What if Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri, and Kentucky stayed in the Union?
Either a very short war or if the upper south stays neutral then a longer war with the maritime side being much more important
What if Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri, and Kentucky stayed in the Union?
The Governor of North Carolina made it perfectly clear that secession for North Carolina was no more than a recognition of the reality of geography. Put the land, the terrain, and people of NC where VA is, and they do not secede. This was more obvious when a delegation from Governor Vance told the approaching Sherman that they would like to reverse their state's secession.
Pretty much. Virginia's secession prior to North Carolina made it de facto fated to join the Confederacy. I think the vote itself was decided by a margin of about 5.6% or so. So, if Virginia doesn't secede as early, North Carolina may stay out, which might keep Tennessee out as well.
Well, that, or somehow the Unionist sentiment in NC is just a bit stronger... Who knows? An NC and TN that stay out of the beginning of the war would likely find themselves invaded by the South to establish groundlines between Virginia and the Deep South in an alternate version of the Kentucky campaign. But, the odds of that happening are astronomically low.
All the $$$ and most of the people in TN & NC lived outside the Appalachian Mountains, which is where the true Anti-Confederate sentiments lay. It would be like the Rochester/Buffalo area of trying to control the destiny of the entire state of New York.
True, but the planters (as far as I remember) lived near the coast; the central Piedmont was heavily divided.
The percentage that voted to remain in the Union was in the high 40s (I think it was 47.2%, but I may be misremembering). That is certainly reflective of an overall split populace, same as in Tennessee.
Arguably, yes. Also, practically, may well be ignorable.I don't think the Union will allow anyone to stay neutral. After all, that's still tantamount to treason.