Question

what was the advantages of the north that help the north win the civil war?

Answer 1

Most obviously, it was the resources of the North (or let's say the United States). The Union had 25 states, the Confederates only 11. The Union had as many industrial factories as the Confederacy had industrial WORKERS. The Union had also most of the railroads. So population, industrialization, and resources are the obvious answers. Add to that the lack of an adequate Confederate navy that could break the Union blockade, adding to the strain of resources down South.

Another interesting observation made by civil war historian Gary Gallegher: one US advantage that is often overlooked is generalship. The superb generalship of Robert E. Lee and his lieutenants in the Army of Northern Virginia often overshadows the fact that in the end, the Union found more men that could effectively command an army than the Confederates. Said Gallegher, "The Confederacy only ever found one man that could command an army: RE Lee." He was brilliant, but he was only one. The US had Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, and perhaps Thomas. The prevailing sentiment that the Confederates had all the good leaders and the US all the failures only holds true for the Eastern Theatre, and that only for the first three years. As Gallegher (and Jeffrey Wert) point out, all the best Confederate officers that comes to mind (Lee, Jackson, Stuart, Longstreet, Hill, Ewell, etc) all belonged to the Army of Northern Virginia. (Yes, there are people who pull for JE Johnston and Braxton Bragg, but successful battles that you can count on was what mattered, yah?)

Having said that, we should point out that the Confederacy had advantages too. They were fighting on their own soil--fighting for 'hearth and home' gave motivation, they were familiar with the vicinities, and the surrounding civilian population were on their side. They had Lee (obviously). Most importantly, as Gallegher states, they had a lower hurdle to clear: they did not have to win, they only had to make a draw. A draw was a win. That idea of a defensive war was that they only had to tire out the Union population and they would attain independence. And they came very close to achieving that in 1864. The United States eventually won because its population had the staying power to hang on through the blood-letting of the Wilderness Campaign and afterward. Grant and Lincoln played huge roles in that. But it almost was different. Almost.