NC Refuses to Join the CSA

What would have been the impact of North Carolina remaining in the Union rather than joining the CSA? At one point that seemed possible. Virginia would have been cut off from South Carolina; the Union would have had NC ports and invasion entry; the southeast would have been fragmented. How would it have changed the war?
 
Interesting question. VA isn't completely cut off as long as Tennessee is still a CS state, but it complicates logistics immensely and delays transport between SC and VA. Also makes Chattanooga that much more strategically important.

I'd assume NC stays neutral ala KY. NC citizens probably follow a path similar to KY in terms of volunteers for both sides, though I doubt the state mobilizes for war unless its neutrality is violated. There will be huge diplomatic pressure from the CSA to secede. You might even see a CS invasion just to set up a pro-secessionist gov't and secure communication lines between VA and the Deep South.
 
If memory of US History 101 serves, Virginia was also a relatively late and not unanimous joiner of the confederacy. Perhaps, NC's refusal to leave the union would create a steamroller effect making other marginal southern states like Tennessee, Texas, and Arkansas rethink their secession, especially before actual hostilities began.

I agree with Geekhis that NC would probably seek to remain neutral and that a CSA invasion/occupation would not be out of the question. This might undermine one of the South's main claims for leaving the Union - states rights - and hurt the CSA standing in European public opinion.
 
You are correct. NC also seceded with a unanimous vote.:( Why do I live here?
Because its the best state to live in following AZ,KY,and TN.:p
VA,NC,TN,and AR suceded after Lincoln called for volunteers following Fort Sumter. While the NC state government was the last to vote to sucede, VA then TN were the last to officialy sucede as the held a vote of the "people".
 
North Carolina sought to prove its dedication to the CSA, after being the last to join, through arguably the greatest effort of any of the eleven states in terms of involvment. If reduced to a neutral state permitting volunteers this could mean tens of thousands of CSA troops never join up.

There's also the rather disastrous effect on Confederate transport if every train and wagon which went through North Carolina from/to Virginia must now make a vast arch through Tennessee, not to mention that anything from South Carolina must now go in the opposite direction to Georgia first.

If North Carolina is genuinely neutral this opens up an obvious target for the Union by making eastern Tennessee a much higher priority with the goal of effectively slicing the CSA apart much sooner, leaving Virginia(and the CSA government!) isolated from the other nine states.

Also the CSA violated Kentucky's neutrality for reasons far less important than the ones they would have against North Carolina yet even if the CSA were able to occupy North Carolina the resulting Confederate forces wasted on the occupation and battles, followed by guerrilla activity and all the North Carolinans refusing to serve the CSA or actively fighting the CSA could be severe.

Assuming the CSA can even find the forces to do so, with the Union armies eagerly awaiting the moment the CSA is put entirely on a (weak) defensive in one or more theaters.


Note that if only a fifth of the North Carolinans estimated to have served the CSA in some capacity form a standing army to resist any occupation then the CSA may be forced to accept her neutrality...or suffer a self-inflicted disaster by invading.
 
If North Carolina is genuinely neutral this opens up an obvious target for the Union by making eastern Tennessee a much higher priority with the goal of effectively slicing the CSA apart much sooner, leaving Virginia(and the CSA government!) isolated from the other nine states.
The only way for the Union to "cut off" Va by taking East Tennessee is to violate Kentucky's neutrality, which would likely have the effect of causing NC to join the CSA anyway.
 
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