What were the goals in the beginning of the Civil War for each side?

When the Civil War began, both the North and the South has goals for the war. Those goals weren’t identical. The North has several goals in the Civil War. These goals included conquering the South and then bringing the South back into the Union. Another goal was to end slavery. Ending slavery became more important as the war was being fought. The North hoped to accomplish these goals by doing several things. The North wanted to control the South’s economy. Blockading the southern coast and controlling the Mississippi River would be ways to accomplish these goals. The North also wanted to capture the Confederate capital of Richmond.

The South had several objectives in the Civil War. The South wanted to stay independent, avoid invading the North, and use cotton to help encourage European countries to help the South. The South hoped to accomplish these goals by avoiding large battles. The South believed the longer the war lasted the less support there would be for the war in the North. Thus, if the South could force the North to chase them throughout the South, this would drag out the war. The South also believed if it refused to export cotton to Europe, the Europeans would help the South because they would want to buy cotton from the South. The South would sell cotton to European countries only if they supported the South.

Each side had different goals in the Civil War. Each side also had different strategies for accomplishing these goals.