Which side had the greatest advantage in the Civil War?

Question

Defend your position

Answer 1

People tend to assume that it was the North. But it's not that simple, and much of that perspective is based on how things stood at the END, esp. once the South started spreading the "Lost Cause" mythology, that they really didn't have a chance, but fought nobly on.

(The thing few seem to consider here is that, IF that is true --that the advantages in physical resources made Northern victory INEVITABLE, then the Southern leadership was either made up of utter fools OR they knowingly, and unpardonably, threw their men away.)

No, the outcome was HARDLY inevitable. And a number of the ultimate Northern advantages weren't even in play at the start. (For example, most of those black troops --probably more like 180,000, and yes, major contributors to the Northern victory-- were, at the start of the war, Southern slaves, whose labor was supporting the South's war efforts, and freeing its men to go fight!)

I would argue that, at the BEGINNING of the war, the South had many advantages that amounted to more than what the North had AT THAT TIME. And there were many times along the way when the North might have just given up and walked away. Indeed, that seemed to be the case as late as the summer of 1864.

So -- about those relative advantages:

To start with, many of the NORTH's advantages could ONLY come into play in a LONG struggle where they could continue to produce what they needed, and superior manpower finally gave them the edge when it became a 'war of attrition' (which it was NOT at the start).

1) The South had the enormous advantages of fighting DEFENSE. They did NOT need to "win" (as the North did); they just had to keep the North occupied, wear them out... until they gave up. (Incidentally, many of these are similar to advantages the American colonies held in the Revolution.)

a) defending one's homeland is easier than the other side's taking and having to HOLD every piece of it. The large area and huge border made the Northern task much greater

b) the WILL to fight to protect one's own homeland (or state) -- remained strong in the South through most of the war. (THIS was the reason for such efforts as Sherman's march, for Northern leaders had come to realize that they needed to undercut SUPPORT for the war, the willingness to fight.)

c) the "internal movement of lines" favored the South within its own territory. That is, Southern armies could more easily move troops from one place to another than the Northern armies which had to go AROUND.

(Familiarity with the terrain could also give an enormous edge. Example: One important reason for Stonewall Jackson's success was his use of detailed maps of the area he fought in.)

d) "supply lines" -- invading armies typically need to maintain supply lines THROUGH enemy territory. Northern supply lines would have to be LONG to go very far into the South (Eventually, Grant and others overcame this by cutting off their supply lines and 'living off the land'.)

e) recently improved weaponry (range of accuracy) -- esp. of guns (rifles, canon) -- made offensive maneuvers MUCH more dangerous and costly, and so conversely increased the advantage of defense

f) the "border state" problem -- Lincoln had a very tough balancing act trying to keep the remaining border slave states IN the Union (and there was much division within them... many sympathetic with the South, many who went to fight for the South, and the danger of offending and pushing them out of the Union, e.g., over the slavery issue)


2) The South began with superior MILITARY LEADERSHIP -- many more Southern officers had military training (esp at West Point) than those of the North

And in a couple of key points:

a) the President of the Confederacy was MILITARILY trained (even a former Secretary of War); the Union's commander-in-chief was in the midst of 'on the job training' (though over time he proved adept at grasping a larger strategy)

b) Lee, who quickly became the most important Southern general, had a daring and cunning that the North's General McClellan and his early successors absolutely lacked.


3) The South had a lot of FOREIGN sympathy --and looked for a long time like it would be recognized by European powers, which would lead to important financial (and military?) support, and undermine the Northern blockade, a key component of the North's efforts. (Compare key French [and Dutch and Spanish] assistance of the American colonies in the Revolution.)

(ECONOMIC POWER) The foreign desire for Southern cotton contributed to this willingness to support the South (as the South had hoped).

And when some of these advantages became less important, as the North adapted, gained better leadership, etc., the POLITICAL advantage of Northern "war weariness" GREW. (This explains why Lincoln believed, in August 1864, that he would LOSE the election and might well lose the war.... until major progress by Sherman [taking Atlanta] and Grant turned the Northern attitude around.)

Answer 2

The North had more industrialization, a larger population and immigration as an advantage, more telegraphs, more trains, more rifles and cannons, a larger navy, better economics, and approximately 130,000 African-Americans serving in the military.

Defend my position? I already did. What is your position?

Answer 3

The north had much more manpower and a lot of industry.

Answer 4

the north had greater resources and had the money to buy what the troops needed.

Answer 5

The North because it had more money and better/more resources.