From: jennifer morrone
Date: 4/19/00
Time: 9:21:43 PM
Remote Name: 209.255.36.58
The Civil War tested both Northern and Southern societies, their economies, political systems and military generals and strategies. The North and South were not evenly matched in these areas. The North had an advantage over the south in a matter of physical strength, for it contained an enormous population. It had a large industrial capacity and better railroad mileage. It had demographic and industrial superiority. But the South’s armies faced an easier task. The confederacy neede only to defend its own territory, while the North would have to invade and conquer the South. The Confederacy also had a greater capacity to chose the times and place of battle. They also could take advantage of the familiar terrain and a population that was largely on their side. The Confederacy could appeal to its people's patriotism by defining its cause as a defense of their homeland against alien invaders. The Northern population wasn’t willing to give as much support to a war that seemed to be fought over what seemed to be the abstract principle that the Union was “sacred and perpetual”. Southerners had confidence in the assumptions that they made much batter fighting men than the Northerners. They were farm boys who were used to riding and shooting and they believed they could beat the northern clerks and factory workers.(even though most northern fighter were also farmers).The South also believed they could count on England and France for support if needed, for their industrious economies relied on the South’s cotton, so they thought. Northern military planners had greater difficulty working out basic strategies. So they developed one by trial and error. Lincoln decided on a two- front war. He would keep pressure on Virginia in hopes of a breakthrough, while authorizing advancement down the Mississippi valley. This was to isolate Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. He also applied a coastal blockade. This plan took advantage of the North’s superiority in manpower and materials. But lack of good leadership delayed the plan. Both sides at first had an oversupply of volunteers but as it became apparent the war wasn’t going to be short, the supplies on both ends diminishes greatly. Both the North and South relied mainly on private industry to produce war materials. In the North this system of contracting with private firms led to corruption and inefficiency. But because of the North’s strong economy, in time the factories and farms were producing more than enough to provide for the troops without significantly lowering the people’s standards of living. The Southern economy was less adaptable. Because of weak industrial base, the South depended on outside for most manufactured goods and as the union blockade became more effective, they had to rely on gov’t sponsored cash programs to produce their war materials. The Southern planters were reluctant to shift from staples to food stuffs. The South’s internal transportation system was also inadequate. Unlike the North it linked plantation regions to port cities rather than connecting food producing areas with population centers. Though both the North and South inflated currency. the South suffered more because of the shortage of readily disposable wealth.