Book Reviews

Of the thousands of books written about the conduct of the American Civil War, precious few have devoted any space explaining how each side sought to achieve its political objectives: the strategy employed to win the conflict. Donald Stoker devotes this study to fill that gap.

When a war breaks out, leaders of the belligerent powers must identify the political objective they desire: the why of the conflict. Once this is done, the stage is set to develop a grand strategy for success: a formula for achieving that political objective. This is followed by the identification of the specific military tactics needed to achieve that victory.

Early in his work, Stoker points out that the leaders in the American Civil War did identify their overall political objective for going to war; and did so very quickly. The majority of the people living in seven of the slave-holding states wanted to leave the United States in order to from a new political entity; they were joined by four additional slave states after Lincoln called for troops to suppress the 'rebellion'. Once Fort Sumter was fired upon, the majority of the people living in the non-slave holding United States opposed secession and supported Lincoln's desire to restore the anti-bellum union.

Despite the identification of their overall political objective, Stoker contends that these same leaders poorly identified their grand strategy. For example, it took Lincoln well into 1863 to impose his political will on his generals and properly direct the Union's military tactics to the achievement of his government's objective. He had to do so, or abandon the effort to obtain his political goal of suppressing the rebellion and restoring the Union.

Initially the Confederate president, Jefferson Davis had a problem similar to Lincoln's. He had the responsibility of leading his government's efforts to achieve it's political objective. And like Lincoln, he attempted to impose his political will on Confederate generals. But, unlike his counterpart, Davis failed to identify an overall strategy to accomplish his government's objective; independence.

Stoker discusses the success and failures of these men as they lead their government's wartime struggles. One example shall suffice to demonstrate the approach taken in the critical resource area of manpower.

By the fall of 1862, the constant failure of Union arms and the high casualty rates caused "Mr. Lincoln's War" to become very unpopular. It became so unpopular that the Republicans lost dearly at the mid-term elections in November that year. Their control of the House of Representatives dwindled to 18 seats allowing the peace democrats to defeat many of Lincoln's war measures. Either Lincoln had to move boldly or lose the war.

He moved boldly; he added the use of a new tactic in his determination to save the Union. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Then he added a second tactic when he welcomed Negro troops to the Union army and navy.

To those in the North who feared and opposed these steps, he said. "We have to hold territory. Where are the peace democrats to do it? The field was open to them to have enlisted and put down this rebellion by force of arms, by conciliation long before the present policy was inaugurated."

Earlier, he had proposed compensated emancipation in the boarder states. That had not been accepted either. "They declined the proposition;" Lincoln wrote, "and I was, in my best judgment, driven to the alternative of either surrendering the Union, and with it the Constitution, or by laying strong hand upon the colored elements. I chose the latter."

He hoped the Proclamation would accomplish two things; one economic and one military. First, the lure of freedom would deprive the south's economy of needed workers and their army of support personnel. As it happened; tens of thousands of Negroes walked away from their work to freedom. Second, the former slaves would give the Union navy the sailors it needed to continue the coastal and river blockades and the Union army the troops needed to man forts, secure occupied territory and fill the depleted ranks of the infantry.

"Without the coloreds, we would have to quit the war."

As Stoker points out, President Lincoln never lost sight of his political objective; restore the Union by suppressing the rebellion. In 1865, he told Alexander Stephens, the Proclamation and enlistment of coloreds: "was a war measure". He developed a military strategy capable of delivering his political objective; restore the Union.

Lincoln's counterpart to the south, Jefferson Davis never clearly identified a grand strategy to achieve independence. Thus the manpower esources of the Confederacy were poorly used.

Early on, the Confederate government attempted to defend all the Confederate territory. It soon became apparent that this strategy could not be successfully implemented with the free white manpower available. As the conflict dragged on, manpower for military units became critically short. But, when Confederate General Cleburne even suggested the use of armed Negro troops in the Confederate army, he was loudly shouted down.

It wasn't until March 1865, that the Confederate congress voted to allow the limited use of colored troops. That decision came two years after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was issued. In March of 1863, Lincoln had declared, "the colored population is the great available and yet unavailable force for restoring the Union." During the next two years, tens of thousands of slaves escaped to the Union. By the end of the conflict, 186,000 coloreds served in the Union army and navy.

"I shall not hesitate to use all the means at my control to secure the termination of this rebellion."

Jefferson Davis and his government came late to understand that they had to use all the means at their disposal to secure their political objective of independence. As a result, they failed and Mr. Lincoln put down the rebellion.

Mr. Stoker has written a fascinating study of why strategy mattered in the American Civil War. With excellent maps at important points in his narrative, he clearly leads the reader through the conflict. He also makes it evident that Lincoln masterfully managed the resources at his disposal; and his counterpart did not. Mr. Stoker's work should be on the shelf of all those interested in the American Civil War.

Reviewed by: Dr. Michael J. Deeb. Teacher of American History and author of Civil War era novels: Duty and Honor: Duty Accomplished: and Honor Restored.