End of Civil War

Civil War Essay

Civil War is the war between The Union and The Confederacy which had a great influence on the United States of America. At the beginning of the war, people seemed to believe that Civil War wouldn’t last long, since the Union had overwhelming advantages over the South. They had more weapons. Their men apparently outnumbered Confederacy’s. Their finances were still much better that Confederacy’s. However, this war, instead of being 90 days long as many people first believed, surprisingly lasted 4 years because three major factors; the Union generals’ poor leadership, Anaconda plan, and the Confederacy’s advantages.

The inferiority of generals The Union had seemed to be the most discouraging disadvantage of the North. Most of the generals before the secession were Southerners, which made it hard for the North to find good generals. The Union generals fighting in the Civil War often made egregious mistakes. General McDowell, a commander in the battle of Bull Run, wasn’t very well-organized. His march to Bull Run was full of confusion and delay which gave Lee more time to provide his army. The later general, McClellan, was perfectionism. He was superb at preparation, but always overestimated his army and hesitated to attack. Even, in Antietam battle, which he luckily got a picture of Lee’s army from the fallen copy of Lee’s order, McClellan still moved cautiously. Finally, he lost his opportunity to destroy Lee’s scattered division and end the war. The Union went though 6 generals before Lincoln appointed Grant who leaded the North to remarkable victory.

The Union’s plan also played important role on postponing the end of the Civil War. Anaconda plan was invited by Winfield Scott. His plan was to siege the Confederacy from all side; a blockade by sea, an invasion down the Mississippi down to the Gulf. It was a good plan because being surrounded by enemy, the South