Numbers tell an important story about the Civil War. Consider the North’s advantages. It could draw soldiers and workers from a population of 22 million, compared with the South’s 5.5 million. One of its greatest advantages was its network of roads, canals, and railroads. Some 22,000 miles of railroad track cold move soldiers and supplies throughout the North. The South had only about 9,000 miles of track. . . .
The Confederacy had advantages as well. With its strong military tradition, the South put many
brilliant officers into battle. Southern farms provided food for its armies. The South’s best advantage, however, was strategic. It needed only to defend itself until the North grew tired of fighting. Southern soldiers fought mostly on their home soil, while the North had to occupy [move in and control] large areas of enemy territory.”
Source: William Deverell and Deborah Gray White, United States History: Independence to 1914, California Edition (Orlando: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 2006), pp. 474-5.
No comments:
Post a Comment