Opening Statement Con

The Confederacy had seceded from America. They were heavily out-numbered and out-manned. The Union had the technology, the economy, and the war-age population to command an organized war effort. But the Confederacy held on to the hope that they could beat the odds and at least preserve their new country, the Confederate States of America. While the southerners did lose the Civil War, they had the ability to win. If luck and decisiveness went the way of the South, American lives in the twenty-first century would be very different.

The North had control of several very important things that the South would have to deal with throughout the war. One of those was the economy. The Union had many times the quantity of weapons and ammunition being created each day by the Confederacy. They also had a much deeper pocket than the South. The Union had stable finances, and could pay for a war far longer than the Confederacy could. The Union used these advantages, and continuously fed their soldiers new weapons, ammunition, and other necessary supplies. Their extensive railroad system helped them supply their lines even better. The South relied on shrewdness, and were forced to only spend what was needed in a battle. Because of this, each soldier could not rely on a steady stock of ammunition.

Another important thing the Union had as an advantage was their large war-age population. They could easily pump out soldiers, and therefore took a direct seek and destroy tactic to win their battles. The south had far less troops, and so had to ensure that their men were not wasted. The far greater forces the Union had just lengthened the desparity between the North's military power and the South's military power. The navy of the Union also helped to ensure that the North maintained control in the struggle for power. Blockades were set in a position to hurt the Southern war effort.

Lastly, the North had technology which would place them in a better tactical position than the South in every battle. The Union could position vulnerable artillery further away from the Confederate lines and bombard them. Since the Southern cannons could not fire as far, they would not be able to reach the deep artillery the Union had place. They would have to rely on a traditional cavalry attack that would be transparent to the entire Union army. The Union also had slightly more accurate rifles, and as a direct result, more mortal blows were done than can be said for the Confederacy. The North broadened their technological gap even further by equiping their armies with the best medical equipment that could be offered in North America.

Still, the South had a chance. They had a few factors which gave them a glimmer of hope.

One was the military strength of the Confederate troops. Soldier for soldier, the South was stronger than the North. Their troops came from a very gun oriented background, and therefore, the Confederate's ability to reload quickly and their skill at marksmanship were a noticeable amount greater than the North's. They were better horse riders, and consequentially made better cavalry. The quantity of horses the South had made for flexible cavalry manuevers, and gave them that tactical advantage. The Southern Generals were also more experienced than the Union Generals. The South's great participation in the Mexican War strengthened the tactical intelligence that the North lacked.

Lastly, the Confederates had important knowledge that would help them from both a tactical and strategic viewpoint. The Confederacy knew the lay of the land. They could launch attacks knowing what obstacles were in their way. They could pick good defensive positions. The South could retreat more efficiently so as to cut their losses. These pieces of information lead to fewer casualties sustained and more casualties inflicted.

All things considered, the Confederacy had a small chance of winning the Civil War, and maybe controlling all of the Union. If the South had just commanded their armies in a better way, they would have been able to overcome the numbers and technology the North possesed. The economy of the Union would have had to be dealt with immediately, and the Confederacy should have targeted Northern factories with suprise artillery bombardments. Had a military genius and war hero emerged, like a non-European Napoleon, and commanded the South, they would have won. However, General Lee and his commanding officers could not prevail and lead their beloved South too victory. Had Lee shown more military intelligence, the South would have won. Had the South been endowed with the luck of some Union tragedy, like Abraham Lincoln dying early in the Civil War, they would have won.

All things considered, it cannot be proven beyond a resonable doubt that the Confederacy was doomed to a defeat against the Union army.