How Union victory in the Civil War transformed American society

¶ … Union achieve victory in these years?

The way that Union was able to achieve victory between 1863 and 1865 was: through a war of attrition, dividing the Confederacy along with taking the fight to the heart of the South. A war of attrition would take place, once Grant was given command of all Union forces. Where, he would continue to pursue Lee in game of cat and mouse. What happened was Grant's processor; (McClellan) was reluctant to engage Lee, as he was waiting for the right moment. This would allow Lee to continue to escape a number of near defeats. Once Grant became the Supreme Commander of all Union forces, he would not make the same mistake that McClellan would, by pursing Lee until he would no longer have the will to fight. This meant that Grant would have to engage Lee in bloody battles, whittling his army down to fraction of its size. Between the years of 1863 and 1865, this would cause the total Union casualties and deaths to skyrocket. A good example of this can seen with Lee's final victory of war (Cold Harbor). Where, Grant would order a final charge, allowing Lee to escape in the confusion surrounding the ravens that two of his units were trapped in. This would lead to calls that Grant was nothing more than a butcher, who was constantly engaging in pointless battles that waste precious resources. While this is true to a certain extent in the case of Cold Spring Harbor, the reality is that Grant's tactics of consistently engaging Lee would wear down his will to fight. This would eventually lead to him, facing the possibility of trying to retreat into the mountains or surrendering. (Hickman)

The second reason why the Union was able to attain victory is because; they were able to divide the South. This was of strategic importance, as it would make it difficult for the Confederacy to resupply their army and to bring various commodities (such as cotton to overseas markets). A good example of this can be seen with Operation Anaconda. This was a Union naval blockade of the South designed to prevent, supplies from coming in and out of key ports. In North Carolina, the tactics were working so well, that General Lee was concerned about Union army advancing South because of this weakness. Evidence of this can be seen with Fort Fisher in 1865, as this was a vital part of Lee's supply line. When the Union strategy began to takes its toll and increase it efforts Colonel Lamb (who was in command of the fort) wrote, "The Union fleet kept up a ceaseless and terrific bombardment. It was impossible to repair the damage at night. No meals could be prepared for the exhausted garrison; the dead could not be buried without new casualties. Fully 200 had been killed during these two days and only three or four land guns remain serviceable." ("North Carolina and the American Civil War") This is significant, because it shows how the ability to divide the South would slowly eat away at any kind of support they would have.

The third reason why the Union was able to attain victory is because; they would take the war to heart of the South. This meant that Union forces; would go deep into the Confederacy as a way to destroy any kind of support and supplies that could be provided Lee's army. Where, they would focus on disrupting various rail centers that were vital to this objective. Evidence of this can be seen with Sherman's march to the sea. As he would take his army and harass the states of: Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. This is important, because it would play a vital part in helping to ensure a Union victory. As it would destroy the South's ability to resupply their army, much less ship any of their products to world markets. ("Civil War")

What changes did the Union victory make in American society?

The Union victory would have profound impact upon American society. Where, it would mark a massive transformation that would take place. What happened was two different worlds were quickly developing as the North was becoming industrialized, while the South was continuing to embrace the traditions of the past. At the heart of this tradition was slavery, as it would help to sustain the economic system of the South. This was problematic, because it would force a conflict to occur between these different divisions. As the North believed that the South should abandon the ways of the past (such as slavery) and begin embracing the technological changes that were occurring. This would change American society forever, as the war would serve as proxy for these two larger issues. Once the war was over, the various institutions of the South were destroyed and slavery was outlawed. This is significant, because it shows how the Civil War would have a profound impact upon society, by forcing America to become more industrialized, leading to the rapid expansion of the country and its rise to prominence that it would experience. At the same time, the outlawing of slavery would force the society to examine various social injustices that were occurring from the practice itself. ("Civil War")