Research Paper on Civil War: Why the South Could Have Won

3182 Words13 Pages
Through reflecting upon the American War, modern audiences would question why the seceded states of the Confederacy would even contemplate challenging the Union in spite of the North’s apparent advantages. The Union in due course subdued their rebellious brethren in the South, being accredited in history books with preserving the United States of America due to having tremendous advantages over the South. However, with in-depth examining of the opposing factions, evidence suggests that the Confederacy stood a real chance of defeating the Union and successfully seceding from the United States of America. In contemplating the full odds that the South faced, the full factors must be analyzed accordingly. It is well known that the North boasted several significant advantages in comparison to the Confederacy, of which included a larger population base, a better transportation infrastructure, and a superior, industrial, economy. The Local News of the Alexandria Gazette describes the occupied town of Alexandria: …daily large numbers of beeves, hogs, sheep, &c (cattle)., are killed for the use of the Federal army…The engine houses and work-shops are however still in use – the engines in the employ of the Federal Government, and the workshops kept in operation for repairing. We learn that the Government is fitting up the Depot of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad. Especially with the occupation of the Border States, the North utilized every source they could muster as an available foundation for the Federal Army and heavily industrialized their resources in preparation for wartime. Coupled with further wartime industrialization The Union possessed almost three times the population of the Confederacy, allowing the North a steady flow of military battalion replenishment and civilian manpower. The North also controlled 2/3’s of the country’s total railroad mileage and
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