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The Civil War had less devastating
effects on the North than the South. The reason for this statement is simple: most of the
combat of the Civil War occurred on Southern soil (see the brief essay that introduces the
South During the Civil War).
Even so, it is difficult
to imagine a civil war that does not affect all portions of the society in which it takes
place. As the documents listed to the right suggest, the Civil War affected the North and
its civilians in many ways.
From time to time, Confederate cavalry raided into the
North to bring the war home to Northerners and, they hoped, to influence Northern morale
and support for the war. Southern supporters living in the North or border states
sometimes fought deadly guerrilla warfare or simply bushwacked people they considered
enemies in those regions. On the other hand, Unionists in the border states often treated
badly Confederate sympathizers who lived among them. The war affected the Northern economy
both positively and negatively and changed the life course of many women.
In searching American
Memory for primary source
documents related to this topic, try using search terms such as Civil
War and Union troops.
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