North vs. South

The Civil War was a war in which Americans fought against Americans. It was the deadliest war of all the wars fought by Americans. The country had been split into two divisions known as the North and South. Many southern states had formed a confederacy. This was essentially a new country.

The southern states no longer wanted to be a part of the United States of America. There were many reasons for this action, but one of the main issues was slavery. The southern states wanted to be able to have slaves.

In April of 1861, the Confederate soldiers bombarded Fort Sumter. This was the last of the southern forts still in the hands of the United States government. This event began the Civil War. Both the North and the South had advantages during the Civil War. The North had a larger population. The North also had most of the factories and mills. They could produce more supplies and guns than the South. The South had to depend on help from European countries. The North also had railroads to move troops and supplies.

The South had advantages as well. The biggest advantage was that the South was fighting a defensive war. This meant that they were fighting to defend their country and their beliefs, and their way of life. In order for the North to win, they would have to conquer the South. The South also had better generals than the North at the beginning of the war. These generals had experience fighting the Mexican War.