"My mother's sympathies were strongly with the Union. She knew that war was bound to come, but so confident was she in the strength of the Federal Government that she devoutly believed that the struggle could not last longer than six months at the utmost"

This quote by Buffalo Bill speaks with the strong Union compassions of his mom. She was positive in the strength of the Federal Government and believed that the Civil War would not last longer than six months. This talks to the optimism of the Union fans at the time, who believed that the Union would have the ability to quickly and decisively win the war. However, the war would last 4 long years, and the Union would only have the ability to win after a long and bloody battle. Buffalo Bill's mother was incorrect in her estimation of the length of the war, but her compassions for the Union were strong and admirable. Her optimism and faith in the Union was shared by numerous at the time, and it was this optimism that assisted to sustain the Union cause throughout the war.