Civil War Both Sides Fought Term Paper

A stronger Navy allowed the North to enforce the blockade more effectively than the Confederacy could overcome it. The second significant part of the Anaconda Plan was similar in scope and strategic significance: to take control of the Mississippi. When the Union Army eventually did gain control of the mighty Mississippi, the South was effectively split in two. The Anaconda Plan was fulfilled. Not only did the Union have the means by which to enforce their strategies: the Confederacy also lacked as clear a military plan.

While the blockade was nearly automatic and put into place toward the beginning of the war, control over the Mississippi was harder-fought. It meant encroachment deep into Southern territory, where most of the war was fought. Not until 1863 and the Union victory at the Battle of Vicksburg did the Union manage to infiltrate the River and successfully set up its second major and decisive blockade of the South.

Unlike the North, the South did not have an advanced transportation infrastructure that would have enabled it to overcome the blockades. Cut off from supplies, the South would have benefited more from a shorter, more intense war. Most battles were fought on Southern soil, which provided both advantages and disadvantages for the Confederacy. While intimate geographical knowledge aided the Confederate generals in key military victories, the population decimation and the lack of transportation infrastructure depleted Southern resources by the end of the war. The South also lacked the naval power necessary to properly defend its coastline against the much more powerful Northern Navy.

Still, the South proved remarkably resilient. Outnumbered significantly, and outdone in terms of military resources, the South secured enough success to cripple the north and cause the war to drag on. The Civil War could have been won by the South, based on its remarkable ability to stun the Union army with its clever tactics and strong leadership. Confederate strength can be symbolized by the infamous battle between the two iron-clad ships the Monitor and the Merrimack, which ended in a draw in spite of the North's seafaring advantage. In order to win, the South would have had to bolster its military via international aide. Moreover, the South could not rely on slaves to fight in the war. They might have needed to promise freedom for the slaves in exchange for their service in battle: an unlikely plan in light of the overwhelming racism that pervaded Southern culture.

The North eventually won the Civil War for several reasons. First, it had the advantage of population size: an estimated 2.5 to 1 differential; or 22 million persons versus 9 million in the South ("Why the Union Won"). Second, the North trumped the South in terms of its industrial prowess. Factories, manufacturing, and transportation infrastructure aided the Union victory. Similarly, a more effective ship-building industry promoted the Union navy. One of the South's weaknesses was its lack of naval power even though the Civil War was mainly a ground war. Third, the South failed to convert its economic relationship with Europe to political or military support. Fourth, the longer the war lasted, the more likely it was for a Union victory because of the successful blockade. Finally, the turning point of the war at the Battle of Gettysburg proved that in spite of its initially tenuous leadership personnel, Union army generals like Ulysses S. Grant had what it took to capitalize on the North's many advantages to ensure victory.

References

Debating Who Actually Won the Civil War." Dummies.com. Retrieved Nov 19, 2006 at http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1229.html

Feldmeth, Greg D. "Secession and Civil War." U.S. History Resources. 31 March 1998. Retrieved Nov 19, 2006 at http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/USHistory.html

The History Place. "The U.S. Civil War 1861-1865." Retrieved Nov 19, 2006 at http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/

Why did the North Win the Civil War?" Retrieved Nov 19, 2006 at http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_35_Notes.htm