why did the civil war last four years, when people thought it would be short-lived?

Question

Please explain!!!!

Answer 1

The South had better troops than the North thanks to their background of being farmers (hunting) and also they had better commanders then the North. All of the Short-term factors were in the south's corner. Yet the South wanted to hold the line till the Union called it Quits ( Sounds like the German's after their advance dies out in 1914)

The North had more Advantages fighting a long-term war then short-term war. The Union based their fighting on Artillery, while the South, Infantry was the standard of their fighting. Also the North had the infrastructure to fight a long time. The South had no factories to support the troops. The best move the South should have done was attack and win the war fast.

Answer 2

Because it was the first truly modern war in the world. There hadn't been any wars between Western countries since Napoleon at the time, and everyone was shocked by the two societies' ability to mobilize, transport, supply and kill soldiers. It was really the same thing that happened in World War I except that there were only two sides to the conflict and tons of room to maneuver. The conflict in Virginia was essentially the same thing as the Western Front in Europe. These realities in material conditions were also complemented by the fact that the North galvanized Southern morale by fighting on Southern territory and took so long to cast the struggle in moral terms that favored them. Not many people want to fight and die for something as abstract as "the union". Fighting to end slavery is a little more inspiring.

Answer 3

1. People believed it would be short-lived because the beginnings of the war was like a showdown and people gathered in carriages and had picnics on the grounds. It was also believed that one or the other would ensue for peace after it was defeated.
2. Union incompetency and lack of aggressiveness among Union Generals who constantly miscalculated Conederate strength in the regions and they alter their plans which at times fell right into enemy hands.
3.The North had no direct purpose to fight as hard as they would at the end of the war. On the other hand, the South was playing for their way of life, their economy, their heritage ,their land and in this way they had a firmer direction.Once Lincoln promulgated the Emancipation Proclamation to take place on January 1,1863 after the near victory at Antietam Creek, the Northern direction had changed from the preservation of the Union to the preservation of the Union and the end of slavery which was proposed in 1865 with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.
4. Comparably speaking the South were loaded with effective leadership in the field,a better cavalry , and would have known the layout of the land since the majority of the fighting was in the South.
5. Lincoln's cabinet concerning war especially from the corruption of the Armed Services delayed any firm resolve and the soldiers lacked the morale necessary to win. It has been said that the Northern Democrats were in league with the South to help stall Lincoln's war problems . When Edwin Stanton became Secretary of War, this started to change for the better for the North but it would take time for the south was as determined to stay alive as the North wanted to quelch the rebellion.
6. There was very little fighting in the winter in which many died and the fighting came to a slow crawl
7. Lastly because of the Lincoln blockade , the North decided to fight more cautiouly because England might have become involved and they would have taken the Southern side because it would enhance their growing textile industry with King Cotton leading the way.
8. Did the North really want to win if it meant the end of slavery? There was plenty of racism in the North as there was in the South at the time of the Civil war . How would Northern industrialists take on this new crop of workers who they could pay less than their counterparts stationed in the factories?
9. Once the South decided it could be only a matter of time that the war would be lost they decided to engage in trench warfare and there were days when both armies battled to a stalemate and not move forward(an example of this was the siege of Richmond and at Petersburg, Virginia)
10.It took Lincoln over 3 years to get the man he desired to lead Union forces in the person of Grant. I wonder if the South were able to defeat the Union at Vicksburg, would Lincoln have anybody to choose from ,and the North be in disarray especially if Lincoln lost his reelection bid in 1864. If Lincoln did not have Grant or Sherman at the end of the war then his nomination for president was in jeopardy and the North would be seeking new leadership.This would have taken time to organize thus increasing the length of the war further and its purposes possibly changed or the North may have ensued for peace. The Southwould have kept their agrarian, plantar way of life with slavery remaining a drudgery for those imprisoned by it and a stain on the American landscape.

Answer 4

Quite a few wars started out with the people involved thinking it would be short-lived.

In WWI, many of the soldiers who went to fight from the UK and Canada figured they'd be back after maybe a few months.

Basically, this was before the time of media coverage of wars. The people involved rarely knew what to expect. Most of the soldiers really started out with a glorified view of war life, imagining victory parades and beautiful girls kissing them as the return home.

Answer 5

The civil war lasted so long because the South just wanted to defend their land and knew it better. That made the North have to attack some where they didn't know and it took a long time for them to finally win.

Answer 6

Each side hypes its own ability and says the other side is as good as beat. It is a propaganda technique, and it has been part of warring for centuries. Nobody wants to hear "This war will Kill 3 generations of our men"

Also, "the best laid plans of mice and men go oft awry." No plan completely survives contact with the enemy. After all there are human beings on each side with the same genius and inspiration as you working against your own. You can't honestly expect them to march in a line to their deaths (haha redcoats)

Answer 7

Your right...Northern country and city boys flocked to enlist to get in on the fun/adventure before it was over.
Unfortunately, war is caused by intractable positions and beliefs and they don't readily dissipate.
Lincoln, was extremely frustrated by the long list of Generals that were all to hesitant to aggressively pursue the War at risk of leaving Washington, D.C. vunerable to attack. Coupled with Lee's ingenuity and well knowing his enemy, he was able to conduct 4 years of war without fear of agressive pursuit of his army or invasion of the deep south.
Although the south new that it could not win a long war of attrition, by protracting their cause, thay hoped that it would demonstrate to England or France that they were credible and worthy of support.
One could ask, that if the tide had not turned, at Gettysburg, how much longer would this bloody and destructive conflict would of / could have lasted.

Answer 8

Both sides fundamentally misjudged the resolve of the other side. For the South they did not appreciate how determined the North was to preserve the Union and for the North they did not appreciate how determined the (white) South was to preserve their society.

Answer 9

How Long Did People Think The Civil War Would Last

Answer 10

The very first answer given is absolutely correct and says it all in very few words.

Bravo, mom!