force, but it was badly organized, and not greatly to be depended upon. Southern slave-owners were well adapted for soldiers, while the commercial and mercantile men of the North were perhaps less military. Thus it seemed; but in fact it would be a case of "Greek meeting Greek." No such soldiers as would make up the bulk of the armies on both sides had ever been known. 541. Implements of War. A sufficient number of good soldiers and officers is not the only necessity for carrying on a successful war. It is necessary to furnish the army with implements of war, food and clothing, and also to provide for the nation as a whole, sc long as the war shall last. Machine-shops and foundries the North had in abundance, while the South had scarcely one within he borders. Nearly half the guns and ammunition belonging to the United States had been seized by the Confederate States; but in a short time the Union could more than replace what she had lost, while it would take months before the Confederacy could make the needed implements of war. Meanwhile they must be purchased from abroad should it prove possible to obtain them at all. 542. Provisions. The Southern States were agricultural rather than manufacturing, but the crops which they were in the habit of raising would prove of very little use in supporting an army. It would be of no advantage to raise cotton or tobacco if the Union should blockade the Southern ports, and decrease, if not prohibit, the exportation of these commodities. All the food, clothing, and domestic supplies, which the South had been in the habit of purchasing from the North, must be obtained at home or from abroad, while the North would continue to be able to produce these supplies as in the past. Perhaps the only argument on the other side, and this a strong one, lay in the fact that more Southern men could enter the army, as they could leave the slaves to till the fields. 543. Railroads. Since 1825 a remarkable change had taken place in the means of transportation. The invention of the steam railroad (¶ 475) and the opening of the first passenger railway in America about 1828 had revolutionized the modes of travel. A complete system of railroads would be found necessary in carrying on this coming struggle, and the Union only was well prepared in this direction. Not only were there more railroads in the North, but also all the manufactories of rails, cars, and locomotives were in the control of the Union. Another invention which was to revolutionize the whole system of warfare was that of the electric telegraph (¶ 486). Telegraph lines would follow every railroad, and speedily carry despatches from one commander to another. 544. The Navy. The ships of war were for the most part in the hands of the Confederacy in 1861, but new vessels would soon be needed. Not only did the Union have ship-yards in abundance, but Northern merchants owned many vessels, and these could be transformed into frigates. The South would be unable to obtain an additional fleet, unless by purchase from abroad, and perhaps foreign nations would fear the ill-will of the United States. 545. Capital. The South, it will be seen, must inaugurate many new lines of industry, if it were compelled to carry on a war of great length. It had but little capital and no money. Both must be obtained before it could become an independent nation. The Union was wealthy, abounding in capital, possessing gold and silver mines in abundance, and dependent upon no other country for supplies. Its mines were well developed, and its capital was invested in the manufacture of the necessities of war as well as of life. 546. Illiteracy. In war, as in other employments, the character of the participants must be taken into account. The free schools of the North had rendered the common people different from those of the South. In one of the Northern States only fifteen out of every ten thousand persons were unable to read or write, while in a Southern State of nearly the same population this class of illiterates included nearly ninety out of every ten thousand. Besides, there were in the South three and a half million slaves, most of whom were kept in dense ignorance. Among the advantages which could be found on the side of the Union, this was not one of the least. 547. Summary. If the war should come, it was evident to the thoughtful statesmen of the day that each side would have certain advantages. The North had a larger population, while the South had more experienced generals and soldiers, and could send a larger proportion of men to the army. Though the Confederacy had, at the beginning, a much larger stock of guns, ships, and ammunition, the Union had an immense advantage in being able to manufacture the necessities of war. Railroads and telegraphs could more easily be made to aid the United States, while the Confederate States -- would probably have the advantage of fighting at home, as the war must necessarily, for a time, at least, be within their borders. The greater amount of illiteracy in the South would prove an injury to her, and she would suffer the most from actual contact with the realities of war. It were surely well for her to proceed carefully before entering upon such a struggle as must inevitably follow. CHAPTER LXXI. THE FALL OF SUMTER. 548. The Problem. - President Lincoln was inaugurated March 4th, 1861. The task imposed upon him was no ordinary one. Seven Abraham Lincoln. (Copyright, 1891, by M. P. Rice. From a negative made in 1864.) of the States had seceded and formed a new government, taking the name The Confederate States of America." The sentiment in these States had been rapidly crystallizing in favor of an independent Confederacy. The sentiment at the North had not yet become thoroughly unified. A strong opposition existed in many quarters against compelling these States to remain in the Union. 549. Lincoln's InauguMr. Lincoln, in ral. his inaugural address, stated clearly that it became his duty to preserve the union of the States. He said that the Federal laws must be |