Title: 1863: The Changing Nature of the War | US History I (OS Collection)
Headings: 1863: The Changing Nature of the War
1863: The Changing Nature of the War
Learning Objectives
MASS MOBILIZATION
Confederate Mobilization
Union Mobilization
Women’s Mobilization
EMANCIPATION
Lincoln’s Evolving Thoughts on Slavery
UNION ADVANCES
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Section Summary
Question #1
Glossary

Content: As they drag on, the energy and zeal that marked the entry into warfare often wane, as losses increase and people on both sides suffer the tolls of war. The American Civil War is a case study of this characteristic of modern war. Although Northerners and Southerners both anticipated that the battle between the Confederacy and the Union would be settled quickly, it soon became clear to all that there was no resolution in sight. The longer the war continued, the more it began to affect life in both the North and the South. Increased need for manpower, the issue of slavery, and the ongoing challenges of keeping the war effort going changed the way life on both sides as the conflict progressed. MASS MOBILIZATION
By late 1862, the course of the war had changed to take on the characteristics of total war, in which armies attempt to demoralize the enemy by both striking military targets and disrupting their opponent’s ability to wage war through destruction of their resources. In this type of war, armies often make no distinction between civilian and military targets. Both the Union and Confederate forces moved toward total war, although neither side ever entirely abolished the distinction between military and civilian. Total war also requires governments to mobilize all resources, extending their reach into their citizens’ lives as never before. Another reality of war that became apparent in 1862 and beyond was the influence of combat on the size and scope of government.