American Civil War: Causes, Advantages, and Outcome

• Following Lincoln's election in 1860, South Carolina adopted articles of secession.
• Six other states joined South Carolina within six weeks, forming the Confederate States of America.
• Confederate President Jefferson Davis demanded the surrender of all federal troops in Southern territory.
• Union Major Robert Anderson garrisoned himself inside Ft. Sumter.
• On April 12, 1861, the Confederacy attacked Ft. Sumter, leading to Anderson's surrender and the start of the Civil War.
• Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to crush the rebellion.
• The Civil War became the deadliest war in American history, resulting in as many as 750,000 soldiers' deaths.
• The Union victory led to the destruction of the Confederacy and the abolition of slavery.

Northern Advantages

• The North had approximately twice as many men of fighting age as the South.
• The North possessed greater industrial capacity, producing more advanced weaponry.
• In 1860, Northern factories manufactured 97% of the nation's firearms.
• The entire U.S. Navy remained under federal control.
• The Union instituted a blockade of the South.
• The blockade significantly reduced Southern income from cotton exports, but blockade runners still supplied enough foreign goods to sustain the Confederacy for four years.

Southern Advantages

• Many Southerners were skilled in hunting and horsemanship.
• The Confederacy developed a skilled cavalry that could evade the Union's artillery.
• A majority of the nation's experienced military leaders were Southerners.
• Seven of the nation's eight military colleges were located in Southern territory.
• The Confederacy had Robert E. Lee and other effective military leaders from the beginning of the war.
• The South controlled the Mississippi River Delta which was critical for an effective blockade, and to thwart the Confederacy's plan to push west through New Mexico to the Pacific Ocean.
• The Confederacy fought a defensive war, which had strategic and popular support advantages.
• The Confederacy aimed to outlast the North's will to fight and was united in preserving their land.

Factors

• The Confederacy was not recognized by any foreign nation.
• The Confederate States of America never gained a political ally.
• The United States Congress was remarkably productive without Southern opposition.