Why did many northerners believe the war would have a quick end?

Answer 1

The Northern States (Federals) we're the industrial states, they had a navy, they had far more railroad track, they even HAD MORE FARMING INDUSTRY THAN THE SOUTH, even though the whole Southern Economy was based on Agracultre.

Everyone thought that the war would be over after one battle. Each side thought that after one victory over the other side, the other side would sue for peace. So it shocked everyone when the war had gone into 1863, 1864, and 1865. After 1863, no one thought that the South could win the war.

Actually, if the South had won the Battle of Gettysburg, the British and French we're considering to step in and end the conflict and make the South an Independent Country, with the backing of the British and French Empires.

Answer 2

They didn't always. There were some moments when the South looked like winning - right up to the General Election of 1864, when Lincoln believed he would be voted out of office.

But they were fairly confident of being able to keep up the naval blockade and starve the South of essential war supplies. In the end, it was this and Grant's ending of prisoner-exchange, that sealed their fate.

Answer 3

Before and just as the American Civil War commenced, leaders and ordinary citizens alike on both sides of the conflict thought that the war would be won easily -- and quickly, at that. The reasons for this misconception are difficult to explain with precision; however, it is clear that patriots on both sides emphasized their side's strengths and the other side's weaknesses. Also clear is the fact that, as the first of the truly modern wars in the West, the Civil War's scale and scope could not be easily predicted even by most warfare experts.
They could of just thought that they were stronger

ANSWER:

Both sides did believe that they were stronger. But the main reason both sides thought that the war would be easy and not take long was ~ PRIDE.

Instead of sitting down, and discussing the differences in an adult manner, these individuals decided to act like children.

Both sides had so much pride, that it eventually brought out hate and disgust for each other. These very fools believed that the war would only last a couple of weeks, and then it would all be over.

In some ways, it looked as if these men were like little boys playing soldier, and having war games; or maybe such as boys that play with those soldiers made of plastic.

However, just as children have to eventually accept, be punished, and begin again after making mistakes, so did the men from both sides of the Civil War, as well as the entire nation when the war was finally over.

Answer 4

Well .. they both expect the war to end sooner or later because everyone knows a war can't last forever .. or can it? Even though this is possible both sides probably think the war will be relatively short is because they both expect the other side to give up("

Answer 5

Both sides thought it, but they didn't have a realistic view of war. Most of the men who enlisted the first few days and months thought about the glory of battle and not the reality of death, blood, and loss. The general feeling of everyone was that the south was weak and would cave in. When the first battle of Bull Run took place it was a Sunday afternoon and families took picnic lunches out to watch the battle. This is how uninformed they were about war. The reality is that battles move around and people shoot other people. The picnic lunches were soon abandoned and people ran for their lives. The soldiers were also surprised and many threw down their guns running away from the battle. The reality of war would set in when whole battle sites would have several thousand dead men on them. For some reason, no one seems to learn the lessons of war or it wouldn't keep happening.