Portal:American Civil War/Grand Parade of the States/12

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During the American Civil War California provided the most troops per a capita for the Union and gold shipments which were quite helpful to stabilizing the Union economy. Republican supporters of Lincoln took control of the state in 1861, minimizing the influence of the large southern population. The great success was in obtaining a Pacific railroad land grant and authorization to build the Central Pacific as the western half of the transcontinental railroad. California was settled primarily by Midwestern and Southern farmers, miners and businessmen. The southerners tended to favor the Confederacy, the state did not have slavery, and they were generally powerless during the war itself. California was home for powerful capitalists who played a significant role in Californian politics through their control of mines, shipping, and finance, and the Republican party. Plans were underway to split the state north and south, but the national government would not approve, and the idea was dead by 1861 when a fervor of patriotism swept California after the attack on Fort Sumter.

California's involvement in the war included recruiting or funding a limited number of combat units, maintaining numerous fortifications, and sending east some of the war's most famous generals. It was also plagued by bandit gangs looking for gold shipments that some people have likened to guerrilla warfare skirmishes.