President Lincoln faced several military challenges during the Civil War. The first challenge he faced keeping Washington, D.C. in the Union. Since Virginia had seceded, he needed Maryland to remain in the Union. If Maryland had seceded from the Union, Washington, D.C. would have been in the Confederacy. He arrested all the lawmakers in Maryland who supported Maryland seceding from the Union. Thus, Maryland remained in the Union.

President Lincoln had a difficult time finding good military leaders to lead the Union army. Most of the military schools were in the South. Many generals chose to fight for their home state. Thus, the South had better generals than the North had during the Civil War.

President Lincoln had to deal with his generals who were very cautious. General McClellan was very hesitant to move his army. After the South retreated at Antietam, General McClellan didn’t pursue the Confederate army. An opportunity was lost to possibly defeat the South at this point in time. Eventually, President Lincoln replaced General McClellan.

In order for the Union to win the war, the Union was going to have to invade the South and defeat them in battles that would occur in the South. The southern generals and soldiers knew the land in the South better than the Union generals and soldiers did. This gave the South an advantage. Additionally, while the South only had to fight a defensive war, President Lincoln didn’t have this luxury. The Union had to defeat the South in battles that would take place in the South.

President Lincoln faced several military challenges during the Civil War.

What were Lincoln's main foreign policy challenges during the Civil War?

Lincoln’s main concerns about foreign policy had to do with the possibility that foreign countries might side with the South in the war or might at least recognize the independence of the new country.

One of the South’s major hopes for winning the Civil War was to get the French or (more importantly) the British to side with them.  These countries could have put a great deal of pressure on the North to come to an agreement with the South.  If this had happened, the North might have had to give in and allow the South to become independent.

This foreign policy concern was the most important issue that Lincoln faced.  It was one of the main ways in which the South could have won the Civil War.  This made it a vital concern in the area of foreign policy during the Civil War.