KEY FACTORS

Confederate Expectations

  • – “King Cotton” could help create alliances based on Europe’s (especially Britain’s) reliance on cotton imports.
  • – Defensive war strategy meant the South could win simply by outlasting the Union.
  • – President Jefferson Davis was an experienced military commander.

Union Expectations

  • – Superior navy could blockade trade between the Confederacy and Europe.
  • – Superior numbers meant a larger army.
  • – Greater industrial capacity meant a stronger army.
  • – President Abraham Lincoln appointed well-qualified men to key positions in government.