What were the south's two main fighting strategies at the beginning of the US Civil War?

Answer 1

The Confederacy's strategy on the field was essentially defensive and based upon of the professional superiority of many of its military leaders who, especially in the early phases of the war were able, almost in the Eastern Front to repulse every attempt to permanently invade the heart of the Confederacy and capture its Capital.

Furthermore they exploited the great superiority of their cavalry in raiding the Union exposed lines of communication and collecting valuable information about movements and force of the enemy armies.

The Union soon became aware that the war would have been won only by the seizing of the whole Confederacy's territory and the annihilation of its armies, with all the consequences which the task would imply: great casualties, immense waste of wealth and an unknown deal of postwar problems.

By means of that "fatiguing" strategy, the political and military leaders of the Confederacy aimed also to undermine the public opinion of the Union (in other word the "home front"), which was not compact as that of the South, hoping to determine a general request to negotiate a peace of compromise based upon the independence of the Confederacy from the USA. Indeed this task was not far to be reached during the last months of the war, when Grant's armies seemed unable to break through the Richmond - Petersburg line.