History
Ch16 Sec 1
Comparing North and South
Both Sides...
Both sides had some good advantages and some disadvantages. Both sides would use their strengths and weaknesses to determine the war's outcome. And both sides greatly underestimated Abraham Lincoln.
North's Advantages
North enjoyed the advantages of a larger population, more industry, and more abundant resources that the South. North had a better banking system, which helped to raise money for the war. North also had more ships, and a larger and more efficient railway network.
South's Advantages The South had a strong support for its white population. The military leadership of the South was superior to the North's. Southern families had a strong tradition of military training and service. The South's president, Jefferson Davis, a West Point graduate and a experienced soldier.
North's Disadvantages The North also faced disadvantages. Bringing the Southern states back into the Union would be difficult. The North would have to invade and hold the South-a large area filled with a hostile population. Many Northern people believed that the South had a good chance of winning.
South's Disadvantages
South's Disadvantages
The South faced material disadvantages. It had a smaller population of free men to draw upon in building an army. It also possessed very few factories to manufacture weapons and other supplies, it produced less than half as much food as the North. The South also had half the miles of railroad tracks as the North and so they had difficulty delivering food, weapons, and other supplies to its troops.