The Civil War: Why the North Prevailed.
When any two sides look to engage in a war, both sides believe they can win. In the Civil war between the Northern America and Southern America; Known as the Union and Confederacy respectively. There were many ways in which the South was already defeated from the start. In nearly every practical resource for war the Union enjoyed a distinct advantage. But was this advantage an inevitable victory? As we saw in the war for independence sometimes the stronger side loses.
The Civil war, which started in 1831, both sides believed that quick easy victory was in complete favor for them. Though this was no simple war for either side. “The resulting casualties dwarfed anything in the American experience. Beginning as a battle of army versus army, the war became a conflict of society against society.” (Foner, 2012, p. 511). This resulted in a loss of distinction between military men and civilian leading to more and more men wanting to become part of the army.
The war has been tagged in a few different names throughout history. “Northerners have also called the Civil War the War to preserve the Union, the War of Rebellion and the War to Make Men free. Southerners refer to it as the War Between the States or the War of Northern Aggression” (Historynet) “Almost any comparison between the Union and Confederacy seemed to favor the Union. The populations of the North and the loyal border slave states numbered 22 million in 1860, while only 9 million persons lived in the Confederacy, 3.5 million of them slaves.” (Foner, 2012, p. 511). With that big of a population disparity it would lead you to believe that the Confederate South just had no chance to win. “On the other hand, the New confederacy had cotton, had better military commanders, and believed it could bring Britain into the war on its side” (SparkNotes). Even with the Southern side having cotton to their advantage the population loss due to the number of slaves they had was still a detriment to the South. Not only was there a massive population discrepancy, but many other things. The Union out numbered the South in factories by almost a hundred thousand, values of goods produced in the North blew the South out of the water by over a billion dollars, the north had 40% more U.S. Mileage of railroads as well. The North also enjoyed a 17:1 ratio in textiles, a 32:1 ratio in firearms and a 20:1 ratio in pig iron. The Union had a giant advantage in industrial capabilities, quick transportation with canals and railroads. Where the North was strong the South was crippling as told by Foner in this paragraph. “The Union army eventually became the best-fed and best-supplied military force in history.” (Foner, 2012, p. 515). Many southern farmers lived lives of economic self-sufficiency remote from the market revolution. They raised livestock and grew food for their families. Purchasing relatively few goods at local stores . Those residing on marginal land in isolated hill areas and the Appalachian mountains were often desperately poor and, since nearly all the southern states lacked systems of free public education, ,were more often illiterate than their northern counterparts. (Foner, 2012, p. 420). The common Southerner was the reason the South was so far behind in every category, powerful white men owned plantations, with many acres not allowing a dense population to be created, only slave population. The war began in a small corridor …show more content…
Though, the paper did not give liberty to all of the slaves, when it was signed It actually applied to very few of them. What it did do was able the government to enlist black soldiers into the Unions army. “of the Proclamation 's provisions, few were more radical in their implications than the enrollment of blacks into military service.” (Foner, 2012. P. 525) By the end of the war over 180,000 blacks had served in the Union army and over 24,000 in the navy, a considerable boost in size for the Union who already had a distinct population advantage. “Fifteen black soldiers and eight sailors received the medal of honor” (Foner, 2012. P. 525) Which is the highest award for military
When any two sides look to engage in a war, both sides believe they can win. In the Civil war between the Northern America and Southern America; Known as the Union and Confederacy respectively. There were many ways in which the South was already defeated from the start. In nearly every practical resource for war the Union enjoyed a distinct advantage. But was this advantage an inevitable victory? As we saw in the war for independence sometimes the stronger side loses.
The Civil war, which started in 1831, both sides believed that quick easy victory was in complete favor for them. Though this was no simple war for either side. “The resulting casualties dwarfed anything in the American experience. Beginning as a battle of army versus army, the war became a conflict of society against society.” (Foner, 2012, p. 511). This resulted in a loss of distinction between military men and civilian leading to more and more men wanting to become part of the army.
The war has been tagged in a few different names throughout history. “Northerners have also called the Civil War the War to preserve the Union, the War of Rebellion and the War to Make Men free. Southerners refer to it as the War Between the States or the War of Northern Aggression” (Historynet) “Almost any comparison between the Union and Confederacy seemed to favor the Union. The populations of the North and the loyal border slave states numbered 22 million in 1860, while only 9 million persons lived in the Confederacy, 3.5 million of them slaves.” (Foner, 2012, p. 511). With that big of a population disparity it would lead you to believe that the Confederate South just had no chance to win. “On the other hand, the New confederacy had cotton, had better military commanders, and believed it could bring Britain into the war on its side” (SparkNotes). Even with the Southern side having cotton to their advantage the population loss due to the number of slaves they had was still a detriment to the South. Not only was there a massive population discrepancy, but many other things. The Union out numbered the South in factories by almost a hundred thousand, values of goods produced in the North blew the South out of the water by over a billion dollars, the north had 40% more U.S. Mileage of railroads as well. The North also enjoyed a 17:1 ratio in textiles, a 32:1 ratio in firearms and a 20:1 ratio in pig iron. The Union had a giant advantage in industrial capabilities, quick transportation with canals and railroads. Where the North was strong the South was crippling as told by Foner in this paragraph. “The Union army eventually became the best-fed and best-supplied military force in history.” (Foner, 2012, p. 515). Many southern farmers lived lives of economic self-sufficiency remote from the market revolution. They raised livestock and grew food for their families. Purchasing relatively few goods at local stores . Those residing on marginal land in isolated hill areas and the Appalachian mountains were often desperately poor and, since nearly all the southern states lacked systems of free public education, ,were more often illiterate than their northern counterparts. (Foner, 2012, p. 420). The common Southerner was the reason the South was so far behind in every category, powerful white men owned plantations, with many acres not allowing a dense population to be created, only slave population. The war began in a small corridor …show more content…
Though, the paper did not give liberty to all of the slaves, when it was signed It actually applied to very few of them. What it did do was able the government to enlist black soldiers into the Unions army. “of the Proclamation 's provisions, few were more radical in their implications than the enrollment of blacks into military service.” (Foner, 2012. P. 525) By the end of the war over 180,000 blacks had served in the Union army and over 24,000 in the navy, a considerable boost in size for the Union who already had a distinct population advantage. “Fifteen black soldiers and eight sailors received the medal of honor” (Foner, 2012. P. 525) Which is the highest award for military