Comparison Of Military Strategies Of Union And Confederacy

Believe it or not many people create strategies everyday. A soccer coach will devise a plan to win the game. A student will create a strategy to get all their homework done before dinner. In the Civil War, the Union and Confederacy created their military strategies based on completing their goals. The Confederacy wanted to convince France or Britain to recognize and support its government (Aboukhadijeh). The Union initiate a blockade on southern ports, thus restricting trade with Europe (Aboukhadijeh). Lastly, the Union captured the city of Vicksburg along the Mississippi River, isolating the southwestern states from the eastern ones (Brewer). These strategies were created because both sides wanted to complete their goals of winning the war.

Therefore, the South prepared for a defensive battle (Keegan). Early on, Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, felt the dominance of the North, so he adopted a defensive strategy. He hoped that quick Confederacy military success against the Union would lead to recognition of the Confederacy by powerful foreign countries, such as Britain and France (Brewer). The Confederacy hoped that Britain and France would aid them. They thought this because both countries needed the cotton the South produced. The Confederacy wanted the foreign countries to recognize that the Confederacy was a separate and independent country from the U.S. This recognition might cause the countries to send troops to help the Confederacy win the war (Aboukhadijeh). The Confederacy’s goal was to prolong their conflict long enough to convince the Union that victory would be too costly to bear (Carter). The aid of European states reflected the Confederacy’s goals because instead of worrying about invading the North, they wanted to gain support. Instead of making offensive campaigns, they wanted to gain support from Europe to help prolong the

The Confederacy city of Vicksburg, was a major position on the Mississippi River. If it could be captured, the Confederacy would be split into east and west. But, Vicksburg was protected by the Mississippi and its steep bluffs. The Union’s commander General Grant came up with a plan, he prepared to sweep south and then cross the Mississippi to attack the city from the rear. This plan was dangerous but it was a huge benefit to the Union cause. First, Grant tried to dig a canal to allow Grant’s ships and gunboats to sail south past Vicksburg, but too far away for the Confederate artillery to shoot them. The soldiers dug through the swampy terrain, but at the end of February Grant decided that his army was just wasting time. He then came up with a second idea of sailing his troops along the Yazoo River. But, the boat commanders found their vessels could not maneuver in the narrow channel. Also, it was very easy for the Confederacy to protect the Yazoo River from the Union. Grant came up with many other ideas but they all failed. By this time General Grant had given up until Admiral David Porter succeeded in running 12 ships down the Mississippi past the Confederate guns at Vicksburg (Brewer). The Union is right where they want