Download Advantages and Disadvantages

Name
Date
Advantages and Disadvantages
By Cathy Pearl
When the Civil War started, both sides thought that they would win
easily. They also thought they were fighting the war for the right
reasons. The Union planned an aggressive attack against the South.
They wanted to go to war to save the Union. At first, ending slavery was
not a goal of the war.
The South planned on waiting until the North was sick of fighting. The
South felt they were fighting to save their way of life. They compared
the war to the Revolutionary War. Those in the South felt that they were
fighting to gain their freedom.
Both sides in the war had strengths and weaknesses. The South had one big advantage. They planned to fight a
defensive war. If the North did not come into the South, the South saw no reason to fight.
It is easier to defend land that a person knows well. Friendly people in the country would guide soldiers on roads
that weren't on maps. Soldiers knew the forests well. They knew the best places to hide. The trees also helped to
protect Southern soldiers when the Union Army invaded.
Families in the South had grown up around guns and horses. They knew how to hunt and live off the land. This
helped them adjust to being soldiers. They were comfortable firing guns and knew how to handle them well.
Many of the best military leaders were in the South. Lincoln had trouble during the war finding generals that could
match the skill that those in the South had. Robert E. Lee had a tough time deciding which side to fight for. Lincoln
asked him to command the Union Army. Lee was from Virginia. When Virginia seceded, he chose his home state
over the Union. Later he would become commander of the Confederate Army in the South.
The South had disadvantages, too. One of the main weaknesses was their economy. They did not have factories
like those in the North. They could not quickly make guns and other supplies that would be needed for a long war.
Their railroad system was another weakness. There weren't a lot of railroads in the South. This made it hard to
move troops and supplies. Also, many of the tracks did not connect to each other. The tracks would go between
two points and stop.
The North had both advantages and disadvantages, too. There were a lot more free people living in the North than
there were in the South. This meant there were a lot more men who could volunteer in the Army. These extra
people could also grow more food and work in the factories.
When the war started, ninety percent of goods made in this country were made in the North. After the war started,
factories quickly started to make bullets, guns, uniforms, and other supplies that an army would need. The North
had an easier time getting supplies to an army.
The railroads in the North were much better. Seventy percent of all the rail lines were there. This made it much
easier to move people and supplies where they were needed.
When the war first started, some people were worried about Abraham Lincoln. They wondered what kind of
leader he would be. He did not have lot of experience in anything that had to do with the military. In the end,
Lincoln turned out to be very good at planning for a war. He was a strong leader for the North.
The North had many things working against it. The men in the Union Army would be invading a part of the
country that they were not familiar with. They would not be defending their own homes like the army in the South.
It would be harder to supply the Union troops as they got farther and farther away from home. This long distance
Name
Date
would make it easier for Southern troops to stop supplies from getting to the Union Army.
Both sides were sure that their advantages would help them quickly end the war. One of the first battles, the Battle
of Bull Run, showed that this would not be true. The war would be long and deadly for many of the soldiers
fighting in it.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Questions
1. Which side had more factories?
A. The North
B. The South
2. Whom did Lincoln ask to lead the Union Army?
A. Abraham Lincoln
B. Robert E. Lee
C. Jefferson Davis
3. Why was the railroad a disadvantage for the South?
A. They had a lot of rail lines.
B. Rail lines were often not connected.
C. It was easy to get from place to place.
4. Why would it be harder to supply Union troops as they moved farther south?
5. Which side had more factories to make supplies for their army?
A. The South
B. The North
6. Name two advantages that the North had.
Name
Date
If you had been Robert E. Lee, would you have accepted Lincoln's offer? Why or why not?
Which side do you think had a better chance at winning the war? Why?