...themselves the Union while the southern states were considered the Confederacy. In this paper, I will discuss some respective advantages and disadvantages of the Union and how these elements manifested during the American Civil War. Let’s start off with an advantage the Union had over the Confederacy. The Union had far more valuable leadership such as Ulysses S. Grant. (World History Group, n.d.) Ulysses worked his way up through the ranks of the Army starting as a volunteer. The victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg put Ulysses in the public eye and was promoted to Lieutenant General and named commander of the entire Union army by President Lincoln. (Ulysses S. Grant, n.d.) Ulysses surrounded Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s army in Northern Virginia and Lee eventually surrendered to the Union at Appomattox...
Words: 564 - Pages: 3
...April 20th 2009 The Confederacy entered the Civil War with several disadvantages which resulted in the Union predicted a short and easily combated war. Yet despite all their shortcomings the South shocked everyone by turning the Civil War into a four year skirmish resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths and the destruction of much of the country. Though the Confederacy did hold off the Union for a longer period of time then expected their lack of industry, the confederate army’s tendency to only fight on the offensive combined with the failure of the Confederacy to be recognized as a nation by a foreign power led to the South’s demise. The economies of the North and the South differed drastically during the antebellum period leading up to secession. The South came to be known as a mostly agrarian society based mostly on the work of the farm and plantation. The North became a champion of industrialization, holding most of factories and the work force to man those factories. During the Civil War creation of new supplies became a constant need for both sides of the conflict. The Union found advantage in that the Northern factories produced the majority of the ammunition. Not only did the Union army have the majority of the fire power they also possessed access to more ways of transportation through railroads, ships and wagons. Being able to transport supplies and soldiers over great distances gave the North great advantage. The Confederacy who lacked the same level...
Words: 669 - Pages: 3
...Civil War was one of the bloodiest wars in the American history that sacrificed tremendous amount of people from 1861 to 1865. It was also known as the War Between the States due to the war was based on the conflicts between the Confederacy and the Union. Both of the Confederacy and the Union enjoyed advantages from themselves and encountered obstacles in the major events during the war. Before the war, one of the biggest advantages of the Union was that they had a much larger population than the South, which is about 22 million, and 3.5 million of them were slaves. In this case, the larger population means the larger possibility to win the war. For the industry, the North also had more factories production than South, which the North had 92.6% and the South had only 7.4%. The reason lied on nature sources in their lands. The resources in the North were mostly iron and coal. However, for the South, they had many sources of gold and silver, which cannot produce equipments for a war. This led to the production of the equipments that were required to use during the war decreased. The amount of factories in the North produced much more than South; 98% of the United States firearms and 96% of the United States rail equipment were produced by the North. Thus, in this case, the Union had more advantages than Confederacy. For the North, they had almost as much as twice of the mileage compared to the South. Additionally, the Northern rails were integrated and very efficient. The...
Words: 1011 - Pages: 5
...much meaning, yet just as much controversy, and the American Civil War is no exception in regards to that statement. Even before the Civil War began, foreign influence played an important role in several conflicts throughout American History. In the Revolutionary War, the Americans reached out to the French for support. This made an enormous difference in the war, giving the Americans enough of an advantage to beat back Britain and win. In the Civil War, that concept was brought back into play, as foreign countries supported both sides of the war through moral, financial, and manufacturing support. Although many Americans today believe that the Civil War was an internal conflict, in reality, foreign nations played a significant role throughout the entirety of the war. Though many people may think that the American Civil War was only between the North and the South, while in reality, it was an international event. The country that was the most influential throughout the course of the war was Great Britain. Although this country was officially considered neutral, the citizens of this nation found many different ways to aid the war. The British provided assistance to both sides of the war, but they mainly aided the Confederacy. Britain “did provide significant assistance in other ways, chiefly...
Words: 1539 - Pages: 7
...Good Morning, even though I opposed war and thought of slavery as a social evil, I knew that I had to arise and support the south. “Strike the tent,” is the last words I said at hour of my death. I was an imperative person in the Confederacy who contributed much to the Civil War due to my high ranking as an army general. As one of the south’s greatest heroes in the Civil War, I won many battles with my well trained armies and battle plans. As a general, I trained my superb troops to lead a defensive war instead of an offensive war. Due to a scarcity in supplies, I taught my troops to be frugal with supplies, including gun powder, which allowed the Confederacy to win many battles. I knew that my troops were not strong enough to fight, so I would often steal the Union’s battle plans before a war allowing us to have an advantage among them. At a low point for the Confederacy in the Civil War, I created the S. Atlantic Coast Defenses. I created the S. Atlantic Coast Defenses to help the Confederacy fight in times of need when my troops could no longer continue at war due to their unstable conditions....
Words: 537 - Pages: 3
...The American Civil War was a testing period of opposing wills between the Union and the Confederacy. The main focal point for the war was on the issue of slavery. Headed by Abraham Lincoln, the Union desperately tried to emancipate the slaves while Jefferson Davis, head of the Confederates, tried to lead the Confederate rebellion against this emancipation. The two sides met numerous times in many battles that were spearheaded by brave soldiers. The soldiers of the American Civil War had many things in common including volunteers in their respective armies, military life, and some technology, but the overarching difference was the support of the African Americans the Union possessed. In February 1861, the Confederate States of America were formed which consisted of eleven states that seceded from the Union for their preservation of the right of slavery, states’ rights, and political liberty. Led by Jefferson Davis, the...
Words: 1430 - Pages: 6
...The American Civil War is said to be “the last ancient war and the first modern war.” One of the last wars with mass cavalry units and the first war which railroads placed a major part. This was a difficult time for the North and South, not only were they fighting a Civil War, they were adjusting to new inventions. They have gone from horse-drawn carriages to railroads, medical practices that had barely changed in a hundred years; were now treating wounds caused by new inventions. This would be a new kind of war for both the North and South. Prior to the Civil War each side had its advantages and disadvantages. If you were to compare them you would find differences in economic, social to cultural even transportation then any similarities. With so many difference and beliefs it’s no wonder they tore the nation apart, fought against family members and destroyed property. The South was in all aspects following behind the North and did not except or want changes imposed by the North. Regardless of the differences perhaps at the beginning of the war the South was ready to defend its way of life. Their over all differences lead to the Civil War and it was not solely because of slavery, but the right to live as they had for years. Before the war you had the upper and lower South who did not agree to secession at the same time. This caused a dividing line not only was the North and South divided the South was divided between its self. These eight states, Kentucky, Tennessee...
Words: 3685 - Pages: 15
...Major Battles of the Civil War Throughout the Civil War, there were a total of about 10,500 battles, military actions, and engagements between the North and South(from April 1861 to May 1865). Almost 700,000 troops died in the wide battleground of twenty-three different states. The strong disagreements about slavery, the Southern Secession, and Abraham Lincoln's presidency had contributed to the start of the Civil War, and numerous battles fought between the North’s Union and the South’s Confederacy. At Lincoln's Inaugural Address, he denounced the secession and claimed all federal property in the South, mostly in South Carolina, as the Union's (majorly Fort Sumter). However, South Carolina, as one of the first states to separate, wanted to seize the fort in order to show their seriousness. Major Robert Anderson took Lincoln's order and defended Fort Sumter at Charleston Harbor with 68 Union troops on April 11, 1861. The South sent General P.T.G. Beauregard to seize the fort and demanded Anderson to surrender. When he refused, the canon fired, and for thirty-four hours, the two sides fought violently. The Battle of Fort Sumter ended with Anderson's surrender, and the the federal authority was outraged. This resulted in the calling of 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion and four more states joining the Confederacy. The Civil War began and did not end until another four years of deadly, bloody fighting. After the incident in Fort Sumter, Union General Winfield Scott...
Words: 975 - Pages: 4
...1. The Civil War, a battle between northern states and southern states that disaffiliate from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, was fought between the years 1861-1865. Furthermore, the Union certainly had considerable advantages wherein they used its naval power to execute an increasingly tight blockade and was supported by the fact that four slave states – Delaware, Missouri, Maryland and Kentucky – remained devoted to the Union. On the other side, the Confederacy had an important psychological advantage. Southerners were protecting their own land and homes – a fact that may have inspired them to fight that much harder than Northerners, who were fighting for the more abstract chase of reunion (Farmer, 2005). Throughout the war there was a stable flow of blacks fleeing to Union armies. The North transformed first their labor and eventually their military manpower into a Union resource. Given the Union’s strength, the Confederacy was always likely to be trampled. Historians have quarreled over the answers to these questions since that day at Appomattox. Explanations for Confederate baffle in the Civil War can be broken into two categories: some historians argue that the Confederacy crushed largely because of social divisions within Southern society, while others accentuate the Union's military defeat of Confederate armies (Sheehan-Dean, 2012). These arguments are not mutually limited—no historian would reject that Southern society was fragmented by racial...
Words: 446 - Pages: 2
...Civil war was a major turning point for the united states, it’s one of the factors that made U.S as what its today. the change didn’t come easily although the civil war of 1861 isn’t something we can experience today we can feel the tension from just reading history. Life for both confederate army and union soldiers in army camps were about fighting for their cause, their country. for the same reason their life was on line. this quote explains how they lived through the camps “army regulations called for washing one’s hands and face every day and taking complete bath once a week, many soldiers failed to do so. as result, body lice, dysentery, and diarrhea were common” and adding to that many starved, they didn’t have a proper meal or constant pays. they had to camp through extreme weather, they weren’t able to see their family and loved ones for months, sometimes a year too. On the other side civilians were mostly women, children, elderly, slaves and rich people in the in both states. women had to work in the place of the south men and it was like that in north they had simple jobs, a lower pay than men. most women in the civil war experienced the loss of father, son, husband cousin or friend. it wasn’t easy for anyone except rich people because they had the choices, not to go to army. in the south if you had more than 40 slaves than you didn’t have to go with army. in north...
Words: 952 - Pages: 4
...Northern Strategy in the Civil War: Tactics and techniques used by the Federal government that turned the tide of the war Jason McCawley Research Paper HIST 101 Spr 11 6 June 2011 -2- The Federal government of the United States was faced with an enormous challenge following the firing of rebel cannon upon Ft. Sumter, SC, in April of 1864. How would a still relatively new government respond to an internal revolt? The Union army (Federal government) used several different methods, known in today’s military as Tactics, Techniques and Procedures (TTP’s). The Federal government was faced with the daunting choice of allowing the Confederate’s to simply leave the Union, or to try and re-unite the country by military force. Of course the Federal’s and President Lincoln could not simply let the country split into two. President Lincoln ordered his top military leaders to come up with a tactical plan to conquer the rebels and bring the Confederacy back into the Union. One of President Lincoln’s top military leaders, General Winfield Scott, proposed a plan, called the Anaconda Plan, based upon three primary missions (procedures). First, a naval blockade of the Southern seaports, second to gain complete control of the Mississippi river, and third, the capture and surrender of Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederate States of America.1 By blockading the Confederate ports, President Lincoln and General Scott hoped to deprive the rebel government of their main income...
Words: 1596 - Pages: 7
...many, but the bloodiest by far has been the Civil War. It is considered the bloodiest war, because it was the war in which the most American blood was shed. The Civil War was between the North and the South due to the succession of the Southern states in 1861. The Union (North) was led by General Ulysses S. Grant, and the Confederates (South) were led by General Robert E. Lee. In the third year of the Civil War, a turning point occured, in which the 'losing team' began to dominate the war. Grant Defeated Lee during the Battle of Gettysburg. The Confederacy's confidence took a huge toll and left the Union with the advantage. The Battle of the Gettysburg switched the advancing side, for the Union. Throughout the Civil War there were many battles, casualties, and of course the famous Gettysburg Address. The Union and Confederacy would have a harsh march in series of military operation in a certain area conducted to achieve a certain point, also known as a campaign. General Robert E. Lee would march his Confederate amry down to the Union to battle them, because he was so confident that he would win. In the diagram in Doc. A the arrows show that the Confederates would march to the North to begin the battles. If it wasnt for General Lee's...
Words: 565 - Pages: 3
...out generalize Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton and eventually start the fall of Richmond and the Confederacy of Jefferson Davis. That the campaign was a central ingredient for success according to President Abraham Lincoln and would divide the Confederacy while, giving the Union complete control of the Mississippi transportation route. With the capture of Vicksburg, the Union led by risky, yet boisterous attempts of Grant far more outmaneuvered the indecisive and ill-equipped decisions of Pemberton; and the stronghold of the Union over the Confederacy. At this time in the Civil War, the Mississippi river was the most important trade and supply route in the United States. It was the livelihood of the country and with it held the greatest economic feature to trade in the country and the world for agricultural products and their export and intercontinental transfer. It was the last stranglehold the Confederacy held on the Union and the prevention of military supply and aid to the Deep South, commerce of the middle and northwestern states to the world and a waning support of the war in enthusiasm and economic demand. President Abraham Lincoln said of Vicksburg and the importance of its seizure, “See what a lot of land these fellows hold, and Vicksburg is the key. The war can never be brought to a close until that key is in our pocket… We can take all the northern ports of the Confederacy, and they can defy us from Vicksburg.” He went onto say after a trip made as a boy in a flat bottom...
Words: 1988 - Pages: 8
...Civil War Paper Learning Team A HIS/110 Professor Joe Getzlemen Historian Shelby Foote Shelby Foote was a writer and historian that became famous for his three-volume, 3,000-page books about the Civil War. In 1990, an 11-hour series on public television was shown based on his books.. With over 14 million viewers, he was instantly in the spotlight. Although he was not born until some 50 years after the Civil War, his great-grandfather was Confederate Captain Hezekiah William Foot, a slave owner. Shelby himself was born in Mississippi and lived in other southern states such as Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida. He attended the University of North Carolina but left to take a writing job at a Mississippi newspaper. When the United States joined the fight in World War II, Shelby joined the National Guard and reached the rank of captain. After being discharged in 1945 he returned home to Mississippi and began writing again. He published five books in five years, but it wasn’t until 1953 that he would begin his trilogy on the Civil War. During an appearance of the public broadcasting, he was quoted as saying “Any understanding of this nation has to be based…on an understanding of the Civil War…The Civil War defined us as what we are, and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things. It is very necessary if you’re going to understand the American character in the 20th century to learn about this enormous catastrophe of the mid-19th century. It was the crossroads...
Words: 1616 - Pages: 7
...1. The Compromise of 1850 attempted to answer all of the contemporary issues pertaining to the institution of slavery. Describe the major positions on slavery and the contending issues about this institution in 1850. How did the terms of the Compromise of 1850 seek to resolve these issues? In 1850, there were five positions on the institution of slavery. The first position was anti-slavery. This was predominantly felt by those in the north. Those with this view felt slavery could exist in the south but could not be expanded into the new territories. They felt slavery should mostly for economic issues. Plantations with slaves produced higher quantities faster. This meant lower costs. The next position was the abolitionist position. This view was held by a very small minority in the north and almost none in the south. Abolitionists felt slavery should be ended everywhere, even in the south and should not be permitted to expand into the territories. There were two types of abolitionists. There were colonizers who not only wanted to end slavery in the south but they wanted people of color to be shipped to another country because they felt the different races would never get along. Colonizers thought black people could start their own colonies elsewhere. The second type of abolitionists was egalitarians. They, like colonizers, wanted slavery to end everywhere but they felt enslaved persons were Americans and therefore thought they were entitled to all the rights...
Words: 2726 - Pages: 11