Results of the South's fight in the American Civil War

A detailed Summary of Results of the South's fight in the American Civil War

Results of the South's fight in the American Civil War

The American Civil War started in 1861 over a secession of several Southern states from the Union. Being expected to last for a mere ninety days or so, the war went on until April of 1877, more than sixteen years. Slavery was a major argument of the war. Landowners in the South thrived off slaves to work on crops such as cotton and corn. However, the northern states were against slavery and wanted to rid the South of their slaves. Also, the war started over issues such as land division and southern rights. In the end, the South, or the Confederacy, lost to the North, or the Union. The South lost a lot more than just the war because the South got no incentives before and after the war, they didn't know how to cope with the war, and because of the physical devastation of the South. During the war, the South was affected by many things, some more than others. Probably the event with the biggest impact was the fact that the South's workers were called to war. Many farms and plantations were going to collapse without the aid of farmers. These plantations were also open to Federal attacks, especially without the landowners there to protect them. In this time, cotton production dr

opped from 5,198,077 bales in1860 to 1,500,000 bales in 1862; however, by 1863, production was down to 500,000 bales and in 1864, 300,000 bales were all the South had to offer (Catton 404). Slavery was the only hope for the Southern people. An asset to the South was the fact that they had slaves to work in the fields and plantations. This compensated for the workers who left to go to war. The war took so many white farmers that the slaves were all who was left to grow crops. Food also affected the South. With all the goals set on cotton, farmers forgot about the fact that their soldiers needed to eat. The workers then set their minds on food such as corn and wheat. Bruce Catton writes, "to a great extent, the South's farmers shifted from the production of cotton to the growth of foodstuffs. Salt works were established, and textile mills and processing plants were built" (396). The Confederate soldiers had all the guns and ammunition they needed, but that was all. They would remove boots and clothing from dead soldiers just to supply themselves. Many skirmishes were won because the Rebel soldiers knew they would have plenty of food to eat in the village they took over (Catton 397). Industry was another area in which the South was affected. The war welcomed more industry: Economically, the war encouraged the mechanization of production and the accumulation of capital in the North. The needs of the armies in the field resulted in the mass production of processed foods, ready-made clothing, and shoes, and after the war, industry converted such production to civilian use. (Encarta) Sometimes, these places were lost. In New Iberia, Louisiana, a Southern salt works plant was seized and destroyed by Federal troops. The Union army put a modest industrial network out of action in 1862. Ironworks, foundries, and small manufacturing plants in west Tennessee couldn't afford to be lost by the South. Early loss of cities like New Orleans, Nashville, and Memphis reduced the manufacturing capacity more (Catton 397). The war hurt the South economically more than it hurt the North. The North had plenty of railroad systems, but the South did not. In fact, the North destroyed much of the South's railroads in order to reduce production. Even though the South relied heavily on slavery, the fact of the matter is that slavery prevented the rise of industrialism and kept the South rural. Because of slavery, the South was fatally limited on industrial strength (Catton 394). The South did not know how to cope with the war. During and after the Civil War, the South was in a state of confusion. Many soldiers deserted their regiment to head home and forget the war. However, this was illegal and bounty hunters formed groups to catch and punish these "outliers." Charles Frazier vividly writes: The prisoners walked all that day and for several days following with hardly a word spoken among them. To entertain himself one afterno

Some common words found in the essay are:
Union South, Davis Brothers, Rebels Union, Civil War, Laboratory Sixty-nine, Encarta South, Charles Frazier, Bruce Catton, Andrew Johnson, South North, davis brothers, civil war, war south, cope war, south lost, physical devastation, catton 397, didn't cope war, railroad lines, war physical, south affected, incentives war didn't, cope war physical, war didn't cope, south incentives war,

Approximate Word count = 1965
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History