Civil War the South had many "apparent" advantages

Question

At the onset of the Civil War the South had

many"apparent" advantages. Discuss three of

these advantages, and then explain how over

the course of the war each of these elements

ended up working against the South. Which of

these factors do you believe had the greatest

impact on the South's losing the war, and

why?

Answer 1

The leaders and people of the Confederate States of America (C.S.A.) believed that they had a few advantages at the beginning of the United States Civil War, though, in truth, the 'Union' - the Northern States / the remaining United States of America - had a great many more advantages. The Union had far more people, a far larger and more developed economy, and a more centralized government with which to direct the waging of the war.

One of the apparent advantages of the Confederacy was its chief export, cotton. The leaders of the Confederacy believed that, because the nations of Europe, particularly Great Britain and France, needed a steady supply of cotton in order for their textile industries to prosper, the interference of the Union Navy in preventing the shipment of cotton from Southern ports to Europe would provoke the intervention of Britain and France. The leaders of the Confederacy were certain that Britain and France would join the Confederacy in its war with the Union / United States and that the United States would be forced to negotiate a peace treaty that would preserve the existence of the Confederacy.

They were wrong. The Southern States had exported so much cotton in the years before the outbreak of the war that the Union Navy's blockade of Southern ports initially had little to no impact on the supply of cotton in Europe. Moreover, the British developed new sources of cotton - specifically Egypt and India - so that Europe no longer depended exclusively on cotton from the Confederate States. Lastly, the amount of trade between Europe and the Union / United States was far too profitable to endanger by going to war with the Union / United States.

Another apparent advantage held by the Confederate States of America was that, unlike the Union / United States, the Confederacy would be fighting on the defensive. The Union / United States had a far more challenging task, the conquest and occupation of the Southern States (a territory larger than all of Europe). However, as the Confederate leaders soon realized, fighting exclusively on the defensive was less likely to lead to a victorious outcome for the Confederacy (thus the Confederate invasions of Kentucky and Maryland in 1862, and the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania in 1863 - both of which ended in defeat). So long as the leaders and people of the Union / United States remained committed to the destruction of the Confederacy, the Confederacy would not be able to end its war with victory; the war would continue and, with its superior resources, the Union / United States would, at one point or another, either force the Confederate leaders to surrender or simply occupy all of the Southern States.

Lastly, the majority of the people within the Confederacy firmly believed that they held an advantage against Union / United States soldiers because they were convinced that Southerners were superior in every respect to their Northern counterparts. A common boast early in the war was that 'One Southern soldier can beat ten Yankee hirelings'. Once again, they were wrong. Time and time again on the battlefield Confederate soldiers and their officers found that Union / United States soldiers were just as brave and capable as they were. When Confederate armies succeeded in defeating Union / United States armies in battle, such as at First and Second Manassas / Bull Run, it wasn't because of any lack of courage or skill on the part of Union / United States soldiers, just as Union / United States victories in battles such as Shiloh was not achieved because of a lack of bravery or competence on the part of Confederate troops.

The leaders and people of the Confederate States of America entered into a war with the Union / United States convinced that they would achieve a swift and decisive victory. Conversely, most of the leaders and people of the Union / United States believed that THEY would achieve a swift and decisive victory. Both were wrong. The Civil War turned out to be a long and incredibly bloody struggle - one out of every fifty people living in the Confederacy and the Union / United States during the conflict died due to the war. But a combination of greater resources - both manpower and material - and superior strategy ultimately led to the destruction of the Confederate States of America and, thus, the reunification of the United States.

Answer 2

Probably the largest benefit the South had was the amount of people they had residing there. Unfortunately, the view against slaves is ultimately what led the South to lose the war. Had the South used their slaves to help fight the Union they very well may have won the war just because of numbers alone. Another advantage was that there were actually more "slave states" than free states at the onset of the war. However with the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850 the scales started tipping in favor of the Union. Thanks in part to violence perpetrated by the Jayhawkers, Border Ruffians and Bushwhackers in Missouri and Kansas.