Name: edHelper
North vs. South: Strengths and Weaknesses
When the Civil War started, both sides thought that the war would be
over soon. Both sides thought that they would win easily. They also
thought they were fighting the war for the right reasons. The Union
planned an aggressive attack against the South. The North wanted to go
to war to save the Union. At first, ending slavery was not a goal of the
war.
People in the South felt they were fighting to save their way of life. They felt that they were fighting to gain their
freedom. They compared the war to the Revolutionary War.
Both sides had strengths and weaknesses. The South had one big advantage. Soldiers knew the forests well. They
knew the best places to hide. It is easier to defend land that a person knows well. The trees also helped to protect
Southern soldiers when the Union army invaded.
Another advantage the South had was that many men had grown up around guns and horses. They knew how to
hunt and live off the land. This helped them adjust to being soldiers. They were comfortable firing guns and knew
how to handle them.
Many of the best military leaders were in the South. During the war Lincoln had trouble finding generals that
could match the skill that those in the South had. Robert E. Lee had a tough time deciding which side to fight for.
Lincoln asked him to command the Union army. Lee was from Virginia. When Virginia seceded, he chose his
home state over the Union. He became the commander of the Confederate army in the South.
There were also things that put the South at a disadvantage. One of the main weaknesses was their economy. They
did not have factories like those in the North. They could not quickly make guns and other supplies that were
needed. The South's lack of a railroad system was another weakness. There weren't a lot of railroads in the South.
Also, many of the tracks did not connect to each other. The tracks went between two points and stopped. This
made it hard to move troops and supplies.
The North had both strengths and weaknesses, too. There were a lot more free people living in the North than
there were in the South. This meant there were a lot more men who could serve in the army. These extra people
could also grow more food and work in the factories.
When the war started, ninety percent of goods made in the U.S. were made in the North. After the war started,
factories quickly started to make bullets, guns, uniforms, and other supplies that an army needed.
The North had an easier time getting supplies to its army. The railroads in the North were much better. Seventy
