Compare And Contrast Union And Confederate

The Union and Confederate fighting styles were similar in many ways, but in certain aspects, they were vastly different. Both sides valued honor and loyalty and frowned upon retreat. Both sides believed they were fighting for a just cause and that they would win the war easily. One difference between them was, the Confederacy had first-rate generals and the Union had more manpower. The Confederacy started more defensively, but as the war progressed they became more offensive. The Union was always on the offensive, hoping to reclaim the Confederacy with the Anaconda plan being the overarching strategy. The North wanted to reclaim the South but the South wanted to stay at home and defend their independence, which was the basis of the differences in their fighting styles. …show more content…
Therefore, their strategy was mainly offensive. The overarching Union plan was to surround the confederacy. The Union executed their offensive strategy by sending a blockade around by sea, and simultaneously sending troops down the Mississippi, effectively surrounding the southern opposition and dividing the south into two parts and cutting of trade. This plan was dubbed the Anaconda plan. This negatively impacted the Union forces because they were spread thin and it would take time to affect the South’s economy.
Near the beginning of the war, the Confederacy was fighting just to defend their position and therefore, fought defensively. As the war progressed, the confederacy changed to a more offensive strategy. When in battle the Confederacy tended to charge the enemy head on with a full frontal charge. The Confederacy as a nation did have the advantage of the defensive side in the war scenario. The Confederacy also had a code of honor that frowned upon retreat. Most of the wars were fought on Confederate soil, which was testament to the Confederates failed