The Civil War

The Civil War On paper the North was far stronger than the South. It had two and a half times as many people, and it possessed far more ships, miles of railroad, and manufacturing enterprises. Southerners, however, had the advantage of fighting on home ground with better military leadership. But Union superiority in manpower was not so great as the gross figures suggest. Half a million people scattered from Dakota to California, could make no …

…strongholds, suffered terrible casualties but seemed to grow stronger with every defeat. Any staggering Confederate losses sapped the southern will to fight. Every material advantage of the North was magnified by the fact that the Civil War lasted years instead of months. Money and credit, food production, transport, factories, clothing (boots)--it took time to redirect the economy to the requirements of war, especially because these requirements, like the length of the war, were underestimated.