Disadvantages Of The Civil War Essay

With the Civil War approaching, the North and South each had its own advantages and disadvantages. These could be seen in population, industry, money, and importantly transportation. The North (Union) had advantages regarding population. The Union were made up of 23 states in the North with a total population of about 22 million. (pg.306) Compare this to the 11 states for the South (Confederacy) and its population of 9.1 million. The North has the advantage in population and it had almost 4 times as many free citizens. Even with the small population, the Confederates felt confident in their ability to fight as they felt their tradition of hunting and general familiarity with guns would outweigh the huge population of the north. (pg.306). As for industry, the North had an

The disadvantage of the South’s industry would play a role in the Civil War later. Currency was also an advantage for the North. Due to the booming industrial North, the value of its goods were high and with its strong financial advantages it stayed that way. The south had a disadvantage because of its agricultural ways. This did not create the demand for as much capital or currency circulation. (pg.307). Hyperinflation during the war later on would cause desperate financial problems for the Confederates. Lastly, a major difference between the North and South was its transportation. The North operated more than 25,000 miles of railroad tracks compared to the South’s 10,000 miles of railroad tracks. The North had more than 70% of the nation’s railroad tracks. This would play a crucial part in the Civil War as the North would use the tracks in its invasions into the South. Without railroads the South had a hard time moving its troops and supplies during the war. Also, technology was an advantage for the all. With the invention of balloons used by the North to spy on the South and the Union’s ironclad (ships), it spurred the creation of the submarine used by the Confederates to sink the