The American Civil War exploded in 1861 after several decades of tension boiling between the southern and northern states over contagious disputes including slavery, westward expansion and the federal authority over the states’ rights. The presidential election of 1860 and the triumph of Republican Abraham Lincoln, who was an ardent supporter of abolition led to the secession of seven southern states that formed the Confederate States of America. The other four states joined after the civil war had kicked off. Historical war manifested several years of ruthless battle at Bull Run (Manassas), Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Antietam, and Chancellorsville. Although the war lasted for over four years, it was one of the most important wars in the …show more content…
During the start of the war, 90 percent of the country’s products were manufactured in the north. Factories could then quickly manufacture guns, uniforms, ammunitions and other products needed to sustain the army. In this case, the north could easily replenish and supply its army on the battlefield.
On the other hand, the Union States had weaknesses that hampered their operations. To start with, they had to strategize and plan attacks, building a reputation of aggression in the eyes of some. Moreover, they did not understand the southern terrain like their rivals (Caldwell & International Military Geology and Geography Conference, 2011, p. 155). Also, the Union States needed to be victorious in their plan, while the Confederates had to rebuff any attack as long as their rights, land, and property were secure. Therefore, the socio-economic and political pressure to succeed in such a war was huge for the Union. Also, without the best knowledge of the easiest routes in and out of the battle zones, most of their operations were hindered, and that increased their vulnerability.
The South, on the other hand, had better leaders including Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, who held senior positions in the military before the onset of the battle (Cozzens, 2012, pp. 91). Comparing with the North, many of the experienced
The challenges that the Union and the Confederacy faced during the Civil War were very different. Critical weaknesses that seemed unfit for war, plagued the opposing American forces, and would serve to be a continuous obstacle that would need to be conquered by patriotism of the people, for their opposing views. To allow for both sides to be competitive, the efforts put forth had to mold to the varied needs of the armies by both the civilian population and their militaries. To the people in the south the similarity to the colonists in the Revolutionary War, was assimilated to their separatist cause in the Civil War and would be their drive to compete with the dominating Northern states. This mindset started the Confederacy in the Civil
The North had a lot of different technological advances over the South because of their industrial system and transportation system. The North also produced most of the country’s wealth. So that means they had a money to spend to have better technology. Even though North was said to be more advanced the South had some advantages too. The main one was that they were fighting war on familiar territory. They knew where to go and the fastest way to get there. The Northerns just had to guess and pretty much hope for the best. Some of the most experienced and skilled military men were Southerners. Telegraph, hot air balloon, and deadly weaponry were more key pieces of technology that changed the war. The North had another disadvantage because they
The North and the South were prepared to fight a war because of the political advantages each side possessed. The North had an advantage because they had an established, working government. The South had to create a new government after they seceded from the Union. The North’s government had over seventy years to fix any problems in their government. The South also had a political advantage; they were defending their land. This gives the South
The Civil War that took place in the United States from 1861 to 1865 could have easily swung either way at several points during the conflict. There is however several reasons that the North would emerge victorious from this bloody war that pit brother against brother. Some of the main contributing factors are superior industrial capabilities, more efficient logistical support, greater naval power, and a largely lopsided population in favor of the Union. Also one of the advantages the Union had was that of an experienced government, an advantage that very well might have been one of the greatest contributing factors to their success. There are many reasons factors that lead to the North's victory, and each of these elements in and
A Civil War is a battle between the same citizens in a country. The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 to determine the independence for the Confederacy or the survival of the Union. By the time Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1861, in the mist of 34 states, the constant disagreement caused seven Southern slave states to their independence from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy, generally known as the South, grew to include eleven states. The states that remained devoted to the US were known as the Union or the North. The number one question that is never completely understood about the Civil War is what caused the war. There were multiple events that led to the groundbreaking, bloody, and political war.
The American Civil War took place from 1861-1865 was an inevitable event in the American history. More than 640,000 people were killed and millions more were injured during this massive war. The civil war was between the northern and the southern states where its most leading cause was slavery. Along with that, economic, political and social ideologies caused the civil war. The northern states, also known as the union, were more successful and antislavery compare to the southern confederates states. The northern states were more populated, had more industries, and believed in the Declaration of Independence statement that “all men are
There were several reasons for the defeat of the Confederacy which included no industrial base, (Donald 1996, p. 99) inadequate transportation net (Donald, 1996, p. 99), and bickering among the generals (McPherson & Hogue, 2009, p. 365) etc., but the overriding factor was that the Confederacy never became a nation (Donald, 1996, p. 100). That is, they seceded because the Southern states believed they had the right as independent States to do so (Donald, 1996, p. 7). The South lost because they never stopped believing this. No state could depend on any other for full support of the war. The Governor of Georgia specifically prohibited his troops from fighting outside the state for many months. Many governors set limits on how many
To begin with, immediately after the election and inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, the newly-established Republican Party’s presidential nominee, eleven states of the South seceded from the Union. These events marked the beginning of the Civil War and the war was a result of many political tensions that had emerged between the North and the South in the prior decades, all of which were associated with the institution of slavery installed in the Southern United States. President Lincoln began the Civil War with the South in response to states’ secession from the Union, and therefore, the war was not solely concentrated over the issue of slavery in American society. The North fought to preserve the Union while the Confederacy fought to
Union officer William Tecumseh Sherman observed to a Southern friend that, "In all history, no nation of mere agriculturists ever made successful war against a nation of mechanics. . . .You are bound to fail." While Sherman 's statement proved to be correct, its flaw is in its assumption of a decided victory for the North and failure to account for the long years of difficult fighting it took the Union to secure victory. Unquestionably, the war was won and lost on the battlefield, but there were many factors that swayed the war effort in favor of the North and impeded the South 's ability to stage a successful campaign.
"If wars are won by riches, there can be no question why the North eventually prevailed." The North was better equipped than the South, with the resources necessary to be successful in a long term war like the Civil War was, which was fought from 1861 1865. Prior, and during the Civil war, the North's economy was always stronger than the South's, boasting of resources that the Confederacy had no means of attaining. Compared to the South, The North had more factories available for production of war supplies and larger amounts of land for growing crops. Its population was several times of the South's, which was a potential source for military enlistees. Although the South had better naval leadership and commanders, such as Robert E. Lee
The first major part of the North was economics. They had more factories, rails, and money than the South. The North manufactured 90 percent of American goods (Davidson and Stoff pg 488). When the war started the government focused manufacturing on war needs. Factories
On the other hand had the Confederates been able to press their advantage after the Union lines broke, they might have made things difficult for Washington. Later in the war, with more experience they certainly would not have passed up that sort of opportunity, but as it was they were quite happy with the victory they had won.
By the 1860s, neither the North nor the South was prepared for a major war. However, while the north at least had a functioning government in place, more resources to begin with, and a more effective leader, the South had virtually nothing in comparison. They lacked infrastructure and population to serve in the military, their finances were in shambles, and they had a weak leader. These factors played a great impact in determining the outcome of the war.
The North during the Civil War had many advantages, one being a larger population. The North had over twice the amount of people than the South. That number of people helped the North’s army grow. The North had many people to replace wounded or killed soldiers in combat. The South did not have many people to replace wounded or killed soldiers.
In the south they were poor, but still had factories for building their guns and weapons for the war. The south were really good at shooting their guns and riding horses because they live in rural areas. They also got a fight on their own home ground. Says the north were fighting in an unfamiliar territory they had poor communication