The U4: Civil War page will provide readers with a comprehensive guide of the perspectives of the northern and southern perspectives during the entirety of the Civil War. The pages will especially attempt to the ways in which the perspectives evolved throughout the Civil War as key battles and moments passed.
Northern Perspective:
The North at the outset of the war was an overconfident, undertrained group of soldiers who were certain that the Civil War would be one of the short variety. Thus, despite an early defeat at Fort Sumter, which the northerners believed was inconsequential, the north entered the war with high spirits and even higher egos. The first two battles of the war, the battle of First Bull Run and the Peninsula Campaign, both represented opportunities for the northern soldiers to end the war immediately, or so they thought. Because of this, they entered the battles in a rather jovial mood, taking pictures along the way and generally enjoying the whole war scene, in all it's supposed briefness and momentary thrill. However, large defeats by more talented confederate forces both at First Bull Run and during the Peninsula Campaign brought the egos of the northerners crashing back down to earth. With the common soldier having been humbled in successive battles, the Union government was now ready to embark in a full scale war on the Confederacy, a plan that certainly brought less excitement to the northern ranks than the commencing of the war had previously. The first major victory of the Civil War came at Antietam, where, despite large numbers being lost on both sides, the north eventually escaped with a victory. The victory at Antietam provided a springboard for the Emancipation Proclamation, which was officially issued on January 1st in 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had both positives and negatives from the northern perspective. In terms of positives, it won the further devotion of some northern abolitionists (some still didn't think it was slave-friendly enough), it helped in the war effort directly by allowing blacks into the army, and it succeeded in elevating the north morally above the south. However, one large drawback was the fact that it didn't abolish slavery in the places where it could, as Lincoln was afraid to upset the central states that were still slave states yet part of the Union. After the Emancipation Proclamation, the north went on to win crucial battles at Gettysburg, where death tolls almost clouded over the favorable outcome, and Vicksburg, where Ulysses Grant defeated the seemingly impenetrable confederate fortress. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address served to reinvigorate the northern war cause and drive the Union on towards wholesale victory. The war finally came to a close at the Appomattox Courthouse, where Robert E. Lee officially surrendered to Ulysses Grant. One would expect jubilation from the north, but both sides had incurred massive losses and thus the general feeling in the north was one subdued relief, for they had just won a war but they won it at a tremendous cost and now those same men that they were fighting were their countrymen again. The end of this emotional roller coaster, was not quite over for the northerners, though, as they would have to deal with the assassination of their president, Abraham Lincoln, on April 14, 1865, just after the official surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse. One would think that the assassination would bring sorrow to the north, but instead it instilled pride in the north, as many people banded together to honor the president that had preserved the Union.
The North at the outset of the war was an overconfident, undertrained group of soldiers who were certain that the Civil War would be one of the short variety. Thus, despite an early defeat at Fort Sumter, which the northerners believed was inconsequential, the north entered the war with high spirits and even higher egos. The first two battles of the war, the battle of First Bull Run and the Peninsula Campaign, both represented opportunities for the northern soldiers to end the war immediately, or so they thought. Because of this, they entered the battles in a rather jovial mood, taking pictures along the way and generally enjoying the whole war scene, in all it's supposed briefness and momentary thrill. However, large defeats by more talented confederate forces both at First Bull Run and during the Peninsula Campaign brought the egos of the northerners crashing back down to earth. With the common soldier having been humbled in successive battles, the Union government was now ready to embark in a full scale war on the Confederacy, a plan that certainly brought less excitement to the northern ranks than the commencing of the war had previously. The first major victory of the Civil War came at Antietam, where, despite large numbers being lost on both sides, the north eventually escaped with a victory. The victory at Antietam provided a springboard for the Emancipation Proclamation, which was officially issued on January 1st in 1863. The Emancipation Proclamation had both positives and negatives from the northern perspective. In terms of positives, it won the further devotion of some northern abolitionists (some still didn't think it was slave-friendly enough), it helped in the war effort directly by allowing blacks into the army, and it succeeded in elevating the north morally above the south. However, one large drawback was the fact that it didn't abolish slavery in the places where it could, as Lincoln was afraid to upset the central states that were still slave states yet part of the Union. After the Emancipation Proclamation, the north went on to win crucial battles at Gettysburg, where death tolls almost clouded over the favorable outcome, and Vicksburg, where Ulysses Grant defeated the seemingly impenetrable confederate fortress. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address served to reinvigorate the northern war cause and drive the Union on towards wholesale victory. The war finally came to a close at the Appomattox Courthouse, where Robert E. Lee officially surrendered to Ulysses Grant. One would expect jubilation from the north, but both sides had incurred massive losses and thus the general feeling in the north was one subdued relief, for they had just won a war but they won it at a tremendous cost and now those same men that they were fighting were their countrymen again. The end of this emotional roller coaster, was not quite over for the northerners, though, as they would have to deal with the assassination of their president, Abraham Lincoln, on April 14, 1865, just after the official surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse. One would think that the assassination would bring sorrow to the north, but instead it instilled pride in the north, as many people banded together to honor the president that had preserved the Union.
Southern Perspective:
At the start of the war the south could be described as exactly the opposite of the north - motivated and trained. Southern men flocked to the army to participate in the war effort, and not for the glamorous reasons that inspired northerners to initially join the army, but instead because they had a genuine desire for the confederacy to succeed. These men were trained well and well marshaled by brilliant generals like Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson, and it payed off, as they rattled off three straight victories to start the war, at Fort Sumter, at Manassas, and during the Peninsula Campaign. However, their unexpected success at the start of the war quickly made the southern soldier overconfident of the confederacy's chances, causing many southerners to desert the army simply because they believed they were not needed. Thus, it was not long before the tides of the war started turning. The first turning point of the war was the battle of Antietam, where the north achieved their first major victory of the Civil War. More importantly, the battle became a springboard for President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and eliminated the possibility of foreign involvement on the confederate side. The south appeared to have rebounded at the battle of Chancellorsville, but it turned out to by a Pyrrhic victory, as they lost one of their best generals, the aforementioned "Stonewall" Jackson during the fight. The year of 1863 continued to treat the south poorly, as they would loose the battle of Gettysburg, where they also endured massive death tolls, and the battle of Vicksburg, at a fort that they thought was unconquerable, in successive days. These two battles all but ended the south's military hopes in the north and west respectively, however, there still remained one glimmer of hope left for the most most optimistic of southern men - the Election of 1864. If George McLellan were to be elected in 1864 instead of Abraham Lincoln, the south believed they might have a chance. However, when the votes were totaled, Lincoln was in front, and would return to office for a second term. This was the south's last hope, and when it dissolved southern morale surely would have plummeted. To make matters worse, Union general William Tecumseh Sherman would continue his march to the sea in an effort to completely destroy the deep south. After such periods of devastation, the south were likely as relieved as the north when Robert E. Lee and Ulysses Grant met in the Appomattox Courthouse to document the former's surrender. The south was to be rebuilt from the core, but that was likely a better scenario than the alternative, to continue to fight a loosing battle against a stronger opponent.
At the start of the war the south could be described as exactly the opposite of the north - motivated and trained. Southern men flocked to the army to participate in the war effort, and not for the glamorous reasons that inspired northerners to initially join the army, but instead because they had a genuine desire for the confederacy to succeed. These men were trained well and well marshaled by brilliant generals like Robert E. Lee and "Stonewall" Jackson, and it payed off, as they rattled off three straight victories to start the war, at Fort Sumter, at Manassas, and during the Peninsula Campaign. However, their unexpected success at the start of the war quickly made the southern soldier overconfident of the confederacy's chances, causing many southerners to desert the army simply because they believed they were not needed. Thus, it was not long before the tides of the war started turning. The first turning point of the war was the battle of Antietam, where the north achieved their first major victory of the Civil War. More importantly, the battle became a springboard for President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and eliminated the possibility of foreign involvement on the confederate side. The south appeared to have rebounded at the battle of Chancellorsville, but it turned out to by a Pyrrhic victory, as they lost one of their best generals, the aforementioned "Stonewall" Jackson during the fight. The year of 1863 continued to treat the south poorly, as they would loose the battle of Gettysburg, where they also endured massive death tolls, and the battle of Vicksburg, at a fort that they thought was unconquerable, in successive days. These two battles all but ended the south's military hopes in the north and west respectively, however, there still remained one glimmer of hope left for the most most optimistic of southern men - the Election of 1864. If George McLellan were to be elected in 1864 instead of Abraham Lincoln, the south believed they might have a chance. However, when the votes were totaled, Lincoln was in front, and would return to office for a second term. This was the south's last hope, and when it dissolved southern morale surely would have plummeted. To make matters worse, Union general William Tecumseh Sherman would continue his march to the sea in an effort to completely destroy the deep south. After such periods of devastation, the south were likely as relieved as the north when Robert E. Lee and Ulysses Grant met in the Appomattox Courthouse to document the former's surrender. The south was to be rebuilt from the core, but that was likely a better scenario than the alternative, to continue to fight a loosing battle against a stronger opponent.