1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 639 War Mobilization

As the strongest and most advantageous party in terms of strength.

Northerners, from top to bottom, not only have a high enthusiasm for the war, but also have a very optimistic mood.

Northerners all believe that as long as the north mobilizes for war, they will not only win, but also win in a short time.

The population of the north is more than twice that of the south and four times that of the west. The industrial output value of the north is seven times that of the south and more than three times that of the west.

In addition, the north is rich in natural resources and is also very strong in manufacturing. Whether it is considered from a manpower point of view, an economic point of view, or other aspects, the North can easily win this civil war.

The Chicago Tribune predicted the civil war would be over within two months.

The New York Times even assured their loyal readers that the northern authorities would solve the crisis within a month, because the strength of New York State alone could wipe out either the South or the West.

Even the relatively conservative "Washington Post" has given a prediction that the crisis will end before Independence Day (before July 7th).

Only a few newspapers with western capital holdings, such as the New York Evening Post, published untimely remarks, saying that the northern circles had overestimated the strength of the federal army, underestimated the determination of southerners and westerners to defend their homeland, and believed that in the event of an outbreak The war will be a protracted one, not a quick one. The duration of the war will not be measured in months, but in years.

Soon, the New York Evening Post and other newspapers with western and southern capital holdings were banned by federal authorities for various reasons and had to suspend publication indefinitely.

Some Republican politicians, including core Republican members of the current government, have also predicted the direction and outcome of the war.

Seward, the second-ranking Republican figure, and Secretary of State Seward believed that the war would be over within 90 days.

Because according to the Military Service Law passed in 1795, which is the current military service law, in order not to affect the normal production and life of the people and social order, the maximum service period of the non-standby troops recruited shall not exceed 90 days.

Ending the war within 90 days is undoubtedly the most ideal situation for the federal government, and most people in the Republican Party also have the same idea as Seward.

Lincoln also promised the people in public that he would try his best to solve the biggest internal crisis since the founding of the United States within three months.

But unlike Seward and others, after Lincoln learned about the current situation of the Union Army, he was not optimistic, but worried.

The South and the West inherited most of the elites of the former federal standing army, and the quality of their officers was also higher than that of the current federal army. It is obviously impossible to win a quick victory when the quality of the army and the quality of the officers are not as good as those in the south and west.

Lincoln privately reminded Seward and others who were overly optimistic about the war many times that the Confederate Army and the Western Army were both regular modern armies. The soldiers in the army may have different personalities, but there is no qualitative difference in ability. . Those remarks about one Union soldier fighting ten Confederate soldiers or ten Western soldiers are nonsense.

In late March 1861, Lincoln officially issued a "Message to the States": Since the nine southern states illegally formed a union with the three western states, which hindered the implementation of federal laws, regular judicial procedures and dialogue methods cannot solve this problem. Please Each of the Free States is prepared to voluntarily raise and deploy militia to suppress the above-mentioned illegal combination, so as to ensure that the just federal laws can be smoothly enforced in the above-mentioned areas. The issuance of the "Letter to the States" means that the war machine in the north has officially started.

After making this announcement, Lincoln felt extremely complicated and heavy. He knew that he could start the northern war machine, but he could not decide when to stop this huge war machine.

He firmly believed that the North could win the final victory in this war, but he could not predict how much it would cost to win this civil war, let alone whether the United States could afford the price of the war.

The issuance of the "Letter to the States" quickly achieved the desired effect. The economically depressed Northern Free States had extremely high enthusiasm for the war from top to bottom.

Calls to support the Union and the President came like a tsunami. Almost all major northern cities held large rallies in support of the Union.

In New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh and other northern cities, thousands of citizens gathered in the streets to form a stream of people, swearing allegiance to the Union and being willing to defend their homes with their lives, property and reputation. Defend the unity and integrity of the United States.

Of course, the attitude of some states in the middle zone when receiving the "Letter to the States" was completely different from that of the northern states.

Missouri Governor Claybourne Jackson refused to provide any troops or weapons to the Union on the grounds that the war violated the spirit of the Constitution and undermined the civil rights and liberties of the states.

Kentucky Governor Villa Magoffin also issued a public statement stating that Kentucky will never send a soldier or a shot to suppress our compatriots and brothers in the South. At the same time, he called Lincoln privately. Although Kentucky would not send troops to assist the Union in suppressing the South, it was willing to provide limited support if federal troops sent troops to the west.

It is worth mentioning that the "Letter to the States" was boycotted in Maryland, which was the only state north of Washington that resisted the draft. Marylanders condemned the draft to suppress the South as illegal, not recognized by the Constitution, and inhumane. vicious behavior.

At this time, Lincoln's cabinet was arguing over how many troops to recruit. Obviously, based on the current situation, it is not enough to rely solely on the existing 20,000 to 30,000 standing troops to resolve this internal crisis. The federation must conduct large-scale conscription of troops from each state, which was also the purpose of Lincoln's war mobilization in issuing the "Message to the Free States".

All cabinet members favored large-scale conscription, but they differed on how many troops to recruit.

Secretary of State Seward believed that 40 people needed to be recruited to end the war quickly before the mobilization of the South and West was completed. Treasury Secretary Chase gave a figure of 10, and Attorney General Bates gave an unexpected figure of 25. The number given by Secretary of War Scott was 75000.

A layman looks at the excitement, an expert looks at the door. If conditions permit, Scott certainly hopes that the more troops involved in counterinsurgency, the better.

The problem is that conditions do not allow it. Scott was the Secretary of War during President Buchanan's time. He is very clear that the logistics department of the federal government at this stage can maintain logistical supplies for an army of up to a large size. 75000 people is the result given by Scott after careful calculation.

Lincoln thought about it again and again, and finally adopted Scott's suggestion. Lincoln's views were consistent with Scott's. He also believed that the federal government was not fully prepared in terms of military expenditures, logistics, weapons, transportation, and recruit training. Prepare. Blind military expansion in the short term is irrational behavior. of

Furthermore, the upper southern states and some of its regions, such as Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia, still have a very ambiguous attitude towards the North. Recruiting too many troops at once will make these regions think that the Union is determined to attack. South, thereby bringing about a fundamental change in their attitudes. Lincoln hoped to win these middle grounds at minimal cost.

(End of this chapter)