At the outset of the Civlil War, Lincoln originally wanted to limit the amount of bloodshed and destruction as much as humanly possible. The goal was not to destroy the south, or to engage in any prolonged warfare costing valuable lives and resources for the Union. “Erring secessionist staes were to be taken back into the Union, and Southern society was to be reshaped (80).” McGovern further adds that “The authoirty of the national government was to be reestablished by respecting, not abusing, the constitutional rights of the rebels (80).” However, this turned out not to bode well for Union forces. Though the gaol was to avoid “A harsh, vindictive war [that] would inflame the passions of the rebels and only delay reunion (80),” it seems, given the political and social climate of the times, that the storm of war was …show more content…
This then lead to a change in the Union’s military strategy, from limited war, to total war, which soon seemed to become the only option the north had in settling its dispute with th e south, and visa versa. Lincoln “would never again adhere to the position that a passive containment strategy would suffice to bring the Confederates to their senses and win the war (83).” And so he redesigned the Union’s battlepalns to focus on taking the Mississippi Valley, using the superior numbers, weapons, and industry of the north to muster up forces that would threaten the position of Confederate forces throughouthe south, namely by forcing them to relocate their forces which were stong in one area, to match the Union presence in the other, thereby weaking the Confederate position in the former. This was the concept of total war that Lincoln came to espouse and implement in Union military
Although he could kill hundreds of them easily, “killing those husbands and fathers and sons will impede the nation’s healing” (O’Reilly 20). At this point, the war is less about beating the Confederates as it is urging them to surrender in order to rebuild the country. Lincoln rides into Petersburg in order to hold a meeting with General Grant. As they leave, they seem to realize their destinies: “Grant is off the finish an epic war and subsequently to become president himself. Lincoln is off the heal a nation, a noble goal he will not live to see realized” (O’Reilly 24-25).
The total war strategy that was used by the North to defeat the south was known as the Anaconda Plan, by General Scott. The total war was an agenda that goes beyond pitched battles between armies, it attacks a whole national infrastructure, including towns, and villages. It started with a complete blockade of the Confederate coast, with the objective of preventing the export of cotton, and the import of munitions and other supplies. It was closed out by forces waging a burnt earth policy towards the south, destroying railroads, burning towns and crops in an attempt to cripple the south economically.
Lee didn’t utilize his troops properly and it costed him and the Confederates. Another piece of evidence is from the worksheet entitled “Analyzing Lincoln’s Speeches” which examines Lincoln’s beliefs and actions on the division of America. Lincoln was the 16th president of the Union states of America and planned on reuniting the union without violence. He is peaceful to the South, but if war is the only solution, he will use war. He declares war to help everyone realize the beauty of them together.
I believe that WWII was indeed the last total war of the modern era. "Total war is a military conflict in which contenders are willing to make any sacrifice in lives and other resources to obtain a complete victory. " This was made obvious by numerous factors including Operation Meetinghouse or as many know it the firebombing of Tokyo. The United States unleashed a fury of which has never been seen before. Over 1,000,000 were made homeless and 100,000 civilians were killed in this raid.
The use of proxy wars were to ensure that a third world countries government would be a government approved by a major superpower such as the U.S or U.S.S.R.. In the secret war in laos the U.S supported the royal lao government against the Pathet Hao (doc 1b). This is significant because the people of laos did not have a say in what they wanted to do. This affected Laos because they should be able to choose what they want to believe and they should not have ideas crammed down their throats. On december 27th, 1979 afghan leader Amin was shot and killed by the soviet union, he was replaced by a soviet accepted leader Babrak kamal (doc. 9).
The Union’s approach to ending the Civil War and restoring the country was ultimately quite bold. Along with this, the Union handled restoration, mainly involving the issue of slavery, step by step until stability could exist again. The Union's main concerns were preventing the Confederacy from gaining any political power, aid from abroad, or strong military strength. By displaying complete power and determination over these issues, the ability to put an end to the rebellion would be much easier.
The end of the Civil War presented a unique crossroads for the war torn United States. How would the North and South reunite? At the helm, there was a moderate politician and a reflective thinker – President Abraham Lincoln. One of the greatest statesmen of all time, Lincoln had advocated a lenient stance, envisioning a “restoration” whereby the southern states would pledge allegiance and reenter the Union under the Constitution.
President Lincoln gave a speech on his vision and the state of the country, when his audience was expecting something completely different. Since the Civil war was fought mostly because of slavery and politics, that’s what the people expected to hear about. Lincoln claims that each side had their reasons and each side tried to avoid war. However, war still occurred and everyone was waiting for it to end. The authors claims that the people want the war over so the nation can heal.
In my opinion I think that the United States joining the war on the side of England, France, and Russia in April 1917 was a bad idea. I think this for three main reasons. My first reason is because nobody but President Wilson has a say in the war. My second reason is who gets the money and benefits from the entire war. Finally, my last and final reason is because overall we weren’t really ready for the war and we kind of brought it upon ourselves.
On paragraph 7 It says “However, Lincoln continues, God may want the war to continue until all the wealth earned from 250 years of slavery is drained. And he may want the war to continue until every drop of blood drawn from an enslaved person is paid for with a drop of soldier’s blood. Even if this is true, Lincoln says, God is still as just and righteous as he’s ever been. Lincoln then concludes with a call to peace.” Lincoln just wanted peace for everyone.
Abraham Lincoln was a big part of the cause of the Civil War. He agreed and disagreed on slavery. Abraham Lincoln thought slavery was morally right under certain conditions. Abraham Lincoln once said quote “in my opinion, it will not cease until a crisis shall have been reached and passed”. This means that he agrees with Civil War and it will not cease until it is acted upon and passed.
In Punitive War: Confederate Guerrillas and Union Reprisals, Clay Mountcastle provides a detail account on how the Union’s attitude and actions changes during the Civil War due to the guerrilla actions against them. The point of Punitive War is not to illustrate the guerrilla actions, but focuses on the Union Army’s response the aggression. The purpose of this study is to educate those interested in military history, such as Officers in the United States Army or simple college students, on how guerilla warfare can and will frustrate a large, professional military force. The message Mountcastle is trying to get across is that guerrilla warfare did had a huge effect on the Union Army’s action and that the true value of this aggressive behavior
While the north was becoming increasingly industrial, with factories and mills popping up all over, the southern states stayed with family farming, and plantations. With the conquest of the north came their ideologies, including factories. Rhett once again realized this when he told Scarlett about the decline of the Old South. Abolishing slavery was not Abraham Lincoln 's main goal of the Civil War, but in a way he did on the down low.
President Lincoln stated that: “if I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it,..., and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would do it.”. This quote clearly shows that the freedom of slaves was not his concern and unnecessary if it did not help the Union; as the result, slavery still exists if there is no war. Free slave from bondage should be a Great Emancipator’s primary goal and he will do his best to achieve it no matter what, but president Lincoln’s thought differed from that because all he cares was the Union. Although he had many times admitting himself an anti-slavery but his words and thoughts obviously prove that he is
He then told everyone that was there to fight so that everyone has the same rights. This connects because if Abraham Lincoln hadn’t said that no one would have fought. The Civil War tore families apart because of the side that want slaves free and the other that was they don’t want slaves to be free everyone had their own opinion on each side. This war was the one were lots of people died in order for people to get their freedom. Everyone had their own opinion on slavery and one side fought so that slavery wouldn’t end and the other is that everyone gets the same rights and their freedom.