The Loss of The Northern Advantage In the Civil War

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The Loss of The Northern Advantage In the Civil War

In the beginning of the American Civil War, all odds were stacked up against the Southern insurrectionists ever having any chance whatsoever at being victorious. Economic factors as well as a severe lack of manpower in comparison to the federal forces gave the impression to all that the Union would have a quick and instantaneous rout of the rebels. The Confederacy was the one that seceded so it had to either defend itself or risk being absorbed once again into the Union. This called for expertise in command as well as a skillful use and distribution of the few supplies the Confederacy did have, as well as an emphasis on the advantages it did have over the Union.

By a purely economical status, the Confederacy was far outmatched by the Union. At the war’s beginning, only 11 states seceded, leaving twenty-two to still oppose them. The union had twenty two million individuals whereas in comparison, the Confederacy had about nine million, one third of which were slaves. Also, the South was not as developed in an industrial standpoint as the North. Its economy was based upon the cotton industry, and trading to Europe to supply their textile mills. The north was a diverse mix of both agriculture and industry. It would be able to support itself agriculturally while at the same time have the ability to mass-produce more weapons of mass destruction and goods to be traded to foreign countries. The majority of necessary minerals, such as iron ore, copper, and coal were contained in the North as well, fueling the factories of the Union. The sheer number of resources and number of troops in comparison to the South should have been an indication that the North should win.

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Mobility was also key element throughout the war. The Union had a clear advantage here over the Confederacy. It had the extensive use of canals and railroads allowing troop transportation to be quick and efficient. The South only had two main east-west railroads with a limited ability to produce locomotives and railroad tracks. Their supplies would always arrive late, if at all, as shown in the battle of Gettysburg where the lack of sufficient railroads prohibited the amount of artillery necessary to destroy vital amounts of troops leading to the fated Picket’s Charge. After the secession, the majority of ...

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