The Civil War was one of the defining moments in American history. The Confederacy was attempting to secede from the Union in order create a new country. Had they been victorious, the United States, as it is today, would not exist. The North and South had a number of differences, including the land around them , military tactics, and social beliefs, but all in all, they were still one united country politically. Because the Confederacy’s entire economy was based on slavery, many Southerners believed they needed to maintain the institution at any cost. The resulting 620,000 casualties was the most from any war in American history. It left a hole in our nation which had to be refilled with the hope and faith of the people. Northern advantages were many …show more content…
Furthermore, the North had a stronger naval force than did the South in addition to a larger supply of private trading ships from which to draw. This advantage allowed the North to control the waterways and a blockade of the South could prevent them from importing critical supplies such as gunpowder and could ultimately cripple their entire war effort. Moreover, Northern companies also owned seventy percent of the nation’s railroads, which led to the advantage of quick and effective transportation. Finally, the North had over 4 times the population of the South did which meant the Union Army had a larger pool from which to draw and resulted in a larger military force as the war continued to drag on. The South, on the other hand, had a very different set of strengths. Fighting on their own territory provided the advantage of better preparation and strategy. Northern soldiers would be forced to conquer a huge territory in order to being the southern United States back into the fold. Being familiar with the terrain, Southern armies could harass and trick Union forces regularly. Also, Southerners tended to be more experienced in combat training. In fact, the great