Did the territories officially choose a side to support in the American Civil War?

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Legally, a territory is directly governed by the federal government, and can't pick a side. There's no possibility of "withdrawing from the Union" or equivalent.

In practice, things were a bit different:

  • Colorado Territory: Mixed sympathies, sparse population, and no overt declarations.
  • Confederate Arizona: The southern portions of Arizona and New Mexico Territories supported the Confederacy and established a pro-Confederacy government in Tucson.
  • Dakota Territory: Very sparsely populated.
  • Idaho Territory: The eastern portion sympathized with the Confederacy; the western portion was pro-Union. This was the impetus for dividing off the eastern section into Montana Territory.
  • Indian Territories: The tribes of the Indian Territories allied themselves with the Confederacy.
  • Montana Territory: Confederate sympathies, but no declaration of support.
  • Nebraska Territory: Strongly pro-Union.
  • Utah Territory: Anti-Union, but not pro-Confederate.
  • Washington Territory: Generally pro-Union.

Overall, approximately two territories joined the Confederacy, while Nebraska contributed a large contingent to the Union army. The other territories had general sympathies towards one side or the other, but didn't explicitly pick a side, becoming Union by default.

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