The railroads also allowed the Union to coordinate their actions and respond to Confederate movements more efficiently. The railways allowed the Union to quickly move troops and supplies to where they were needed, facilitating a more effective war effort. Clark have focused on the central importance of railroad superiority in winning the war. ![]() This is why historians such as William G. However, the impact of the railroads cannot be overstated – they played a significant role in helping the Union win the war. Train travel was still in its infancy during the American Civil War. These superior resources allowed the North to sustain a longer and more effective war effort. Additionally, the Union had a stronger navy, which helped them control the waterways and blockade Confederate ports, limiting the South’s ability to import supplies abroad. The Union also had a better transportation system, including more railroads, making moving troops and supplies easier (more on this below). The North had a population of around 24 million, and the South had a population of just 9 million (of which 4 million were enslaved people). This included more factories and industrial infrastructure, which allowed them to produce more weapons and supplies.Ī much larger population was also at the disposal of the Union. The Union had several advantages in resources that helped them win the American Civil War. If you want to expand your own knowledge of Civil War history, please consider joining us for one of our Civil War Tours in Virginia.Ī railway gun being used during the siege of Petersburg The disparity of resources The following blog will discuss some of the core reasons the Union achieved victory in 1865. The Confederacy was also divided by internal conflicts and lacked a strong central government.Īs with most military history, the question of how the war was ultimately won, or lost, inspires much debate. The Confederacy (or the South) had fewer resources and was essentially an agrarian-based economy, which made it harder to sustain a long war. Moreover, the Union’s decision to abolish slavery and the support of abolitionists in the North were essential factors in the Union’s success. ![]() The main reasons for the Union’s victory were its superior resources (including manpower), transportation, and industrial capacity, as well as the effective leadership of President Abraham Lincoln and the military strategies of General Ulysses S. His children donated it to the collections of the Kansas Museum of History in 2009.The Union (also known as the North) won the American Civil War. View an image of the back of the uniform. The uniform shown here belonged to Joe Price, a sailor on the Vicksburg from 1918 to 1919. The Vicksburg also escorted American ships going to Russia as part of the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War. Though this was the patrol’s only significant find, the ship continued to protect the west coast until October 1919 (almost a year after the war's end). The Vicksburg chased down the schooner and found five Germans, eight Mexicans, and an American spy, as well as arms, ammunition, and a German flag on board. The patrol was uneventful for most of the war however, on March 17, 1918, the Vicksburg received intelligence that a schooner carrying Germans was leaving Viejo Bay, Mexico. To prevent this, the USS Vicksburg patrolled the Pacific, looking for signs of German submarines. was fearful that Germany would use Mexican waters to stage an attack. Though Mexico declined Germany’s offer, the U.S. With the potential of a direct threat from Germany, the U.S. British intelligence intercepted the message and alerted American officials. In return for their cooperation, the Germans would help Mexico regain the lost territory of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. In it, Zimmermann suggested a German-Mexican military alliance if it appeared the U.S. Arthur Zimmermann, the German Foreign Minister, sent a coded telegram to the German ambassador in Mexico. The most famous attack sunk the Lusitania in 1915, a disaster in which 128 Americans died. While this assignment may have seemed far from the action in Europe, it actually was in response to the possibility of an attack on the continental United States.īefore 1917, the United States remained neutral despite attacks on ships by German submarines that resulted in American deaths. Price was assigned to the USS Vicksburg, a ship ordered to patrol the U.S. Navy on July 26, 1918, 18 months after the United States declared war on Germany. Joe Price, a young man from Effingham, Kansas, enlisted in the U.S. One Kansas sailor wore this uniform during a unique experience patrolling the west coast of the United States. American involvement in World War I is usually associated with soldiers on the battlefields of France.
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