The document provides a summary of a reading log analyzing a book by James McPherson titled "American Victory, American Defeat." The log includes an MLA citation, major thesis, supporting evidence from various pages, and a section on the origin, purpose, values, and limitations of the source. The major thesis is that the will of northern and southern people was influenced by military victory. McPherson argues several turning points in the war influenced this, including battles in 1862-1863. The log analyzes internal and external interpretations for why the Confederacy lost and provides flaws for some arguments.

1. RaeAnne Smith
HL History of the Americas
Soule: Period 3
8 November 2011
McPherson Reading Log
Part 1: MLA Citation
McPherson, James. "American Victory, American Defeat;" Why the Confederacy Lost. Ed.
Gabor Boritt. New York: Oxford Press, 1992. Print.
Part 2: Major Thesis
McPherson's main thesis is that the will of the northern and southern people was a result of
military victory. His first argument is that the first turning point of the war was in 1862 when the
Union stopped Confederate invaders at Antietam and Perryville. The second major turning point
McPherson argues was in the summer of 1863 when the Union was experiencing defeats at
Fredericksburg and Charlottesville. The final turning point of the war was the battle of
Gettysburg and the capture of Vicksburg.
Part 3: Supporting Evidence
Page 18
I. Most interpretations on the topic of the Civil War and why one side lost, while the other won
are broken into two focuses, that being on the Confederacy with the question of "Why the South
Lost" or being on the North with the question "Why the North Won."
A. Internal interpretations focus on the Confederacy
B. External interpretations focus on the Union.
Page 19
I. An example of the internal explanation for why the South lost can be seen in the battle of
Gettysburg.
A. Historians blame the Confederate Generals for losing this battle for the Confederacy.
1. Robert E. Lee for mismanagement, overconfidence, and poor judgment
2. Jeb Stuart for riding off on a raid around the Union army and losing contact
with his own army.

2. 3. Richard Ewell and Jubal Early for failing to attack Cemetery Hill on the
afternoon of July 1st and again for tardiness in attacking on the 2nd.
4. James Longstreet for lack of cooperation, promptness and vigor in the assaults
of July 2nd and 3rd.
II. Another interpretation is that the North had more numbers and resources than the South.
A. This interpretation allows the South to preserve their pride in the courage and skill of
Confederate soldiers.
Page 20
I. The North's population was two and a half times that of the South, three times its railroad
capacity and nine times its industrial production.
A. This interpretation credits the South's courage and skill, but does not credit their
intelligence, and thus many people began to reject this interpretation.
B. There are several examples of the side with lesser numbers and resources won.
1. An example is the Revolutionary war. Britain had more skill and resources than
the colonists, yet the colonists won.
2. Other examples include the Netherlands and Spain in 1861, Greece and the
Ottoman Empire in the 1820s.
C. The Confederacy waged a strategically defensive war to protect its territory from
conquest and preserve its armies from annihilation.
1. To win this war, the Confederates only needed to hold out long enough to force
the North to the conclusion that the price of conquering the South was too high.
Page 22
I. General Joseph Johnston argued that the South undertook a war without the means of waging it
successfully.
A. Beauregard stated that "No people ever warred for independence with more relative
advantages than the Confederates." and that he believed that they blamed the poor
leadership of Davis for their defeat to divert the blame from themselves.

3. B. The North had to conquer vast stretches of southern territory, cripple southern
resources and destroy their fighting power. Thus, the superior manpower and resources
was necessary but not sufficient for winning the war.
Page 23
I. Another internal conflict thesis is that the Confederacy lost because it was plagued by dissent
and divisions.
A. Author Frank Owsley argued that the force of states' rights fatally handicapped the
efforts of the central government and of the army to mobilize men and resources for the
war.
1. Owsley accuses governors Brown and Vance for obstructive policies, of
withholding men and arms from the Confederate army to build up their state
militias, and of debilitating political warfare against the Jefferson Davis
administration.
B. The states' rights thesis focuses on the resistance by many Southerners, including some
national leaders.
1. Vice President Stephens went to such measures as conscription, certain taxes,
suspension of habeas corpus and martial law.
Page 24
2. This opposition crippled the army's ability to fill its ranks, obtain food and
supplies, and stem desertions, according to this interpretation. It hindered the
government's capability to crack down on antiwar activists who divided the
Southern people.
I. Three flaws exist in this internal conflict thesis
1. Evidence has suggested that the Confederate war effort of states-rights
sentiment has been exaggerated. Although some leaders did criticize the
president's leadership, they took initiative in areas of mobilization including
raising regiments, equipping them with arms and uniforms, providing help of for
the families of soldiers, organizing war production, supply and transportation,
building costal defenses, etc. The Confederacy enacted conscription a

4. year before the Union and raised a larger portion of its troops by drafting than the
Union. The Confederacy suppressed unionists more ruthlessly than did the North
2. The second flaw is the "fallacy of reversibility." This means that if the North
had lost the war, the same thesis of internal conflict could be used to explain the
Northern defeat. There was bitter division in the North over conscription, taxes,
suspension of habeas corpus, martial law and the emancipation of the slaves as a
war aim. The opposition in the North may have been more powerful and effective
in the North than in the South
3. Americans during the Revolutionary War in 1776 were more divided than they
were in the Confederacy in 1861 but the United States won its independence from
Britain, but the Confederacy did not
Page 26
I. Another interpretation was the "internal alienation" thesis.
A. Two large groups were alienated from the war effort in the Confederacy: the
non-slaveholding whites and slaves. Non-slaveholders made up two thirds of the
Confederacy's white population and many of them opposed secession in 1861.
B. They formed enclaves of unionism in Western Virginia, creating a new Union
state and in east Tennessee where they carried out guerilla operations against the
Confederacy.
C. Other non-slaveholding whites who supported the Confederacy became
alienated because of inflation, shortages of food and salt, high taxes, and a
growing conviction that they were risking their lives and property in a war to
defend slavery.
1.Bread riots occurred in parts of the South in 1863 and many soldiers left
the army to return home and support their families.
E. Slaves were essential to the Confederate work force.

5. 1.They allowed for 3/4 of white men to join the military while the slaves
stayed to contribute to the war effort.
2. Many slaves believed that a Northern victory would bring them
freedom so thousands of slaves escaped to the Union and were used for
labor and eventually military manpower for the Union.
a. This affected the Confederate manpower because many white
men returned home or did not join the army so they could stay
home to control their increasingly restless slave population
II. There are also flaws with this thesis:
A. The American population during the Revolutionary War most likely had
greater alienated elements than the Confederacy during the Civil War. During the
Revolutionary War, slaves ran away to the British and Loyalist whites weakened
the American cause more than the non-slaveholding whites in the South during
the Civil War
B. The fallacy of reversibility is also a flaw to the internal alienation argument.
1. There were large amounts of people in the North were who alienated
from the Lincoln administration's war policy.
a. One third of the border state whites supported the Confederacy
and many others were only lukewarm unionists.
b. There also existed guerrilla warfare behind Union lines in pro-
Confederate areas.
c. In free states, the Democratic party denounced conscription,
emancipation, certain war taxes, the suspension of habeas corpus,
and other measures to mobilize men and resources.
2. The Democrats attempted to cripple the Lincoln administration.
a. While the South had bread riots, the Union had draft riots, which
were arguably more violent and threatening, soldiers deserted both

6. the Confederate and Union armies, the South had slaves who
wanted Yankee victory, while the North had Democrats and
border-state unionists who opposed emancipation, etc.
Page 29
I. Another internal interpretation is the "lack of will" thesis.
A. A thesis by southerner, E. Merton Coulter, in his book The Confederate States of
America states that the South lost the war because "people did not will hard enough and
long enough to win."
1. The Confederacy lacked a strong sense of nationalism since the Confederacy
did not exist long enough to establish a deep-rooted political and cultural
tradition.
a. The Confederate national flag was red, white and blue with an
arrangement of stars and stripes like the American flag.
b. Confederate money and postage stamps had the portraits of
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and other American
heroes.
c. Many Southern whites also felt guilty about fighting a war to preserve
slavery.
d. The Confederates were religious and believed that God was on their
side.
II. Flaws exist with this thesis:
A. The Confederates regarded themselves as the true heirs of American nationalism with
the ideals of the founding fathers in 1776 and that the Northerners were the ones who
repudiated those ideals.
B. The Confederates felt that they were forming a new government that would conserve
the heritage of the old America

7. C. Confederate nationalism was perhaps stronger than that of the Union.
1. Letters and diaries from Southerners expressed fierce patriotism and more
passionate dedication than the Union
D. Although some people felt guilty about fighting a war to preserve slavery, there were
far more quotations saying that the institution was positive and the best labor system.
E. With huge casualties and losses, the Confederates began to question whether God was
on their side after all.
Page 35
I. The next thesis is that the North had more superior leadership than the South.
A. The North arguably had better generalship.
1. by 1864, the North had generals including Grant, Sherman and Sheridan who
had emerged to top commands and had a firm grasp of the need for coordinated
offenses, a concept of the total-war strategy, the skill to carry out the strategy and
the relentless and even ruthless determination to keep pressing despite high cost in
casualties.
2. The South had brilliant leaders as well such as Lee, Jackson and Forrest but the
South had no generals who rose to the level of overall strategic genius
demonstrated by Grant and Sherman.
B. The second category of leadership was management of supplies and logistics.
1. By 1862, the North had a group of top and middle level managers who
organized the northern economy and the logistical flow of supplies and
transportation to the Union armies with unprecedented efficiency.
a. The South could not match the northern skill in organization nor did the
south manage its economy as well as the North.

8. 2. The Union had a system of taxation, loans and treasury notes to finance the war
without unreasonable inflation,
b. the Confederacy relied mostly on fiat money and suffered a
crippling 9000 percent inflation.
C. The third category of leadership was the Executive leader.
1. Lincoln proved to be a better leader than Davis. Lincoln was more
successful in communicating with the people, more skillful as a political
leader in keeping factions working together for the war effort, better able
to endure criticism and work with his critics to achieve a common goal, he
was flexible, pragmatic, and had a sense of humor.
2.He had chosen good administration and he knew how to delegate authority to
them.
3. Davis was austere, rigid, humorless, he suffered ill health and was frequently
prostrated by sickness. Davis had feuds with two of the Confederate
generals, Joseph Johnson and Beauregard.
II. Flaws exist with this thesis as well.
A. Although the Union did have many good leaders, it had very poor leaders as well such
as McClellan, Pope, Burnside, and Hooker who nearly lost the war to the Confederates in
1862-1863.
Part 4: Values and Limitations
Origin: James McPherson published his book, "American Victory, American Defeat" in 1992 by
Oxford University Press.
Purpose: McPherson's purpose in publishing "American Victory, American Defeat" was to
provide multiple theses on why the South lost the Civil War and why the North won. He
provides both support and flaws for all of the possible interpretations. He also writes about his
own personal thesis, which is that the will of the northern and southern people was a result of
military victory.

9. Values: McPherson is a prominent Civil War historian. He received his PhD from John Hopkins
University. He then became a professor at Princeton University. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his
work, Battle Cry of Freedom. In 2003, he became the president of the American Historical
Association. He won a 100,000 dollar prize for his skill in military history writing. All of these
accomplishments of McPherson give him good qualifications as a historian. In "American
Victory, American Defeat" McPherson does an excellent job of providing both the evidence and
flaws for many different interpretations. Noting the flaws as well as evidence prevents bias in his
work.
Limitations: McPherson was criticized by some Southern societies for being biased in a
comment he made in the Sons of Confederate Veterans. McPherson also published his book 19
years ago. This time span gives room for new interpretations and opinions on why the South lost
the Civil War and why the North won.
Part 5: Essay Outline
IB Question:
Introduction:
Background 3- The Civil War in America was fought between the North and
4 sentences. Southern factions of the United States from 1860-1865. It appeared
from the very beginning that the North would surely win the war.
They eventually did just this. The North had superior leadership in
areas such as generalship and superior executive leader. The North
had more resources and manpower as well. These, along with other
factors, led the Union to win the war against the Confederacy and
restore the Union.
Thesis The North was able to win the Civil War with its superior
Sentence generalship, ability to manage supplies and logistics, and superior
executive leader, Abraham Lincoln.
Body Paragraph One
Topic Sentence The North had superior generalship.
Introduce Grant, Sheridan and Sherman were a group of top commanders that

10. Argument #1 had a firm grasp of the need for coordinated offenses in all theatres.
Specific Grant won the first major battle for the Union at Shiloh, Tennessee
supporting in 1862.
evidence
Explanation of Many of the battles prior to this had been lost by McClellan, but
evidence – Grant was able to bring the Union to its first victory. This lifted the
WHY does the spirits of the Union and demonstrated the military power of the
evidence Union through Grant.
provided
explicitly help
prove the
argument
(connect to the
topic sentence)
Introduce These three military geniuses furthermore had the skill to carry out
Argument #2 strategy.
Specific Grant chases Lee around Virginia in 1865. He captures Richmond,
supporting the capital of the Confederacy. Grant forces Lee to surrender at
evidence Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia in 1865.
Explanation of With Grant's military genius and skills, he is able to force
evidence – Confederate general, Lee to surrender, bringing the Civil War to an
WHY does the end.
evidence
provided
explicitly help
prove the
argument
(connect to the
topic sentence)
Introduce Grant, Sherman and Sheridan had ruthless determination to keep
Argument #3 pressing forward despite a high cost in casualties until the South
surrendered unconditionally.
Specific Sherman led Union troops to Atlanta in 1864. They burned the city
supporting and then headed to Savannah burning everything in sight.
evidence "Sherman's March."

11. Explanation of Sherman used this strategy of "total war" to inflict a psychological
evidence – effect on the Confederates. This shocked the Confederates as he
WHY does the attacked the civilian population as well. His tactics, although brutal,
evidence proved to the Confederates, as well as the Union that he would go to
provided extreme measures to win the war.
explicitly help
prove the
argument
(connect to the
topic sentence)
Conclusion With the superior leadership of Grant, Sherman and Sheridan, the
Union was eventually able to bring Lee to surrender, ending the war
in 1865.
Body Paragraph Two
Topic Sentence The North also had superior management of supplies and logistics.
Introduce By 1862, the Union had a group of top and middle class managers.
Argument #1
Specific These managers organized the northern economy and the logistical
supporting flow of supplies and transported the Union armies with
evidence unprecedented efficiency.
Explanation of With an organized flow of supplies, soldiers of the Union armies
evidence – could quickly and efficiently receive much needed supplies,
WHY does the enabling them to be prepared to fight.
evidence
provided
explicitly help
prove the
argument
(connect to the
topic sentence)

12. Introduce The Union better organized its economy.
Argument #2
Specific The Union had a balanced system of taxation, loans and treasury
supporting notes to finance the war without unreasonable inflation.
evidence
Explanation of This balanced system prevented the Union from acquiring nearly as
evidence – much debt and inflation as the Confederacy, which had a 9000
WHY does the percent inflation.
evidence
provided
explicitly help
prove the
argument
(connect to the
topic sentence)
Conclusion With an organized group of officials managing the flow of supplies
and managing the Union economy, the North was better prepared
than the South.
Body Paragraph Three
Topic Sentence The leadership of Lincoln was superior and helped to bring the
Union to win the war.
Introduce Lincoln was more successful in communication.
Argument #1
Specific He more effectively expressed his war aims, and kept working
supporting factors together to support the war cause.
evidence
Explanation of Because Lincoln could communicate with the people more
evidence – effectively, he could keep the factions together and prevent severe

13. WHY does the divisions within the union.
evidence
provided
explicitly help
prove the
argument
(connect to the
topic sentence)
Introduce Lincoln had a strong physical constitution.
Argument #2
Specific Lincoln was healthy and was present at all necessary engagements.
supporting Davis on the other hand, was always sick and was not always
evidence present when needed.
Explanation of Good health is important because as Lincoln is the leader of the
evidence – Union, he should be present for all major decisions and be able to
WHY does the lead the people to win their support.
evidence
provided
explicitly help
prove the
argument
(connect to the
topic sentence)
Introduce Lincoln chose good administrative subordinates.
Argument #3
Specific Lincoln chose good administrative subordinates that he could
supporting delegate authority over and who did not frequently quarrel with
evidence him. Davis went through five secretaries in four years and spent too
much time on administrative details that should have been left to
subordinates.
Explanation of Lincoln had god administrators that allowed his job to be slightly
evidence – easier because he did not have to put energy into arguing with them
WHY does the and looking for new administrators unlike Davis.
evidence
provided
explicitly help

14. prove the
argument
(connect to the
topic sentence)
Conclusion The superior leadership of Lincoln over Davis was significant in
winning the Union the Civil War.
Conclusion Paragraph
Rephrase With the superior generalship, managers of supplies and logistics
Thesis and President, the Union was able to defeat the Confederacy and
ultimately win the Civil War.
Other The Union also had other advantages such as greater manpower and
possibilities supplies.
Thoughts to Without the superior leadership in the North, the Union would have
Ponder / wider likely lost the war, the United states today could have been two
connections separate countries.