North In Contrast To The South example essay topic
Another one of these advantages was a large amount of experience in the areas of horseback riding, and weapon handling for most Southerners. Though the army was smaller, this in combination with superior military intelligence helped the South to wage a somewhat competitive war. Robert E. Lee, considered by some to be one of the greatest war Generals of all time led the South to an amazing victory at the crucial battle of Gettysburg with the help of Stonewall Jackson. As for governmental leadership, the South had Jefferson Davis, who had a good idea of a well-knit central government, but who was at loggerheads with his people and his congress. The North, in contrast to the South, had a large army, strong governmental leadership under the population pleasing and effective Abraham Lincoln. Honest Abe had the advantage of controlling a population under a long established central government He was also tactful, quiet, and patient, yet firm in his relations, (his tactfulness being among his more diplomatic qualities).
The North also possessed and had access to of the U.S. railway systems, making for exceptional transportation of forces. Northern economy was diverse, as opposed to the Souths large reliance on King Cotton, and industrial strength kept the northern army supplied with plenty of weapons and munitions. The Northerners also enjoyed a steady flow of British, Irish, and German immigrants across the border and into the army. The Norths strong economic system also allowed for the establishment of a banking system, even in a time of heavy taxation. The North had few disadvantages, but it is quite possible that these disadvantages could have turned the war the other way for the South if they were exploited. The lack of foreign intervention to aid the South was probably the number one cause of Southern failure.
At one point in the war, a Union warship stopped a British mail steamer, and then captured two confederate diplomats headed toward Europe. The Britains later sent out the Alabama, a raider ship that took some 60 Union merchant ships but a Union cruiser eventually destroyed it. The small tensions between the North and Britain could have easily inflamed if not for the diplomacy of Charles Francis Adams who signaled that this is war, if Britain released destroyer ships. The Brief American Pageant.