Why Did The Northern Union Win The Civil War?

An American Battlefield Trust article stated, “There were an estimated 1.5 million casualties reported during the Civil War.” (“Civil War Casualties”). The Civil War was the bloodiest war in the United States. It had broken up the country into two sides: the Union, the northern states, and the Confederacy, the southern states. The Union eventually won the war, but both sides had many advantages to winning the war. The Northern Union was the most equipped to win the war, though, with their industry, population, and resources. Between both sides, the Union was better equipped to win the Civil War than the Confederacy. First of all, one reason why the Union was better equipped was their resources and manufacturing industry. The Union had more manufacturing factories than the Confederacy. There were more bountiful …show more content…
A U.S. History Online Textbook page titled “Strengths and Weaknesses: North vs. South” has stated, “In 1860, the North manufactured 97 percent of the country's firearms, 96 percent of its railroad locomotives, 94 percent of its cloth, 93 percent of its pig iron, and over 90 percent of its boots and shoes” (“Strengths” 33). This shows how much the Union controlled the industry, which is around 95% of the whole United States. However, those in favor of the South might say that the Confederacy had control of the food industry, which is also important. While this is true, the South was way more limited in weapon manufacturing and other areas that were crucial to their army. To sum up, the North controlled most of the manufacturing industry, with over 95% of firearm manufacturing in the whole United States, which created a huge disadvantage for the Confederacy. Furthermore, another reason why the Union was better equipped in the civil war was their population. The North had 18.5 million people, whereas the South had 5.5 million free people and 3.5 million enslaved