Confederate/ Union strengths and weaknesses, First Battles- Ft. Sumpter/Bull Run

Confederate Strengths: 

The Confederate Army was fighting defensively, meaning all they had to do was defend their "territory"; they also knew the land they were fighting on.  They had amazing generals with great battle plans.  The rebels were very resourceful and had to use crops that they grew in the south.

Confederate Weaknesses:

The Confederate army had a smaller army than the Union which caused them to have to be more careful with each battle.  They were also not as up to date technology wise as the Union was, meaning they did not have a fast way of spreading news, or transporting soldiers to the front line.  Finally, the south was not the industrial part of the country, meaning that once the war started all supplies imported from the south stopped, and they were left with what they already had.

Union Strengths: 

The north was the industrial part of the country which was a huge help to winning the war.  The north stayed up to date with technology using the telegraph and railroads.  The Union army was almost double the size of the Confederate Army, and controlled the Union.

Union Weaknesses:

The Union army was fighting in enemy territory and on the offensive side, meaning they not only had to fight against the rebels, but also had to capture and take over them.  They also had bad generals with terrible battle plans.

Comparisons
Comparisons. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 21 Jan 2014. <http://www.kalmus.dk/civilwar/wzpic/Illll.JPG>.

Ft. Sumpter:

When South Carolina seceded from the Union, the Federal government was still in control of Ft. Sumpter, located in the Charleston, SC bay.  This made them very upset and caused major conflict.  The Federal Government refused to move out, leading to the first shots fired in the Civil War.

Bull Run: 

Bull Run was the first battle of the Civil War.  Both the Union and the Confederate army went into the battle thinking that the war would only last a few battles and that the other side would surrender, they both also had a lot of confidence.  The Union army almost had a victory at the battle of Bull Run, or Manassas until Confederate reinforcements showed up and saved the day for the south.