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In the beginning, each side in the Civil War believed the war would be brief and that their side
would win. What advantages did each side hold that made them feel this way? Elaborate.
Northern advantages:
Population
In some ways, northern expectations for a quick victory were reasonable, because the Union
possessed overwhelming material advantages over the South. In 1861, the total population of the
Union was around 22 million, compared to 9 million in the Confederacy. This statistic becomes
even more impressive when one considers that 3.5 million of the Confederacy’s people were
slaves, people clearly unwilling to fight on behalf of the perpetuation of slavery. In terms of
military-age white males, the Union outnumbered the Confederacy four to one.
Materials and Industry
The northern states had other advantages as well. The North had an existing navy and produced
more firearms than the South. It also produced more of the essential provisions of war, including
coal, textiles, corn, and wheat. By all estimates, the North was better able to outfit its men with
weapons, clothing, shoes, and food. The North also had a more extensive network of railroad
lines for transporting those supplies and a larger pool of money to finance its war effort. The
Union possessed about $200 million in bank deposits, while the Confederacy had only $47
million.
Southern Advantages

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Will to Fight
The Confederacy did have certain strengths, however. Three of these advantages were vitally
important. First, northerners severely underestimated the southern will to fight. While only
slaveholders had taken the lead in the secession movement, by April 1861, most southerners
supported the bid for Confederate independence, and they were willing to fight to win it.
A Defensive Battle
The Union also had to wage an offensive war to occupy the South, while the Confederacy had
the simpler task of fighting on the defensive. The Confederacy did not have to overwhelm or
occupy the North; it merely had to frustrate northern efforts to conquer it.
Military Leaders and Morale
At the beginning of the war, the South also had more well-trained military leaders and a stronger
tradition of military service. Many of the West Point–trained officers in the U.S. Army, including
Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, Albert Sydney Johnston, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, and
James Longstreet, sided with the Confederacy. In addition, living in a rural environment, most
men in the South were more comfortable with firearms than soldiers raised in the urban North.
And, in terms of morale, the Confederacy had the advantage of fighting for its existence.
(Schultz 238)
Schultz. HIST. Wadsworth Publishing, 01/2009. <vbk:9781133637721#outline(15.3.2)>.

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In the beginning, each side in the Civil War believed the war would be brief and that their side would win. What advantages did each side hold that made them feel this way? Elaborate.? Northern advantages: Population In some ways, northern expectations for a quick victory were reasonable, because the Union possessed overwhelming material advantages over the South. In 1861, the total population of the Union was around 22 million, compared to 9 million in the Confederacy. This statistic becomes even more impressive when one considers that 3.5 million of the Confederacy's people were slaves, people clearly unwilling to fight on behalf of the perpetuation of slavery. In terms of military-age white males, the Union outnumbered the Confederacy four to one. Materials and Industry The northern states had other advantages as well. The North had an existing navy and produced more firearms than the South. It also produced more of the essential provisions of war, including coal, textiles, corn, and wheat. By all estimates, the North was better able to outfit its men with weapons, clothing, shoes, and food. The North also had a more extensive network of railroad lines for transporting those supplies and a larger pool of money to finance its war effort. The Union possessed about $200 million in bank deposits, while the Confederacy had only $47 million. Southern Advantages Will to Fight The Confederacy did have certain strengths, however. Three of these advantages were vitally important. ...
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