Confederacy Advantages
navy. “By 1865, the United States had the largest navy in the world.” The North possessed over forty active warships against none for the South. In addition it had the industrial capacity to make and maintain more. At the onset of the war, the Union instructed the navy to blockade the South’s thirty-five hundred mile coastline. Because the South mainly produced cash crops and fewer food crops, it was dependant on its foreign trade with Europe for supplies and income. However, with its overseas interactions halted, the Confederacy was unable to export cotton and goods, leaving it to rely on itself to generate food and needed materials. In contrast, the North was in the business of producing crops that were requisite during war time. The North held sixty percent of the country’s farm acreage. It produced half the nation’s corn, four-fifths of its wheat, seven-eighths of its oats, and owned sixty percent of its livestock. For the South, cotton production provided income, while for the North, staple goods provided essential