Compare And Contrast North And Confederate

When both the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South) entered into war with each other, neither side was thoroughly prepared for battle. Both the North and the South had issues gathering enough resources and raising funds to support their war efforts (Goldberg, ed. 7, The American Journey, 405). However, the Union did have an advantage over the Confederacy. The North had a large population, strong political and military leadership, and plentiful resources; while the South struggled to piece together an entirely new government and army. This early upper-hand by the Union was what helped them eventually wear down the Southern troops at the end of the war and win. The Union had a huge advantage over the Confederacy in terms of resources. Not only did the North have a larger population than the South, but they also had a navy, a national army, and vast transportation systems to utilize during the war (Goldberg, 406-07). The Union also operated many manufacturing and industrial plants that could produce weapons and other products of war (Goldberg, 407).
Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy, had a military background and experience as a secretary of war which made him the best candidate for the position (Goldberg, 408). Davis faced many problems early on in his leadership: from having create an entirely new government to figuring out how to finance the war. Although Jefferson Davis did his best, he did not possess the same leadership or communication skills that President Abraham Lincoln had. Lincoln was the President of the Union and was great at boosting the Northerner’s morale and convincing them to continue fighting in the war. Although both were great leaders with similar military backgrounds, Lincoln was able to better utilize the North’s resources in the most strategic way possible helping his side tremendously throughout the war (Goldberg,