MOBILISATION

The North:

The Union had twenty-three states which stretched from coast to coast. The were Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oregon and California. The territories of Colorado, Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Washington also fought on the side of the Union.

About 22,000,000 people lived in the North, of whom 4,000,000 were men of fighting age between 15 and 40. They fought under the Stars and Stripes of the Union Flag.

The South:

Eleven states fought for the Confederacy. They were Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and North and South Carolina. At this same time, the South had a population of over 9,000,000, but this number included 3,500,000 slaves. The South had only about 1,140,000 white men between 15 and 40 to fight under the Stars and Bars, the Confederate flag.

Divided Loyalties:

The terms "the North" and "the South" do not mean that all the people in these sections agreed among themselves. Divided loyalties tore many families apart, and close relatives often fought against each other. Men from every state fought in both armies. One of the best Union generals, George H. Thomas, was born in Virginia. The Confederate commander at Vicksburg, General John C. Pemberton, came from Pennsylvania, and three of Mrs. Mary Todd-Lincoln's brothers died in the service of the Confederacy.

Lee's Resignation:

The Union army offered Robert E. Lee, a Virginian, overall command, but he refused saying, "How can I draw my sword upon Virginia, my native state?" (p478) Lee resigned from the Union army to join the Confederates.

The Bounty System:

Neither the North nor the South had a plan of mobilisation at the commencement of the war. Both sides raised armies by appealing to volunteers. Later in the war, Northern volunteers often received a bounty , or payment for enlisting. This bounty system encouraged thousands of bounty jumpers, who deserted after being paid and then enlisted again under different names.

The Draft:

As the war dragged on, the numbers of volunteers decreased so both sides introduced the draft. Southern draft laws were passed in April 1862, and conscripted all able bodied men between the age of 18 and 35 years (later 17 to 50) to service of three years duration. In March 1863, the Northern program drafted men between 20 and 45 of age for three years.

The drafting on both sides was extremely unpopular. In the North, however, a draftee could pay the government $300 to avoid military service. Many men grumbled that this made the Civil War "a rich man's war and a poor man's fight." (P479)