Tactics

The Union's initial political goal was to retake Confederate territory and force Confederate states to rejoin the union. The Union used an offensive strategy that included attacks on Confederate territory as well as economic pressure.

The Union army launched an advance into Confederate territory, entering Virginia and culminating in the First Battle of Bull Run, also known as First Manassas. Following the failure of the campaign, Union soldiers proceeded to attack Confederate territories. Despite his clear understanding of the need for strong attacks, President Abraham Lincoln struggled to recruit generals capable of carrying out his strategic vision.

The Union also used its navy to blockade Confederate beaches and put economic pressure on the Confederacy by disrupting its cotton commerce with Europe. The Anaconda Plan envisioned a gradual economic blockade that would eventually drive the South to submit. Union forces also invaded the great rivers of the South, such as the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers, cutting off the Confederate army's ability to transport men and resources.

The Union needed to go on the offensive and attack Confederate territory, while the Confederacy was only concerned with survival and the right to secede. It declared openly that it had no desire to invade Union territory. Even if the Confederacy had decided to invade the Union, it lacked the necessary resources. The North had a larger population of potential warriors, a considerably larger industrial capacity, more railroads for easy troop and supply transport, and a better overall fighting capability.

Even though they were not interested in conquering the Union, Confederate generals did not want to remain on the defensive and wait for the Union to decide when and where each combat would take place. The Confederacy tried a cordon defense tactic of manning the whole boundary of their territory at the start of the war. This, however, stretched their forces too thin. Confederate President Jefferson Davis eventually settled on an offensive-defensive plan, a more adaptable defense system in which forces moved about to suit military needs rather than attempting to defend the entire frontier at all times.

The offensive-defensive strategy was ultimately intended to safeguard Confederate territory, but it permitted strategic offensives or counteroffensives when the danger was low and the possible advantages were high. When necessary, Southern generals would retreat, but they would sometimes go on the offensive, particularly against isolated Union forces that were weaker than their own.

The early expedition into the Southwest, an attempt to seize control of significant resources such as the highly lucrative mines of Colorado and even the gold mines of California, was one example of a strategic Confederate attack. However, the expedition did not make it to the Pacific. Union forces defeated a Confederate army at the Battle of Glorieta Pass in New Mexico in March 1862, beginning a long but steady withdrawal. The Western attack had been a failure.

Counterattacks were also part of the offensive-defensive strategy. In 1862, Confederate troops successfully counterattacked General George McClellan's army to defend Richmond, Virginia. Following the Second Battle of Bull Run, Davis took a more offensive stance, launching counterattacks against the Union in Kentucky and Maryland.