North vs. South: Advantages and Disadvantages/Positives and Negatives
During the beginning of the Civil War, it was expected by many that victory for the Union would be quick and easy. And when looking at the facts, that conclusion would seem likely. The Union had many advantages over the Confederate States but they often overlooked the Confederate’s strengths.
When breaking down the beginning of the War, the Union had some very obvious advantages. First of all, the North had a population of more than 22 million people, as opposed to the South’s mere 9 million. Of the 22 million in the North, about 1.3 million were employed in the industry, whereas only 110k were industry workers in the South. To add to the South’s already low population, the majority of its “citizens” were African American slaves who were not allowed to be conscripted into the war. Keeping on the topic of population, the North had a much larger immigration rate, due to their need for cheap labor. In the Union States, there were over 170k Irish immigrants who were both able to help with the manufacturing of supplies and fighting the war. In the Confederate States, however, only about one fourth of the North’s Irish Immigrants called it home – only 40k.
The North was also way more industrialized than the South was at this time. While the South was still relying on agriculture and slave labor, the North was began more specialized ways to get things done. At this time, the Union’s industry was worth about $1.5 billion, while the Confederate’s was only about $155 million. An illustration of how much of a difference this is can be found while looking at the textile and firearm ratios of the two Americas. The textile ratio was 17:1; the firearms ratio at 32:1.
While industry played a major role in helping the Union victory, it would mean nothing without a way to get the supplies where they needed to go. Luckily for the North, their railroad system was about as complex as it could be. The North had more than 22,000 miles of railroad track to help with the transportation of both supplies and soldiers, while the South had only 9,000 miles.
Finally, the North had much better supplies. The Industrial Revolution provided the North with a much more effective way of producing not only weapons but also battle ships. While one may not think that ships would be important given the fact that the two warring countries are connected, the North utilized their warships to block the Southern ports during the first weeks of the war. This eventually cut off the South from their much needed supplies, which ultimately led to their defeat.
While all of this may lead one to think that the Union was much better off than the Confederates, the South had many important advantages also. The main one was that the South had much better military leadership. While the North was continuously looking for a new military leader who would be able to lead them to victory, the South had no problem. Even comparing presidents. Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States, was an ex-military officer. Abraham Lincoln, president of the Union States, was arguably one of the greatest leaders in American history, but he lacked the military leadership that Davis had.
In addition, most of the major battles of the war were fought in the South. While this can be considered a disadvantage, it allowed the South to fight on their land, which many of them were quite familiar with. The North was coming into a battle completely unaware of its surroundings, not knowing what’s to come next, but the South knew every nook and cranny in the land. In addition, fighting on their own land fired the South up and made them determined to protect their country and their way of life. While the Union was divided on what they stood for, the Southerners all united and came together with a common goal.
Lastly, the South was fighting a very defensive war. While the North had to be sure to fully defeat the South, the Confederate States only had to cause enough damage to lose support for the war in Washington D.C. No support meant no troops, no troops meant easy victory.
The advantages of the South may seem great, but unfortunately for them, the disadvantages were far greater. As mentioned earlier, the South had a population that was about half the size of the North. This being said, the Confederate States had much less people to fight for them. As a result of this, the Conscription Act was passed in 1862, requiring that all white males from ages 18 to 35 were accountable for at least three years of service. A later amendment to the Act raised the enlistment for one-year soldiers up to three years. Later, the age limit was raised to 45 and was changed again in 1864 to 17 to 50 year olds. One of the reasons that this age may have kept changing was that there were many exemptions to having to serve. Those who worked in certain occupations and were “valuable for the home front,” such as railroad workers, civil officials, and teachers are just a few examples. To add to the already large amount of exemptions, Congress decided that anyone who was wealthy, owning more than 20 slaves did not have to fight and anyone who was conscripted could hire a substitute to fight for them.
In addition to a lesser population, the South was, at this time, significantly less industrialized than the North. The Southerners relied on slave labor, farming, and the old ways to get things done and didn’t feel that they needed to industrialize; everything was going just fine how it was. However, having less factories proved to be very detrimental for the South. With less efficient ways to produce their supplies, the Confederate States were almost constantly lacking in something, whether it be food, ammunition, weapon, clothes, or even just basic supplies. And along with fewer factories, the Confederate States only had 9,000 miles of railroad track, almost one third of that of the Union. Railroads were the main way of transportation two hundred years ago and without them, the Confederates were left with very minimal means of transportation in this desperate time.
Arguably one of the biggest disadvantages faced by the South at this time was the fact that most of the battles took place on their land. While this was mentioned earlier as an advantage given their familiarity with the land, it is also undoubtedly a disadvantage. The battles, as with any war, caused a great amount of damage to the land. Because the South was less industrialized, fixing their land after the fighting as over proved to be a challenge. The battles depleted much of their land making the production of supplies much more difficult.
Of course, it wasn’t all fun and games for the North either. While they no doubt had the upper hand at the beginning of the war, they had some of their own obstacles to face. Since most of the battles took place in the South, the Union soldiers were fighting on unfamiliar lands. While the Confederates knew the land like the back of their hands, they knew what was coming, where to fight and where not to fight, but the Union had no idea. They were basically walking into a death trap. To add to this, since the Southerners were fighting on their own land, they had something worth fighting for, something to defend. Unfortunately for the Union, this made for some very hostile Confederate soldiers who would stop at almost nothing to win.
The other major disadvantage for the Union was that they had to cover a huge amount of land in order to bring the Confederate States back: more than 770k square miles. While the population in the South was not nearly as large, it was still a challenge for the North to conquer such a vast area of land.
To sum everything up, the North definitely had the advantage at the beginning of the Civil War. The South had some major stepping stones before they could even think about winning. However, studies done have shown that if the Confederate States would have been as industrialized as the Union States, they would have won. The main problems that the South faced could have been fixed and they would have been rewarded with a victory. Fortunately, that did not happen and the North was victorious, and the States reunited once again.
Case Study: Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was arguably one of the most important battles in the American Civil War. Led in the South by General Robert E. Lee and by Major General George Gordon Meade in the North, this marked the second and last time the North would be invaded. Lee’s main purpose of the Union invasion was to help up the morale of his troops and he thought that if they won a major battle in the North, this would be the perfect way to do so.
On July 1st, 1863, General Lee marched his troops through the Shenandoah Valley to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lee’s hopes were to get the war out of the Confederate capital state of Virginia and he was hoping to acquire some much needed supplies along the way. At this point in the war, Lee knew that winning the war would not be an easy task and if he were to be successful in this battle it would change everything. Unfortunately, there were some unforeseen obstacles in the way.
Three days before the battle began, the North was faced with a problem. President Abraham Lincoln fired the Major General of the battle, Joseph Hooker. They now had only a few days to find someone to replace Hooker, someone who would be able to successfully take charge of the army. Luckily, Lincoln was able to find someone: General George Meade. His first order of business: defend Pennsylvania. The Union had long anticipated the march on Gettysburg so when the Confederate soldiers came, the North was ready for them.
In this battle, the North had many advantages over the South. The first and main advantage was the number of troops each side had. The Union had over 88k troops while the South only had 75k. While the numbers may not seem like a huge difference, when combining that with technology of the Union’s weapons compared to the South’s, it adds up.
Another advantage they had was what is often known as the “home field advantage.” Up to this point, most of the battles fought in the war had been in the South, giving the advantage to the Confederate Soldiers, while the Union soldiers were walking into almost every battle, not knowing what to expect. However, in the battle, the tables had turned. A grave mistake on Lee’s part, bringing the battle into the Union state allowed for a huge advantage to the North. They had a pretty good idea of just where the South was going to try to attack and Meade stationed troops in that place and the Union Army waited.
When the Confederates finally arrived, they had no idea what was in store for them. The Union had the advantage, in almost every way. Not only did they have more troops, as was almost always the point in the Civil War, but they also had a home-field advantage this time. Most of the time, the battles were fought in the South, giving the Confederate Army that advantage but this time, it added to the already low southern morale. In addition, the North was on higher ground, stationing themselves on Herr Ridge, McPherson Ridge, Seminary Ride, Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, and Culd’s Hill. By doing this, they were able to get a better view of the Confederates as they were on their way and could anticipate their every move. If the image below is analyzed, it is clear that literally every place the south planned on attacking, the North was ready for them. They had no chance of even getting into Pennsylvania, and their chances of winning were, if possible, even less than that.
While it became clear from the beginning that the Union Army would be victorious, the Confederates didn’t back down. In all three days of fighting, there were over 51,000 soldiers from both sides killed, all of them not buried in the Gettysburg’s Soldiers National Cemetery.
The main reason that this particular battle was known as the turning point of the war is more because of a mental issue. Lee’s main goal of invading the North was to up his men’s morale by winning a battle somewhere other than their land. However, the loss had the opposite effect on the Confederate Army. The soldiers became disheartened and felt like they didn’t stand a chance of winning. In addition, the South was forced to go from fighting an offensive war to a defensive one, something that added to the already large number of disadvantages held by the South.
During the beginning of the Civil War, it was expected by many that victory for the Union would be quick and easy. And when looking at the facts, that conclusion would seem likely. The Union had many advantages over the Confederate States but they often overlooked the Confederate’s strengths.
When breaking down the beginning of the War, the Union had some very obvious advantages. First of all, the North had a population of more than 22 million people, as opposed to the South’s mere 9 million. Of the 22 million in the North, about 1.3 million were employed in the industry, whereas only 110k were industry workers in the South. To add to the South’s already low population, the majority of its “citizens” were African American slaves who were not allowed to be conscripted into the war. Keeping on the topic of population, the North had a much larger immigration rate, due to their need for cheap labor. In the Union States, there were over 170k Irish immigrants who were both able to help with the manufacturing of supplies and fighting the war. In the Confederate States, however, only about one fourth of the North’s Irish Immigrants called it home – only 40k.
The North was also way more industrialized than the South was at this time. While the South was still relying on agriculture and slave labor, the North was began more specialized ways to get things done. At this time, the Union’s industry was worth about $1.5 billion, while the Confederate’s was only about $155 million. An illustration of how much of a difference this is can be found while looking at the textile and firearm ratios of the two Americas. The textile ratio was 17:1; the firearms ratio at 32:1.
While industry played a major role in helping the Union victory, it would mean nothing without a way to get the supplies where they needed to go. Luckily for the North, their railroad system was about as complex as it could be. The North had more than 22,000 miles of railroad track to help with the transportation of both supplies and soldiers, while the South had only 9,000 miles.
Finally, the North had much better supplies. The Industrial Revolution provided the North with a much more effective way of producing not only weapons but also battle ships. While one may not think that ships would be important given the fact that the two warring countries are connected, the North utilized their warships to block the Southern ports during the first weeks of the war. This eventually cut off the South from their much needed supplies, which ultimately led to their defeat.
While all of this may lead one to think that the Union was much better off than the Confederates, the South had many important advantages also. The main one was that the South had much better military leadership. While the North was continuously looking for a new military leader who would be able to lead them to victory, the South had no problem. Even comparing presidents. Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States, was an ex-military officer. Abraham Lincoln, president of the Union States, was arguably one of the greatest leaders in American history, but he lacked the military leadership that Davis had.
In addition, most of the major battles of the war were fought in the South. While this can be considered a disadvantage, it allowed the South to fight on their land, which many of them were quite familiar with. The North was coming into a battle completely unaware of its surroundings, not knowing what’s to come next, but the South knew every nook and cranny in the land. In addition, fighting on their own land fired the South up and made them determined to protect their country and their way of life. While the Union was divided on what they stood for, the Southerners all united and came together with a common goal.
Lastly, the South was fighting a very defensive war. While the North had to be sure to fully defeat the South, the Confederate States only had to cause enough damage to lose support for the war in Washington D.C. No support meant no troops, no troops meant easy victory.
The advantages of the South may seem great, but unfortunately for them, the disadvantages were far greater. As mentioned earlier, the South had a population that was about half the size of the North. This being said, the Confederate States had much less people to fight for them. As a result of this, the Conscription Act was passed in 1862, requiring that all white males from ages 18 to 35 were accountable for at least three years of service. A later amendment to the Act raised the enlistment for one-year soldiers up to three years. Later, the age limit was raised to 45 and was changed again in 1864 to 17 to 50 year olds. One of the reasons that this age may have kept changing was that there were many exemptions to having to serve. Those who worked in certain occupations and were “valuable for the home front,” such as railroad workers, civil officials, and teachers are just a few examples. To add to the already large amount of exemptions, Congress decided that anyone who was wealthy, owning more than 20 slaves did not have to fight and anyone who was conscripted could hire a substitute to fight for them.
In addition to a lesser population, the South was, at this time, significantly less industrialized than the North. The Southerners relied on slave labor, farming, and the old ways to get things done and didn’t feel that they needed to industrialize; everything was going just fine how it was. However, having less factories proved to be very detrimental for the South. With less efficient ways to produce their supplies, the Confederate States were almost constantly lacking in something, whether it be food, ammunition, weapon, clothes, or even just basic supplies. And along with fewer factories, the Confederate States only had 9,000 miles of railroad track, almost one third of that of the Union. Railroads were the main way of transportation two hundred years ago and without them, the Confederates were left with very minimal means of transportation in this desperate time.
Arguably one of the biggest disadvantages faced by the South at this time was the fact that most of the battles took place on their land. While this was mentioned earlier as an advantage given their familiarity with the land, it is also undoubtedly a disadvantage. The battles, as with any war, caused a great amount of damage to the land. Because the South was less industrialized, fixing their land after the fighting as over proved to be a challenge. The battles depleted much of their land making the production of supplies much more difficult.
Of course, it wasn’t all fun and games for the North either. While they no doubt had the upper hand at the beginning of the war, they had some of their own obstacles to face. Since most of the battles took place in the South, the Union soldiers were fighting on unfamiliar lands. While the Confederates knew the land like the back of their hands, they knew what was coming, where to fight and where not to fight, but the Union had no idea. They were basically walking into a death trap. To add to this, since the Southerners were fighting on their own land, they had something worth fighting for, something to defend. Unfortunately for the Union, this made for some very hostile Confederate soldiers who would stop at almost nothing to win.
The other major disadvantage for the Union was that they had to cover a huge amount of land in order to bring the Confederate States back: more than 770k square miles. While the population in the South was not nearly as large, it was still a challenge for the North to conquer such a vast area of land.
To sum everything up, the North definitely had the advantage at the beginning of the Civil War. The South had some major stepping stones before they could even think about winning. However, studies done have shown that if the Confederate States would have been as industrialized as the Union States, they would have won. The main problems that the South faced could have been fixed and they would have been rewarded with a victory. Fortunately, that did not happen and the North was victorious, and the States reunited once again.
Case Study: Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg was arguably one of the most important battles in the American Civil War. Led in the South by General Robert E. Lee and by Major General George Gordon Meade in the North, this marked the second and last time the North would be invaded. Lee’s main purpose of the Union invasion was to help up the morale of his troops and he thought that if they won a major battle in the North, this would be the perfect way to do so.
On July 1st, 1863, General Lee marched his troops through the Shenandoah Valley to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Lee’s hopes were to get the war out of the Confederate capital state of Virginia and he was hoping to acquire some much needed supplies along the way. At this point in the war, Lee knew that winning the war would not be an easy task and if he were to be successful in this battle it would change everything. Unfortunately, there were some unforeseen obstacles in the way.
Three days before the battle began, the North was faced with a problem. President Abraham Lincoln fired the Major General of the battle, Joseph Hooker. They now had only a few days to find someone to replace Hooker, someone who would be able to successfully take charge of the army. Luckily, Lincoln was able to find someone: General George Meade. His first order of business: defend Pennsylvania. The Union had long anticipated the march on Gettysburg so when the Confederate soldiers came, the North was ready for them.
In this battle, the North had many advantages over the South. The first and main advantage was the number of troops each side had. The Union had over 88k troops while the South only had 75k. While the numbers may not seem like a huge difference, when combining that with technology of the Union’s weapons compared to the South’s, it adds up.
Another advantage they had was what is often known as the “home field advantage.” Up to this point, most of the battles fought in the war had been in the South, giving the advantage to the Confederate Soldiers, while the Union soldiers were walking into almost every battle, not knowing what to expect. However, in the battle, the tables had turned. A grave mistake on Lee’s part, bringing the battle into the Union state allowed for a huge advantage to the North. They had a pretty good idea of just where the South was going to try to attack and Meade stationed troops in that place and the Union Army waited.
When the Confederates finally arrived, they had no idea what was in store for them. The Union had the advantage, in almost every way. Not only did they have more troops, as was almost always the point in the Civil War, but they also had a home-field advantage this time. Most of the time, the battles were fought in the South, giving the Confederate Army that advantage but this time, it added to the already low southern morale. In addition, the North was on higher ground, stationing themselves on Herr Ridge, McPherson Ridge, Seminary Ride, Cemetery Hill, Cemetery Ridge, and Culd’s Hill. By doing this, they were able to get a better view of the Confederates as they were on their way and could anticipate their every move. If the image below is analyzed, it is clear that literally every place the south planned on attacking, the North was ready for them. They had no chance of even getting into Pennsylvania, and their chances of winning were, if possible, even less than that.
While it became clear from the beginning that the Union Army would be victorious, the Confederates didn’t back down. In all three days of fighting, there were over 51,000 soldiers from both sides killed, all of them not buried in the Gettysburg’s Soldiers National Cemetery.
The main reason that this particular battle was known as the turning point of the war is more because of a mental issue. Lee’s main goal of invading the North was to up his men’s morale by winning a battle somewhere other than their land. However, the loss had the opposite effect on the Confederate Army. The soldiers became disheartened and felt like they didn’t stand a chance of winning. In addition, the South was forced to go from fighting an offensive war to a defensive one, something that added to the already large number of disadvantages held by the South.