Strength and weaknesses of civil war?

Answer 1

North advantages: The North had great advantages in manpower, material, and organization. It had more than twice the population of the South, and many more factories to produce war supplies. The U.S. government had been functioning well for many decades, and the national level had sufficient powers under the Constitution to wage war effectively.

South advantages: Most Southern men were experienced in riding horses, hunting, and shooting. Its military leaders were experienced and effective, while the Northern armies struggled to find good leadership. Southerners were fighting to defend their own land, and thus had a strong incentive to fight well.

South Disadvantages: The CSA constitution created a loose association of the individual states, and it was sometimes difficult to get all of them to work together smoothly.

Answer 2

At the beginning of the Civil War, if neither side did anything, the South would win. The North had to attack to win. Geography favored the South as far as moving men was concerned. The Appalachian Mountains provided a barrier to moving troops for the North. Behind the Appalachian Mountains, the Tennessee River and the Rivers of the South came quite close. Railroads made connections easy. Only Florida was out of the transportation loop. Still, Florida had many semi wild cattle that would be useful in feeding an army. The South had a plethora of Natural Resources and could create a number of industries. It did. The South's weakness was that it had to ship in much of its' war material. While it made some materiel, it bought most of its guns and ammunition from England. Once the North had blockaded its ports, it had difficulty provisioning its troops. The South seldom had adequate troops for the task and frequently had a divided command. After The First Battle of Bull Run, Stonewall Jackson said, "If I had 15,000 fresh troops, I could conquer Washington." He did not have the fresh troops. At the Battle of Vicksburg, Both General Pemberton and General Joseph. E. Johnson reported directly to President Jefferson Davis. Not having a proper chain of command caused the loss of the battle. On the other hand, The North had more men. The North had a powerful industrial base. Still, it would take time for the industries to change from making civilian products to manufacturing military products. The North had more railroads. They were all different sizes but the North had the ability to standardize them. (It is too bad that it chose such a narrow size for "standard gage.") Thus, the North would spend over a year in a holding pattern while the nation geared up for war. Only after the North had switched its industrial base to a wartime footing and created more modern artillery, could it begin to gain an advantage. Thus, the North's big disadvantage was that it had to act, and it took it a long time to get ready. Its great advantage came after it got ready and had better artillery and breech loading rifles.