What Factors Allowed The North To Win The American Civil War

“For good or ill, over the past two centuries the western way of war has become dominant all over the world.” This quote is from The Cambridge History of Warfare, as written by Geoffrey Parker. There are several different Western Ways of War, which “boasts great antiquity” according to Geoffrey Parker. Some of these ways of war include superior technology, having impeccably trained soldiers, and expanding the army. “The steady spread of western military power rested on far more than the triad of technology, discipline and an aggressive military tradition.” In this case, the western way of war that best exemplifies warfare in the American Civil War is “innovation”, as described by Parker. According to Parker, this innovation can apply to technology

For the Civil War, this meant that expanding the armies in particular was the “secret weapon” that ultimately won the war. Specifically, allowing former slaves to participate in the army is one of the biggest contributions to the Union’s success. It didn’t hurt that the Union was able to support the increase in their army financially, and this in turn increased the Union’s power. Parker states that this financial advantage helps to increase the overall power of the state in question: in this case the Union in the Civil war. Allowing former slaves to join the army for the Union was ultimately what clinched their victory on many fronts. As Ryan Holiday states in his article: “The war began because of slavery, and it ended and was won because of

Though there were many of aspects of the North’s victory, such as help from the telegraph and railroad systems, certain excellent military strategies by the Union, there was also the factor of allowing former slaves into the army. Innovation - as outlined by Geoffrey Parker - is only one of the Western Ways of War, but it is easily the one that best exemplified warfare during the Civil War. This partially comes from “A willingness to accept ideas from all quarters.” This is shown through several ways, such as: the way black people flocked to the Union in order to fight against slavery, and the way fight against their former slaves strategically crippled the South. This is also shown through the North quickly accepting newer technologies, and unique strategies. Though the North did not treat many of these former slaves very well, they still gained the tactical advantage by adapting and letting those former slaves be better equipped fight. All of these factors combined are what helped to win the war in the