1850 American Gold Tycoon

Chapter 639 War Mobilization

69𝖘𝖍𝖚𝖝.𝖓𝖊𝖙】

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

In addition to being extremely enthusiastic about the war, the Northerners are also very optimistic.

All Northerners 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 7 times that of the South and more than 3 times that of the West.

In addition, the North has abundant natural resources and is very strong in manufacturing. Whether from the perspective of manpower, economy, or other aspects, the North can easily win this civil war.

The Chicago Tribune predicts that the civil war will end within two months.

The New York Times even assured their loyal readers that the Northern authorities will resolve the crisis within a month, because the strength of New York State alone can deal with either the South or the West.

Even the relatively conservative Washington Post predicted that the crisis would end before Independence Day (July 4).

Only a few newspapers with Western capital holdings, such as the New York Evening Post, published inappropriate remarks, saying that all walks of life in the North overestimated the strength of the federal army and underestimated the determination of Southerners and Westerners to defend their homes, and believed that once a war broke out, it would be a protracted war, not a quick war. The duration of the war would not be measured in months, but in years.

But soon, some newspapers with Western and Southern capital holdings, such as the New York Evening Post, were banned by the federal government for various reasons and had to suspend publication indefinitely.

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

Secretary of State Seward, the second-in-command of the Republican Party, believed that the war would end within 90 days.

Because according to the Military Service Act passed in 1795, that 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 recruited non-reserve troops 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 have the same idea as Seward.

Lincoln also promised the public in public that he would try his best to resolve this biggest internal crisis since the founding of the Union within three months.

But unlike Seward and others, Lincoln was not optimistic after learning about the current situation of the federal army, but worried.

The South and the West inherited most of the elite of the former federal standing army, and the quality of officers is also higher than that of the current federal army. It is obviously impossible to win quickly when the quality of the army and officers is not as good as that of the South and the West.

Lincoln also reminded Seward and others who were too optimistic about the war many times in private that the Southern Army and the Western Army were both regular modern armies, and the soldiers in the army might have different personalities, but there was no qualitative difference in ability. Those remarks that one Northern soldier could beat ten Southern soldiers or ten Western soldiers were nonsense.

In late March 1861, Lincoln officially issued the "Statement to the States": Since the nine southern states illegally formed a union with the three western states, which hindered the implementation of federal laws, the conventional judicial procedures and dialogue methods could not solve this problem. The free states were asked to prepare to voluntarily recruit and dispatch militia to suppress the above illegal union to ensure that the just federal laws could be smoothly implemented in the above areas.

The release of the "Statement to the States" meant that the war machine of the North was officially launched.

After issuing this announcement, Lincoln's mood was extremely complicated and heavy. He knew that he could start the war machine of the North, 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, and he did not know whether the United States could afford the cost of the war.

The release of the "Statement to the States" quickly achieved the expected effect. The economically depressed northern free states had a high enthusiasm for the war from top to bottom.

The voices of supporting the Union and the President surged like a tsunami, and almost all the major cities in the North held large-scale rallies in support of the Union.

In New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Pittsburgh and other northern cities, thousands of citizens gathered in the streets, swore allegiance to the Union, and were willing to defend their homes and the unity and integrity of the United States with their lives, property and reputation.

Of course, the attitudes of some states in the middle zone after receiving the "Statement to the States" were completely different from those of the northern states.

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

Kentucky Governor Villa Magoffin also issued a public statement stating that Kentucky would never send a single soldier or a single bullet to suppress its compatriots and brothers in the South. At the same time, he privately called Lincoln, saying that although Kentucky would not send troops to assist the Union in suppressing the South, it was willing to provide limited support if the federal army went to the West.

It is worth mentioning that the "Statement to the States" was boycotted in Maryland, which was the only state north of Washington that resisted conscription. Marylanders condemned the conscription to suppress the South as illegal, unconstitutional, and inhumane.

At this time, Lincoln's cabinet was arguing over how many troops to recruit. Obviously, it was far from enough to rely on the existing 20,000 to 30,000 standing troops to solve this internal crisis under the current situation. The federal government must recruit troops from the states on a large scale, which is also the purpose of Lincoln's issuance of the "Statement to the Free States" to mobilize for war.

All cabinet members agreed to large-scale conscription, but as for how many troops to recruit, everyone had different opinions.

Secretary of State Seward believed that 400,000 talents were needed to quickly end the war before the South and the West completed mobilization. Secretary of the Treasury Chase gave a number of 100,000, Attorney General Bates gave a number of 250,000, and surprisingly, Secretary of War Scott gave a number of 75,000.

Laymen watch the excitement, while experts see the doorway. If conditions permit, Scott certainly hopes that the more troops involved in the rebellion, the better.

The problem is that conditions do not allow it. Scott was the Secretary of War during President Buchanan's term. He knew very well how large an army the federal government's logistics department could maintain logistical supply for at this stage. 75,000 people was the result given by Scott after careful calculation.

Lincoln thought 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 expenditure, logistics, weapons, transportation and training of new recruits. Blindly expanding the army in the short term is irrational.

Furthermore, the attitude of the upper southern states and some of their regions, such as Kentucky, Missouri, and West Virginia, towards the North is still very ambiguous. Recruiting too many troops at once will make these regions think that the federal government is determined to attack the South, thus causing a fundamental change in their attitude. Lincoln hopes to win these middle ground at the lowest cost.