Patterns (1861)

By November 13, 1861, the Civil War had been in progress for seven months. A day after the fall of Fort Sumter on April 14, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln had declared war on the Confederate States of America. Northerners thought this would be an easy win, considering that most industrial might was in the North, as were most banks and sources of finance, factories turning out equipment and machines, and other foundations of commerce. The South was viewed as a land of plantations, with rice, corn, tobacco, and cotton growing in endless fields tended by slaves, while plantation owners sat on the verandas of mansions and enjoyed the good life.