How did Ulysses S Grant's concept of total war differ from earlier strategies?

Answer 1

This concept was different because instead of just attacking an army like in a usual battle. Total war attacked on everything, the general and army wouldn't just attack soldiers they would attack enemy's food supplies, economy and citizens as well.

Answer 2

The senior military staff of the Union military came to the conclusion, based on their battlefield experience that the Confederate armies were hard to annihilate. This was due to the speed and maneuverability by which armies could flee or attack. Railways as example provided a means of transporting troops to and away from a battle.Generals Grant, Sherman, McClellan and others found that it was near impossible to capture major cities except through siege. This could take a long time. They also saw that they could not totally defeat the enemy in the field.

This left them and Grant, with the strategy of exhaustion. By destroying all sources of food, for example, enemy armies could not fight effectively. The "new" feature, was to destroy civilian farms and livestock owned by civilians. This type of warfare is most damaging and it has a backlash, especially true in the US Civil War.

The "total war " concept was used to defeat the South as soon as possible. When it became clear that in early 1864, quickly became near impossible. And, there was an 1864 US presidential election that year.

Unless it could be seen that the South would lose, Lincoln may not have been renominated by his party, ( verified by documents ) and might lose to a Democratic "peace party candidate.

For these reason s "total war" became the best new strategy for the North.

As referred to earlier, total war against oneself cause problems later on.

There was no logic to destroy such an important part of the United States. The South was of value to the Union, for if not. why battle them? And, the slavery issues was not a factor. The Union did not lose almost 300,000 American troops to end slavery.

Slavery in the US would have ended if the South became an independent nation.

Politics and economics were the driving forces of total war.