| 1 | The Confederacy was defeated by the northern states. | |
| 2 | The confederates who had reached that far didn't know that there was no backup behind them. | |
| 3 | For several days, it seemed that all these states would secede and join the southern confederacy. | |
| 4 | Washington was not strongly defended. It did not have enough soldiers to stop any real attempt by Confederate forces to seize the city. | |
| 5 | They were sure that if Union forces seized the Confederate capital, the southern rebellion would end. |