Civil War Advantages: Union vs Confederacy

Confederate Advantages

• Home field advantage: fighting on familiar territory
• Knowledge of the land: confederates were familiar with the terrain
• High morale: fighting to defend their homes and families

Union Advantages

• Larger population: 2.5 times more people than the Confederacy
• 1/3 of Confederate population were enslaved and thus not available to fight
• Strong industrial capacity: 90% of US industrial capacity located in the North
• More resources: the North had more guns, clothing and other supplies
• Railroads: control of most railroads
• Strengthened moral position: the Emancipation Proclamation shifted the war focus to destroying slavery

Resources (Manpower)

• Union: 22 million people
• Confederacy: 6 million people (1/3 were enslaved)
• Confederacy implemented conscription in 1862
  • Men aged 18-35 (later 17-50) were required to serve for 3 years
  • Exemptions allowed; hiring replacements or claiming ownership of 20 enslaved people
• Union implemented conscription in 1863
  • Men aged 20-45 were eligible for service
  • Exemptions were granted; paying a fee ($300) or hiring replacements

Weaponry

• Union had an advantage in manufacturing weapons
• Confederacy relied on European imports and domestic production

Food/Clothing/Shoes

• Confederacy faced shortages

Economy

• Union had more varied population and markets, less reliant on foreign trade
• Confederacy's economy relied on cotton trade, which was disrupted by the Union blockade
• War bonds issued by both sides
• Taxes collected by both sides
• Inflation resulted from the printing of money
  • Union: $431,000,000
  • Confederacy: $1,500,000,000
• Union economy prospered, while Confederate economy suffered

Women in the War

• Worked on home farms and ran other businesses
• Involved in government work (bureaucracy, spies, smuggling)
• Became nurses (3,200 served in the war)
• Notable figures include Dorothea Dix, and Clara Barton
• Significant roles in education

Technology of the Civil War

• Telegraph used to communicate intelligence and track troops
• Railroads used for moving troops and supplies
• Naval advances included:
  • Union blockade of Southern coastline to control the Mississippi River
  • Iron-plated warships (CSS Virginia and Monitor)
  • Battle of Hampton Roads (March 9, 1862): first ironclad battle
  • Submarines (e.g., Hunley)

Rifles and Guns

• Rifles and repeating rifles of 1850 had longer range and greater accuracy
• Machine guns were not yet widely used

Trench Warfare

• Defensive warfare used for rifle fire protection

The War: Phase I (1861-1862)

• Leadership: Early struggles for Union in finding effective generals (George B. McClellan)
• Confederacy leadership Strong leadership under Robert E. Lee
• Border States: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware were kept in the Union by Lincoln, avoiding widespread division
• Expectations: Short conflict anticipated by both sides, initially.
• First Battle of Bull Run (1861): Led to initial Confederate victory.
• Theaters of War: Western and Eastern theaters
• Campaigns (1861-1862): Union objectives included destroying the Army of Northern Virginia and capturing Richmond (Confederate capital)
• Peninsula Campaign (1862): McClellan's plan to capture Richmond, but stalled due to Lee's adept leadership.
• Lee's Invasion of Maryland (1862): Confederate initiative aimed at gaining supplies and threatening Washington, though resulted in a strategic Union victory at the Battle of Antietam

Emancipation Proclamation

• A military decision designed to weaken the Confederacy by freeing slaves in the Confederacy
• Changed the nature of the war
• Prevented European alliance with the Confederacy