Union soldiers saw their cause as fighting for the existence of the nation, for preserving the government and legacy established by the American Revolution, and for the Constitution. On the other side, Southern soldiers saw themselves as fighting for their own interpretation of the Constitution and for the self-determination of states. Both the Confederacy and the Union “believed they were fighting to preserve the heritage of republican liberty” (310).

Southerners did not believe they were fighting for enslavement, but enslavement was an integral part of the “special southern civilization to defend against Yankee invasion,” which created a “paradox” (311) in Southern wartime thinking. However, admitting that the war was fought to protect enslavement would threaten popular support of the Confederacy. Similarly, Lincoln denied that the war was being fought to abolish enslavement. There was a “concern for northern unity” that led to a “decision to keep a low profile on the slavery issue” (312), but still many abolitionists assumed that a Northern victory would end enslavement.

The United States was unprepared for the war, with a lack of military officers and “nothing resembling a general staff, no strategic plans, no program for mobilization” (313). Most of the navy was on patrol far overseas.