If you haven't watched it, Ken Burn's video masterpiece, The Civil War, is an incredible piece of work. One of the point's I recall him making is at the beginning of 1864, after one defeat after another (Gettysburg, Vicksburg), the coast blockaded, the Mississippi River controlled by the North, it was still the South that was in the fight. Many in the North were ready to let the South go, the war wasn't worth the men and treasure. To give you an idea of how much this did cost, in the spring of 1861 the Congress, expecting a quick end to this little rebellion, appropriated ten million dollars for war expenses. It ended up costing ten billion, in 1860s dollars. Without question this would be in the trillions today.
But this short video (just over five minutes) shows who controlled the land and until late 1864/65, how little bit of it changed. No question the blockade of southern ports and cutting the Confederacy along the Mississippi was decimating, it also shows the ability of the Gray to hold on. And, quick frankly, the incompetence of the Union Army's leadership until 1864. One question is often asked among Civil War buffs, how long it would have lasted if Lee accepted command of the Army of the Potomac in 1861.
Have fun today and go Texans! (Saints kicked ass Thursday night!)
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