Question

Which of the following best explains the reasoning for the Union’s total war strategy?
A. Later in the war, the Union believed the strategy would punish Southerners for not accepting the Emancipation Proclamation.
B. The Union wanted to break the Southern people’s will to fight and their faith in the Confederacy.
C. Early in the war, the Union believed the strategy would bring a quick end to the war.
D. The Union wanted to drive the Southern population out of the region.

Answer 1

B. The Union wanted to break the Southern people’s will to fight and their faith in the Confederacy.

Total war (e.g., Sherman's March to the Sea) targeted civilian infrastructure and resources to destroy the South’s ability and willingness to continue the war, not primarily to punish them for rejecting emancipation or to expel the population.