What are the advantages and the disadvantages of the north (Union) versus the south (Confederacy) in the Civil War???

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of the North (Union) in the Civil War versus the South (Confederacy).

·        Population (The North had the Advantage)

The Union had the advantage of population as it was estimated they had almost 21 million people residing in the 23 Northern states. This meant that the North had a larger pool to outsource military aid from which gave them an added advantage. (Advantage-North).

On the other hand, the Confederacy had 9 million people residing in the South with the larger percentage being made up of slaves who were estimated to be 3.5 million slaves in the eleven confederate states. (Disadvantage-South).

·        Terrain (The South had the Advantage).

The Confederacy or the South had the advantage of terrain as majority of the battles were mainly fought in the South. This meant that they knew the terrain better than the Union who were new to the area. The South's familiarity with the landscape gave them an upper advantage to harass the Union and thus, they dragged out the war to ensure that the Union could lose their support.

Furthermore, given the fact that the South were fighting in their territory, they had the support of the civilians who would terrorize the North and thus, offered the South logistical support as well as intelligence on the whereabouts of the North Soldiers. The South on the other hand, faced immense hostility from the civilians residing in the South who supported the Confederacy.

Therefore, in terms of terrain the South had the advantage over the North who had to maneuver this new terrain and had to put up with the hostility from the Southern Civilians.

·        Transportation (The North had the Advantage)

The North had almost 22,000 miles of railroads whereas the South had only 9000 miles of railroads. This meant that the Northern roads were more interconnected and thus allowed for easier movement from the north all the way to the South and from the east all the way to the west. Therefore, the North used their vast railroads to send in more supplies and new troops to continue fighting in the front line in a fast manner.

On the other hand, the South had fewer railroads which meant that they were spread out widely and thus, the Southern troops had to take longer routes when using railroads. Therefore, despite the fact that the South could produce as much food as they desired they had a harder time transporting it to the troops because of the few railroads they had.

·        Navy (The North had the Advantage)

Given that ¾ of the Navy officers came from the North and the US Naval yards were located in the North, the North had a greater advantage in terms of navy. Therefore, the North utilized their naval vessels to create a blockade on the Southern Coastline and used that to rule the seas and suffocate the Confederate economy. They also attacked the urban areas that were located on major rivers on the South and ensured that they derailed the South and their economy.

·        Industry and Monetary Value (the North had the Advantage).

The North had the advantage in terms of Industry as almost 80% of the factories in the United States were located in the North. This meant that the North manufactured almost 97% of the firearms utilized in the US. The North manufactured more than three thousand firearms for ever one hundred firearms the South manufactured. Therefore, the North utilized the National Treasury to fund the war for their side.

On the other hand, the South heavily relied on cash crop production and slave trade which was quite beneficial during that time. However, with the blockades they suffered immensely as they hoped that England would help them in financing the war in exchange for cotton but England did not. Therefore, with the North occupying the Southern coastline their economy suffered a great hit which resulted in inflation and thus, the South faced huge economic problems.

·        Military Organization and Leaders. (The South had an Advantage)

The South had the advantage of having the best military leaders as Generals like Robert Lee and Stonewall resigned from their positions in the federal government to join the Confederacy. Therefore, despite the fact that the North had a huge population, the South had a greater army almost equal in size with that of the North during the first year. The Southern soldiers were also known to have a greater shot which meant that they could take out Northerners in their vicinity.