Facts of the Civil war
- The Union Army of 2,100,000 soldiers was nearly twice the size of the Confederate Army of 1,064,000.
- It was the deadliest war in American history. There were around 210,000 soldiers killed in action and 625,000 total dead.
- Thirty percent of all Southern white males between the ages of 18 and 40 died in the war.
- Around 9 million people lived in the Southern states at the time of the Civil War. Around 3.4m were slaves.
- Sixty six percent of the deaths in the war were due to disease.
- In the Second Battle of Bull run many of the wounded were left on the battle field for 3 to 4 days.
- John and George Crittenden were brothers who were both generals during the war. John for the North and George for the South!
The northern soil and climate favored smaller farmsteads rather than large plantations. Industry flourished, fueled by more abundant natural resources than in the South, and many large cities were established (New York was the largest city with more than 800,000 inhabitants). By 1860, one quarter of all Northerners lived in urban areas. Between 1800 and 1860, the percentage of laborers working in agricultural pursuits dropped drastically from 70% to only 40%. Slavery had died out, replaced in the cities and factories by immigrant labor from Europe. In fact an overwhelming majority of immigrants, seven out of every eight, settled in the North rather than the South. Transportation was easier in the North, which boasted more than two-thirds of the railroad tracks in the country and the economy was on an upswing. The South In fact, there were almost as many blacks - but slaves and free - in the South as there were whites (4 million blacks and 5.5 million whites). There were no large cities aside from New Orleans, and most of the ones that did exist were located on rivers and coasts as shipping ports to send agricultural produce to European or Northern destinations.The fertile soil and warm climate of the South made it ideal for large-scale farms and crops like tobacco and cotton. Because agriculture was so profitable few Southerners saw a need for industrial development. Eighty percent of the labor force worked on the farm. Although two-thirds of Southerners owned no slaves at all, by 1860 the South's "peculiar institution" was inextricably tied to the region's economy and culture.
During the first part of the 1800's the North and the South grew in different ways. In the North, cities were centers of wealth and manufacturing. There were many skilled workers. In the South there was not much manufacturing. There were not many skilled workers. Most of the people were farmers. Money came from plantation crops, like cotton, rice, sugar cane and tobacco. Slaves did most of the work on the plantations.
During the Civil War the North and the South had some advantages that were helpful to their part of the country.
The North produced three-fourths of the nation's wealth. They had a bigger army including thousands of black soldiers. The North also had better equipment and supplies to fight the war.
The South had some advantages too. Most of the war was fought on Southern territory so soldiers did not have to travel so far.
The South had better generals. Like Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. The South also grew cotton, which Europe needed.
During the Civil War the North and the South had some advantages that were helpful to their part of the country.
The North produced three-fourths of the nation's wealth. They had a bigger army including thousands of black soldiers. The North also had better equipment and supplies to fight the war.
The South had some advantages too. Most of the war was fought on Southern territory so soldiers did not have to travel so far.
The South had better generals. Like Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. The South also grew cotton, which Europe needed.
On April 10, 1861, knowing that resupplies were on their way from the North to the federal garrison at Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, provisional Confederate forces in the city demanded the fort’s surrender. The fort’s commander, Major Robert Anderson, refused. On April 12, the Confederates opened fire with cannon. At 2:30 p.m. the following day, Major Anderson surrendered.On April 15, Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to put down the Southern rebellion, a move that prompted Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina to reverse themselves and vote in favor of session. (Most of the western section of Virginia rejected the session vote and broke away, ultimately forming a new, Union-loyal state, West Virginia.)
The United States had always maintained only a small professional army; the nation’s founders had feared a Napoleon might rise up and use a large army to overthrow the government and make himself a dictator. Many graduates of the U.S. Army’s military academy, West Point, resigned their commissions in order to fight for the South—this was especially true in the cavalry arm, but no members of the artillery "went South." The Lincoln Administration had to rely on large numbers of volunteers from the states and territories.
The United States had always maintained only a small professional army; the nation’s founders had feared a Napoleon might rise up and use a large army to overthrow the government and make himself a dictator. Many graduates of the U.S. Army’s military academy, West Point, resigned their commissions in order to fight for the South—this was especially true in the cavalry arm, but no members of the artillery "went South." The Lincoln Administration had to rely on large numbers of volunteers from the states and territories.
The Civil War was certainly the most catastrophic event in American history. More than 600,000 Northerners and Southerners died in the war, a greater number than all those who had died in all other American wars combined. As many as 50,000 died in a single battle. The high death toll particularly hurt the South, which had a smaller population going into the war. The Deaths in the Civil War