Population
The U.S. flag in 1861, with 34 stars
21 million people + 4 times draft-eligible population
The confederate battle flag, a red flag with a blue X through the middle with stars inside
9 million people including 3.5 million slaves
Navy
The U.S. flag in 1861, with 34 stars
132,000 sailors
The confederate battle flag, a red flag with a blue X through the middle with stars inside
4,000 sailors
Major Crops
The U.S. flag in 1861, with 34 stars
Wheat, corn
The confederate battle flag, a red flag with a blue X through the middle with stars inside
Cotton, tobacco
Factories
The U.S. flag in 1861, with 34 stars
90% Nation's Industrial Capacity
The confederate battle flag, a red flag with a blue X through the middle with stars inside
10% Nation's Industrial Capacity
Railroads
The U.S. flag in 1861, with 34 stars
20,000 miles + 97% of nation's railroad equipment
The confederate battle flag, a red flag with a blue X through the middle with stars inside
9,000 miles + 3% of nation's railroad equipment
Military Leadership
The U.S. flag in 1861, with 34 stars
Most decorated general, U.S.- Mexican war hero, Winfield Scott, is too fat to ride a horse
The confederate battle flag, a red flag with a blue X through the middle with stars inside
Most West Point graduates are Southern and has 7 of the nation's 8 War Colleges. Robert E. Lee
Cause
The U.S. flag in 1861, with 34 stars
Bringing South back into the Union
The confederate battle flag, a red flag with a blue X through the middle with stars inside
Independence; fighting on "home soil"
Political Leadership
The U.S. flag in 1861, with 34 stars
Abraham Lincoln: relentlessly focused on one objective—preserving Union
The confederate battle flag, a red flag with a blue X through the middle with stars inside
Jefferson Davis: made series of strategic errors including not giving Lee total command of CSA army until too late
Money
The U.S. flag in 1861, with 34 stars
70% of the nation's wealth and large ability to raise money through taxes and borrowing
The confederate battle flag, a red flag with a blue X through the middle with stars inside
30% of the nation's wealth and little ability to raise taxes and borrowing

Well Done! Click anywhere on the chart below to see each side's advantages highlighted.

  Union (North) Confederacy (South)
Population 21 million people + 4 times draft-eligible population 9 million people including 3.5 million slaves
Navy 132,000 sailors 4,000 sailors
Major Crops Wheat, corn Cotton, Tobacco
Factories 90% Nation's Industrial 10% Nation's Industrial
Railroads 20,000 miles + 97% of nation's railroad equipment 9,000 miles + 3% of nation's railroad equipment
Military Leadership Most decorated general, U.S.- Mexican war hero Winfield Scott, is too fat to ride a horse Most West point graduates are from the South, including Robert E. Lee. All of the nation’s War Colleges are located in the South, except for one.
Cause Bring South back into the Union Independence; fighting on "home soil"
Political Leadership Abraham Lincoln: relentlessly focused on one objective - preserving Union Jefferson Davis: made series of strategic errors including not giving Lee total command of CSA army until too late
Money 70% of the nation's wealth and large ability to raise money through taxes and borrowing 30% of the nation’s wealth and little ability to raise money through taxes and borrowing
Correct! The North had many more people, including four times the draft-eligible population. This meant that when the North lost a soldier, it could replace him. After a certain point in the war, when a Southern soldier died there was no one left to take his place—especially because the South refused to arm its slaves until the very end of the war.
Correct! The South had almost no navy, and virtually no shipyards to build one. The North used its large navy to blockade all Southern ports, choking off 95% of its cotton exports—virtually its only source of income. Food became scarce in the South by the end of the war.
Correct! While the South was fighting to preserve its agricultural way of life, the North actually had more farms. More importantly for fighting a war, it had more useful farms. You cannot eat cotton or tobacco. Southern cotton crops sat in storage because the Confederate navy could not break the blockade to ship them to England.
Correct! The North had 90% of all of the nation's industrial capacity and almost all of its weapon-making facilities. If weapon-making facilities were destroyed in battle, the North could easily replace its facilities, while the South had a more difficult time replacing its weapon-making facilities. Manufactured goods became scarce by the end of the war.
Correct! The North had far more miles of railroad track, allowing it to speed troops and supplies to the front faster.
Correct! Most of the nation’s military leaders had come from the South. Southern military leaders shared the advantage of strategic military leadership over the North.
Correct! The clearest advantage the South had was its cause (in the eyes of the people at the time). Its people thought they were fighting for freedom and for their homeland because most of the fighting took place on Southern soil.
Correct! Numerous factions in the North wanted to negotiate an end to the prolonged war and some of Lincoln's most incompetent generals were popular with the soldiers. He made the difficult decisions when necessary and kept the Union together. Jefferson Davis, though a West Point graduate, did not have Lincoln's tactical or political skill.
Correct! Wars are expensive. The North's more developed banking sector gave it a deep reserve of money to tax and a greater ability to borrow money. The South had very little hard currency (gold or silver) and its paper money soon became worthless. Much of the South's assets were its slaves, who could not be sold or borrowed against to finance a war.
Incorrect