Mrs WW Boyce of South Carolina; and (9)
William Peters, a Free Black American of Virginia.
The war did not impact directly on the North, apart from a few
raids and General Lee's Gettysburg campaign, but mobilising for the war had a huge effect:
Economic Results in the North
The North’s industrial economy thrived – especially iron and steel, textiles, and arms manufacturing as the Union Army required more weapons, uniforms, ships and other supplies.
Agriculture boomed, selling food to feed the Army. Cities like Pittsburgh became hubs for iron and steel, while New England’s textile mills increased production.
This boom created by the war self-sustained, creating a ‘Second Industrial
Revolution’ (of steel, coal and railroads) in the North. Industrial
Corporations and the stock exchange developed, railroads expanded, cities grew,
and labour movements gained strength, all setting the stage for the ‘Gilded Age’, 1870-90.
Railroads were essential for moving troops and supplies, so the federal government expanded the railroad network – the Pacific Railway Act for the first transcontinental railroad was passed during the war (1862 - completed in 1869). Railroads triggered the development of commercial
agriculture in the Midwest, linking farmers and cattle-ranchers to
Northern cities.
To finance the war, the federal government introduced
the Morrill Tariff (1861) to protect Northern industries from foreign
competition, the National Banking Act (1863) creating a national banking
system and a national currency
('greenbacks' - the US’s first paper currency), and the Internal Revenue Act
(1862) which introduced an income tax.
2.1 million men served in the Union Army (roughly 50% of
males of military-age). Their places were filled by Black Americans moving
north, and by immigrants. The shortage of labour also led to innovation and
machine-production (eg the McCormick reaper in farming).
The Homestead Act (1862) encouraged westward
migration by giving settlers land, which stimulated agricultural
expansion in turn and created new markets for Northern industrial goods.
The Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act (1862)
established colleges for agricultural and technical education, building
workforce skills.
Source B
The Equitable Life Building, New York, built 1873. The first commercial building in the world with an elevator.
Social and Political Results in the North
Lincoln's 1861 decision to suspend habeas corpus (the law which
protects you from illegal arrest) – ignoring a ruling from the Supreme Court Chief Justice that only Congress could suspend
habeas corpus – led to the temporary arrest of many people seen as
troublemakers, especially during elections; Lincoln was accused of trying to become a dictator.
The Conscription law of July 1861 was hated.
More than 100,000 men fled to Canada, and 118,000 found substitutes, so that
only 50,000 soldiers who fought for the union were conscripts. In
1863 Irish immigrants in New York, finding that they were liable for the
draft, rioted.
The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 created a great
deal of opposition from Democratic 'Copperheads' (as they were called -
after the poisonous snake). The Copperheads were suspected of
colluding with the Confederates, and their leader, Congressman Clement Vallandigham,
was arrested and exiled.
The influx of Black Americans from the South led to
racial tensions. The New York Draft riots of 1863, which started as a
protest against conscrpition, quickly escalated into attacks on Black
Americans – mobs destroyed the Colored Orphan Asylum, lynched Black residents, burned homes, and
drove them out of the city.
The influx of immigrants led to an
increase in hostiity to immigrants, who were seen as taking jobs. This
applied especially to the Irish, who were also often active in Trade Unions, and
(because many had signed up to the Democratic Pary) suspected of being disployal to the Union.
There were anti-immigrant riots in Cincinnati (1862) and Philadelphia
(1863).
The huge profits earned by industry during the war
were not shared with the workers, whose wages fell quickly behind inflation.
This led to strikes, and the National Labor Union was formed in 1866 to try
to unite
the Unions.
Women in the War: Perhaps 500 women disguised themselves and fought as
men in the Army; others worked as spies. Women served on the Union hospital ship
Red Rover and in field hospitals; in 1864, the Army appointed Clara
Barton as 'lady in charge' of the front-line hospitals in Virginia (Barton would go
on to form the American Red Cross in 1881). Other women worked the
farms while their husbands were away – one of the consequences of this was a
rapid increase in the use of labour-saving farm machinery. In 1863, the
Women's Loyal National League, the first national women's political
organization in the US, was formed to campaign for abolition. In 1866 the
American Equal Rights Association was formed to campaign for equal rights
for all citizens, especially votes for women.
Veterans returned home with physical and psychological
scars, and – with 620,000 dead – widows wearing black became common. The
National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers (1865) and the Grand Army of
the Republic (1866) were formed to support veterans.
Consider:
In what ways were the lives of civilians in the Northern States affected by the
Civil War?
AQA-style Questions
4.
Describe two problems faced by: • the Union government
• Union soldiers during the Civil War.
5. In what ways were the lives of Northern
civilians affected during the American Civil War?
