Compare And Contrast North And Confederate

When both the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South) entered into war with each other, neither side was thoroughly prepared for battle. Both the North and the South had issues gathering enough resources and raising funds to support their war efforts (Goldberg, ed. 7, The American Journey, 405). However, the Union did have an advantage over the Confederacy. The North had a large population, strong political and military leadership, and plentiful resources; while the South struggled to piece together an entirely new government and army. This early upper-hand by the Union was what helped them eventually wear down the Southern troops at the end of the war and win. The Union had a huge advantage over the Confederacy in terms of resources. Not only did the North have a larger population than the South, but they also had a navy, a national army, and vast transportation systems to utilize during the war (Goldberg, 406-07). The Union also operated many manufacturing and industrial plants that could produce weapons and other products of war (Goldberg, 407).
With this abundance of resources, the North had an immediate upper-hand. Even though the South was not prepared to fight in war due to a lack of supplies, they did not let that stop them in battle. The Confederacy was more concerned about the financial burdens the war would bring and had difficulties raising money to fund their army. The Union faced problems too regarding funding, but they were able to find efficient ways to raise money like collecting interest off of long and short-term bonds (Goldberg, 408).
In addition to resources, strong leadership from both sides was vital in order to be successful in war.
Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, had a military background and experience as a secretary of war which made him the best candidate for the position (Goldberg, 408). Davis faced many problems early on in his leadership: from having create an entirely new government to figuring out how to finance the war. Although Jefferson Davis did his best, he did not possess the same leadership or communication skills that President Abraham Lincoln had. Lincoln was the President of the Union and was great at boosting the Northerner’s morale and convincing them to continue fighting in the war. Although both were great leaders with similar military backgrounds, Lincoln was able to better utilize the North’s resources in the most strategic way possible helping his side tremendously throughout the war (Goldberg,
409).
During the war, the Confederate troops took on a defensive approach, while the Union was on the offensive side. The Confederates saw a defensive strategy to be their best option because they only wanted to protect their territory and it would be easier to attack Union troops on their vast amounts of land (Goldberg, 410). The Union took on a different approach. The wanted to invade and seize the Confederate’s land and claim it as theirs. Although the Confederates approach was strategically planned, they failed to hold off Northern troops and were forced to surrender. Overall, the North won the battle of the two sides. The Union was able to secure their win because of their vast amounts of resources and larger population, in addition to the perseverance and strength exhibited by the leader President Lincoln. The South tried to wear down the North’s morale with a long-drawn out war, but the North’s will-power stayed strong and they ended up victorious. Though both sides faced problems when entering the war, it was the Union’s size advantage, plentiful resources, and smart and effective leadership that secured their victory in the Civil War.