Monday, February 8, 2016

Union VS Confederacy, 1861, Week 3

    I have come back to Mississippi and have joined the Confederate army. For the first time, my dream has come so near. As part of the training, our commanders have told us about our own advantages and disadvantages in this war. I have summarized the advantages of both sides in this chart below:

Advantages
Disadvantages
Union
Confederacy
Large population (22 million)
Small population (9 million, including 3.5 million slaves)
Industrialized
Coal, iron, gold, silver…
Larger railroad network for moving troops and supplies
Agriculture-centered
Cotton economy
Have a small and organized navy
250 warships, building more
No navy
Could be blocked on ocean
An established government and a powerful leader (Abraham Lincoln)
A new government and an inexperienced leader (Jefferson Davis)
Some northerners want to let go the South
Not so willing to sacrifice for war
Fighting for survival
Willing to fight
Small forces (16,000 men)
Doesn’t have time to organize an efficient army
Strong military tradition
Good military leaders (Robert E. Lee)
Offensive war
Needs to conquer the South
Defensive war
Only needs to avoid defeat
War in enemy territory
War on familiar land

    To sum up, we have both psychological and strategic advantages compared to the North. I don't know if our President, Davis, is as reliable, because he is not very experienced as a leader. Despite that, I do believe he will be loyal to the South and remain a supporter of slavery. Also, the fact that we are on the defending side brings us much confidence in winning the war.
    One of our main military leaders is Robert E. Lee from Virginia. He turned down the Union offer as a commander and accepts the command of Virginia, although he personally opposed slavery and secession. I think he is an admirable man who remains loyal to his home state, and is willing to sacrifice his own values for the better deed of his family and his state. I believe he is a good commander, and he will lead us to victory through his outstanding military skills.


Bibliography
Robert E. Lee. N.d. Library of Congress. Civil War Trust. Web. 8 Feb. 2016. 
     <http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/ 
     robert-e-lee.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/>. 

No comments:

Post a Comment