Comparison of the military and economic power of states during the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, there were thirty-three states in the United States. If we compared them one by one, it would be impossible to have too detailed data. Let’s make a brief statement on the strength of the North and the South.

It can be said that the economic and military potential of the North is far greater than that of the South. First of all, the north has a vast territory and a large number of people, which is difficult to match in the south. Of the thirty-three states in the United States, 22 states sided with the Union, and only 11 states participated in the rebellion. In this way, the Northern Territory accounted for three-quarters of the country. The 1860 census showed that the North had a population of 21 million, and foreign immigrants continued to pour in. The South had a population of only nine million, of which four million were slaves. Therefore, the North had a huge advantage in human resources. During the Civil War, 2,898,304 Japanese soldiers enlisted, while the South only had one million soldiers.

Secondly, in terms of material resources, the industrial output of the South in 1861 was less than one-tenth of the country's. This year, the country produced more than 2.5 million tons of iron ore, while the South only accounted for 76,000 tons. The total value of cotton textiles in the South was only nine million dollars, while in the North it amounted to ninety million dollars. In terms of transportation, two-thirds of the country's railways are concentrated in the north, which allows the north to quickly transport supplies and mobilize troops. Therefore, from a comparison of strength, the North has an absolute advantage. But what cannot be ignored is that the South had been planning for a long time and had been preparing for war for 10 years before this. Most of the senior generals of the US military are Southerners. The famous generals Robert Lee, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, two Johnstons, two Hills, Longstreet and Beauregard are all from the US military. The best among generals. The senior generals in the north are mostly politicians, most of whom are mediocre. In addition, during the war, the South mainly fought on the inside, taking advantage of the right time, place and people. In addition, the North made successive major mistakes in strategic guidance and personnel selection in the early stages of the war. As a result, the North suffered a series of defeats on the battlefield despite its superior strength.