I see many parallels between the US Civil War and World War I in terms of the idea of war versus the actuality of a total war. In both cases, the vast majority of all parties involved saw the war as something that would be violent but quick, and swift and final. No one could have predicted how complex the war would become.
....or could they? Consider some of the problems that both the Union and the Confederacy faced when mobilizing for the early stages of war. How prepared were they for actual conflict? Consider the myth and actuality of First Bull Run--why was it anticipated as a sporting event but then experienced as a bloodbath?
I don't think anybody could have predict how complex the war would became, nobody could image who would lose or win, just like the soldier in "Glory" asked:"What is the point that we are fighting? What if we lose?" When mobilizing for the early stages of war, the Union had much more advance transportation than the Confederacy, but the Union also had much larger population, which could slow down the mobilization. The Confederacy didn't have as much people as the Union, but it didn't even have developed its transportation, and about 1/3 of its population were slaves. When the actual conflict came, the Confederacy was more prepared than the Union, although it didn't have as much population and resources as the Union, it had well-trained armies, excellent equipments, and strong military leaders. The Union needed a lot of rookies and they also only had very short time to train these men and sent them to the frontline. That was why Lincoln finally launched the Emancipation Proclamation in order to change the wartime situation by adding lot more soldiers to the Union army. The First Bull Run was anticipated as a sporting event but then experienced as a bloodbath, that was how uncertain the war was. Many Northern people seem this campaign as a easy fight and they even went with the troops and watched the battlefield, but nobody could predict that the Confederacy soldiers could defended their attack again and again, and finally when the reinforcements of the Confederacy came, they beat back to the Union army and made the Union army wastage a lot, which was a big contrast that many people couldn't predict. Too much optimistic emotion finally exchanged with a bloodbath.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the problems faced by both sides were not only their supplies but was also the mental aspect surrounding war. Most soldiers idealized the war. When mobilizing for war, the North had the upper hand due to their large population and advanced transportation systems. Being more industrialized helped the North. Both confederate and union soldiers thought that the war was going to be violent and quick. That mindset was quickly changed when they fought in The First Bull Run. The First Bull Run was anticipated as a sporting event because both sides were over confident and enthusiastic about the short war. Ex- Senator Chesnut of South Carolina, “boastfully offered to drink all the blood shed as a result of secession.” The Battle of the Bull Run, named that because it was a meandering stream, was chaotic; “soldiers fired on friends or failed to fire on enemies until too late. The civilian spectators… had packed lunches and driven carriages from Washington to observe the Confederate defeat only added to the confusion.”
ReplyDeleteThere were many problems the Confederacy and Union encountered while mobilizing for the early stages of war for example how ready they were to fight in a battle was very unpredictable on both sides. I believe they tried as best as they could to prepare for the war. Robert E. Lee realized how prepared they really needed to be after seeing the bloody bath of the First Bull Run where he truely believed his soldiers were prepared for battle. He had much higher expectations for them as well. I think the first Bull Run was to be anticipated as a sporting event because the people believed it would be a close fight because both sides were very well prepared for war, and as a result each one could win. On the other hand it did not turn out this way, the First Bull Run became a blood bath because of the lack of preparedness for war.
ReplyDeleteBoth sides were not particularly prepared for this "total war" which isnt a total surprise as not too many countries are. The whole Civil War was fought and dependent on volunteer soldiers. While the North had more people the South was the fastest to prepare for war because they had smaller numbers and could not feed, arm, or equip any more soldiers. The South also had the benefit of having more knowledgeable and experienced generals while the North didn't. This was shown at the First Bull Run when both sides were wearing similar looking clothing and started firing on each other; the Union not following orders and becoming disorganized.This battle was supposed to be a sporting event for the civilian spectators but turned into a bloodbath when they couldn't tell each other a part and started slaughtering men on their own side.
ReplyDeleteAfter the reading the articles I believe that both the confederacy and the union faced a lot of problems on both end of their paths. No only did they suffer from lack of supplies, they also suffered from the mental aspect of preparing and getting ready for war. The Bull Run was a small river in eastern Virginia that was the scene of two Confederate victories. The first Bull Run became a blood bath because the union failed to be prepared.
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