<P> The Democrats nominated George McClellan, a War Democrat for the 1864 presidential election but gave him an anti-war platform . In terms of Congress the opposition against the war was nearly powerless--as was the case in most states . In Indiana and Illinois pro-war governors circumvented anti-war legislatures elected in 1862 . For 30 years after the war the Democrats carried the burden of having opposed the martyred Lincoln, who was viewed by many as the salvation of the Union and the destroyer of slavery . </P> <P> The Copperheads were a large faction of northern Democrats who opposed the war, demanding an immediate peace settlement . They said they wanted to restore "the Union as it was" (that is, with the South and with slavery) but they realized that the Confederacy would never voluntarily rejoin the U.S. The most prominent Copperhead was Ohio's Clement L. Vallandigham, a Congressman and leader of the Democratic Party in Ohio . He was defeated in an intense election for governor in 1863 . Republican prosecutors in the Midwest accused some Copperhead activists of treason in a series of trials in 1864 . </P> <P> Copperheadism was a grassroots movement, strongest in the area just north of the Ohio River, as well as some urban ethnic wards . Some historians have argued that it represented a traditionalistic element alarmed at the rapid modernization of society sponsored by the Republican Party . It looked back to Jacksonian Democracy for inspiration--with ideals that promoted an agrarian rather than industrialized concept of society . Weber (2006) argues that the Copperheads damaged the Union war effort by fighting the draft, encouraging desertion and forming conspiracies . However, other historians say the Copperheads were a legitimate opposition force unfairly treated by the government, adding that the draft was in disrepute and that the Republicans greatly exaggerated the conspiracies for partisan reasons . Copperheadism was a major issue in the 1864 presidential election--its strength waxed when Union armies were doing poorly and waned when they won great victories . After the fall of Atlanta in September 1864, military success seemed assured and Copperheadism collapsed . </P> <P> Enthusiastic young men clamored to join the Union army in 1861 . They came with family support for reasons of patriotism and excitement . Washington decided to keep the small regular army intact; it only had 16,000 men and was needed to guard the frontier . Its officers could, however, join the temporary new volunteer army that was formed, with expectations that their experience would lead to rapid promotions . The problem with volunteering, however, was its serious lack of planning, leadership, and organization at the highest levels . Washington called on the states for troops, and every northern governor set about raising and equipping regiments, and sent the bills to the War Department . The men could elect the junior officers, while the governor appointed the senior officers, and Lincoln appointed the generals . Typically, politicians used their local organizations to raise troops and were in line (if healthy enough) to become colonel . The problem was that the War Department, under the disorganized leadership of Simon Cameron, also authorized local and private groups to raise regiments . The result was widespread confusion and delay . </P>

What is the difference between union and confederate soldiers