The Civil War Essay Research Paper When

The Civil War Essay, Research Paper When the American Civil War began in 1861 the North was sure of an early and quick victory. The North had a greater military potential with a population of 22 million people. The South only had a population of nine million with one third of those being slaves. The North also possessed material advantages in money, credit, factories, munitions, food production, mineral resources and two times more railroads than the south. With all that the South lacked, it made up with its strong military leadership and its undying faith in its cause of this Great War. The main reasons the South seceding from the North and starting the war was the slaves and the North defeated the Confederate army because of lack of man power and the blockade which stopped

the badly need supplies from coming into the Southern ports. The North s strategy was an offensive, which was to destroy the South, while the South fought a defensive war. The main strategy of the North was the three-pronged drive into the South. The First Objective was the taking of the Mississippi River and that would cut the South in two. The Second part was an advance from Kentucky into Tennessee, and through middle and east Tennessee and the breaking of the Allegheny barrier. The final prong was an advance from Washington down the eastern seaboard. The South had no general plan during the whole war. By the doing of this president Davis showed all the world that the Confederacy did not want war and that it was just going to defend itself. The South also believed by fighting a

defensive war would wear down the Union people will to win, and would lead them to abandon the war. The military leaders of the war thought that it would be a long weary war. The military leader of the Union were young and not very skilled at the art of war, while the Confederate leaders were older and more skilled in the art of combat. In the long run of the war t though the younger leaders prevailed over the older generals because of the their health and energy. Many leaders of the Civil Was were West Point gradients who were well train and knew how to win the war. As of April 16,1861, many of the soldiers on both side had already started to enlist for the great war. Most of the men did not enlist for long because they believe that it would not be a very long war and would be

over in three or four months. Many of the men had to re-enlist to continue to fight in the war. Many of these men in the beginning of the war were given a few remaining muskets that were still in the hands of the governments. After these muskets were gone most of the men were equipped with Henry s sixteen-shooter. All of the new technology was one of the many reasons that the North won, simply because the South could not keep up with them or product these new products needed for the war. When all these men got there weapons and where ready to get trained Lincoln realized that he had no place to put all of them. All these men were then broken down and sent then to training camps to learn how to shoot and to survive out in the wilderness with all of the bad animals and perils out

there. In these camps the men were sheltered by tents with about a dozen men in there, which slept with their feet toward the center. The tent was good for the men because it kept out the cold and had a stove in it to heat it up. Having a dozen men in the tent was very hard on the men but soon they learned it was very good for them when they were in battle. The foods in these camps were bad in the South. Sometimes there was an abundant issues of breads an no meat; then when the meat was in good quantity there was no flour for bread. When they needed supplies badly, they received some of it, but not the part they really needed of it. Near the end of the war, food in the South was scarce and most of the troops were starving. If that was not bad the hospitals during the Civil War