Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Civil War

The Civil War was one of the most important events in our history. The North and the South each had their strengths and weaknesses. The following is a comparison using the northern states of New York and Illinois and the southern states of South Carolina and Mississippi. There were a lot of differences in population, resources, military leadership, & battle location that played key roles in the ultimate outcome of the Civil War. 1
First, the difference in population. The North had more men of fighting age than their counterpart which gives them more men to lose for the cause.1 The North had a more people than the South which is an advantage because they can have more soldiers fighting and still have enough men to keep the rest of the Union going. Women and children also helped keep the Union functioning, by supplying the soldiers with food, uniforms, to medical supplies. Some women even went to the front lines to be nurses. On the other hand, the Confederacy had less people and most of them were off fighting. That left the women and children to run the big plantations and control all the slaves.1
Another important aspect for preparing for war is resources. An army cannot function without food and the Union took the advantage with this aspect. They had small farms that grew edible crops which …show more content…
According to National Park Service the North produced 17 times more cotton goods, 20 times more pig iron, and most importantly 32 times more firearms.2 So the Union had factories to supply their army very well and the South did not. The North also had railroads which enable them to transport men and supplies faster throughout the country. So Grant’s men could get supplies quicker than Lee could. So Grant could be prepared to attack more often than the Southern