American Civil War: Why the North Won

by Christopher Clark

The victory of the North in the US Civil War was linked to a variety of factors. The ones being evaluated are: the role of military leadership, the role of political leadership and resources. It will be argued that despite the large role of both political and military leadership on both sides, the most significant factor for why the North won was their abundance of resources at the outbreak of war.

The role of leadership is significant in any military encounter, and this holds true for the US Civil War. However, the nature of military leadership in this war evolved almost in opposite directions for the Union and the Confederacy. At the outbreak of war, and for the first few years, the tactical nous of senior Confederate leaders was exceptionally high, with generals such as Robert E. Lee and ‘Stonewall Jackson’ leading them to early victories in battles, for example the First and Second Battle of Bull Run. These two battles demonstrated the Confederate’s early domination, with the victory in the latter allowing them to press onto the North. Meanwhile, the early Union army, under the leadership of George McClellan was floundering and failing to secure victories. Whilst these opposite leaderships were important in the early stage of the war, the reversal of their fortunes was a significant reason that the North began to win the war. The early successes of Lee began to fade, coupled with the death of Jackson, and the battles of Antietam and Gettysburg were the beginning of the end of the Confederacy.

Whilst Lee did not technically lose these battles, he was not able to push further into the North and they gave Lincoln the opportunity for the Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address. These were important as they signalled that the North was winning, they were able to outline their future plans. These Confederate failings were contrasted with the improving fortunes of Union leaders, such as Grant and Sherman. Grant’s victory in Vicksburg and then defeat of Lee at Appomattox. This battle led to the surrender of Lee and signalled that the Confederacy was all but finished. Overall, whilst these military leaders were significant in the North’s victory in the war, much of the Union’s success was also due to the superior military resources they had, whether that be the number of men, number of guns or the industrial base.

Political leadership was also significant in aiding the Union from the opening of the war. The initial continuity that they held was very useful for them. The Union already had an established government, with the cabinet set up, and Lincoln firmly as the head of the country. This was contrasted to the Confederacy who had to set up their government, from top to bottom, whilst also sorting out how the war would be conducted. The Confederacy had to set up their military as well, drawing from all the states as quickly as possible. The government could only focus on the war at the time. This was creating an issue as it meant that they could not focus on how the country would function effectively economically, by continuing to make slaves work, whilst using as many men as possible in the army. Throughout the war this was made more difficult by the Emancipation Proclamation, as now the slaves had a further reason to be fighting against the South as Lincoln was verbalising what the North was mostly fighting for. Any slaves that were rescued by the North could be instantly put back to fighting against the South. The two Presidents both were mostly successful throughout the war. Lincoln did have issues with the military, as he repeatedly replaced the leaders of it. The issues that Davis faced were more to do with the lack of resources and thus he was unable to run the country as successfully as he would have wanted to. Overall, the political leadership had more significance at the start of the war, with the Union able to focus more attention straight away on the war rather than setting up the country.

The resources advantage of the Union was the most significant reason for their victory in the war. At the outbreak of war, the North had 98% of gun and cannon production and 96% of the country’s railroad. This meant that not only did the Confederacy have to close this vast gulf in industry, it had to do so with a large number of its men at war. They did have success doing this, with bells and other objects made out of metal melted down into cannonballs and gunmetal. This meant that they could aim to supply their armies. However, the greater issue was faced with the vastly superior numbers of the Union army, throughout the span of the war double the number of men served in the Union army than the Confederate. This numerical advantage was exceptionally difficult to overcome, and with their industrial weaknesses, almost impossible. As the war carried on, more of the Confederate heartland was under Union control and thus dwindling supplies were made even more scarce. Overall, the resource advantage of the Union meant that they could triumph over the Confederates with both men and weaponry.

In conclusion, in the victory of the North over the South, leadership both military and political was important, but the most significant reason for Northern victory was their resource advantage.