What were southern interior line advatages during the civil war?

Answer 1

When the fighting is located within one combatant's boundaries (in this case the American South), armies use the concept of interior lines to move troops quickly and efficiently within the boundaries to where the battles are being fought.

Think of it this way: it is shorter and easier to move a soccer ball from one side to the other side WITHIN the field. It takes longer and needs more effort to move the soccer ball from one point to the other going AROUND the field.

Using interior lines is faster, takes less energy and fewer resources, and increases flexibility in responding to conflicts as they break out.

The Confederacy's use of interior lines became less effective as the war drug on, however, because of Union victories at Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, and the capture of Atlanta. As the Union made incursions into important strategic points within the South, Confederate forces were not able to move about as freely. When Sherman's troops tore up the Confederate railroads leading to Atlanta Southern troops lost their ability to shuttle from one area to another and were in effect stranded with no way out but a hard march. This had a negative effect on already depleted Confederate forces, who were suffering from inadequate food and supplies already.