Early Civil War and army backgrounds


  • Confederate General Robert E. Lee led the Army of North Virginia during the Civil war 
  • General Lee's aggressive tactics and loyal army had won many battles such as the Battle of Chancellorsville, the Seven Days Battles, the Battle of the Wilderness , and the Battle of Fredericksburg. To this day he is regarded as a powerful general.
  • The majority of battles fought during the early civil war were within the border states (Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri). 
  • Both the Union and Confederacy were hesitant in starting the war.
  • The South tried to achieve a quick victory knowing they wouldn't last in a long war.
  • The North was better equipped for war than the South with resources such as more ammunition factories, larger population, and larger food supplies.
  • Southern economy suffered greatly from their secession.
  • The Union devised a plan known as the Anaconda Plan which would "suffocate" the South and force them to surrender with little fighting.
  • As part if the Union's plan, blockades were set up around Southern ports to cut off crucial trade lines between the South and Europe.

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 As shown by the graph to the left, much of the losses before the Battle of Gettysburg were not as great as the ones afterward, showing how it was the turning point in the war. Also, notice how the Union continually loses more troops. Their larger population was able to cope with these losses.
The chart to the right displays resource production of the Union (blue) and Confederacy (grey) during the civil war.

This image is from: http://thepanhandlersguide.com/?p=863
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