Why was it so important for the union that the border states not join the confederacy?

Answer 1

During the US Civil War, all the so-called border states were important to the Union's success in ending the rebellion of the South. But focusing on Missouri and Kentucky, as the question asks, there were very important reasons why these two states could not join the Confederacy, from the Union point of view.Missouri was a slave state. It's city of St.Louis was populous and sat strategically on the Mississippi River. It was also a farming and cattle state. If it joined the South, it would give the South more recruits for their armies. This was vital to the South. It would be a food supply state and Missouri was rich in mining ores. Missouri also had a long eastern border with Illinois. Thus a threat to Chicago. Missouri's western border was with Kansas, a once hotly contested state for slavery.

Its value to the Confederacy in terms of soldiers, food and ores and its location on the Mississippi cannot be overestimated.

Kentucky did not have a large population, but it too was a slave state. Once again, more soldiers, food supplies and geography would have all been beneficial to the South at the expense of the North. Kentucky also has a northern border with three important Union states, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. These Union states would need to be protected from attacks from Kentucky. In fact, a look at the map shows that the three just mentioned states were possible gateways to the Great Lakes. The Union would have been in serious trouble if the South could gain access to the Great Lakes.

Answer 2

They were hoping and waiting for England to come into the war on the side of the Confederacy

Answer 3

Answer: If Maryland had joined the Confederacy then the capitol of the United States Federal Government (Washington DC) would have been 150 miles into enemy territory.