At the initial stage of the Civil War, the North and South faced the same tasks, like collecting an army and funds for armaments. The researchers note that the Union had a significant advantage over the Confederacy. First of all, the population of the North was significantly more prominent, which gave it more human resources that could theoretically join the army. In addition, the Union’s weapons were much better, and they had more funds to support their army. Another significant advantage was that the North had much less territory to defend than the South. However, despite these advantages, it took about four years for the army of the North to finally defeat the Confederacy.
On the other hand, the South also counted on a quick resolution of the conflict. Most of the population of the North were emigrants who were not interested in defending the interests of the American government. At the same time, the South was defending its social order, and the Confederacy’s army was mainly composed of native Southerners who saw their interest in maintaining slavery in the South. The Confederacy’s weapons were inferior to the North’s, yet they fought for their ideas and interests.
Nevertheless, the main reason the war lasted almost four years can be called the right military tactics and strategies. One of the turning points for the South was the adoption of the conscription law in April 1862 (Boyer et al. 403). According to this law, all white men from 18 to 35 years old were required to serve in the army for three years without fail. Thus, the army of the South was constantly increasing in number, while the army of the Union was predominantly static. Moreover, it should be noted that the army of the South was originally more prepared since, before the Civil war, there was a threat of a slave uprising. For the most part, the Confederacy’s army consisted of trained soldiers and officers with the experience and skills necessary to repel the North effectively.
In addition, the South mostly used the tactics of protecting its territories. That is, for the Confederacy, there was no task to seize the North’s lands and overthrow the Union’s power. Moreover, they fought on their territories, with the features with which they were familiar. On the other hand, the army of the North was precisely to overthrow the power of the Confederacy, eliminate the system of slavery and seize the territories of the South under the rule of the Union. The fulfillment of these tasks required sufficient military training and resources, which also became the reason for the length of the war.
However, the increased composition of the South’s army, recruited according to the contract law, required weapons and ammunition. Boyer et al. note that initially, the Confederacy counted on the support of the countries of Europe, in particular England and France, with which they had established relations (403). However, European countries could find replacements for goods that had previously been supplied from the South and, as a result, refused to provide the necessary resources for the Confederacy’s army. It was one of the reasons for the final defeat of the Southerners in the civil war. In addition, the army of the North also had experienced officers engaged in developing effective strategies. As a result, the army of the South suffered several significant defeats, including in the Atlanta campaign, which predetermined the outcome of the civil war.
Work Cited
Boyer, Paul S., et al. The Enduring Vision: A History of the American People, Volume 1: To 1877. Cengage Learning, 2018.