Question

How did the strategies of the Union and Confederacy differ during the Civil War? In your response, be sure to include the tactical and technological innovations as well as the impact the strategies had on the outcome of the war

Answer 1

At the beginning of the war, the Confederacy chose a more defensive strategy while the Union chose an offensive strategy. The defensive strategy of the Confederacy did not work against the strength of the Union army and the Union was able to make successful raids on Confederate territory. After a while, the Confederate army grew weaker and the Confederate President Jefferson Davis decided to switch to an offensive-defensive strategy that allowed Confederate territories to be protected but also allowed for strategic offensives or counteroffensives. The Confederacy didn't want to take Union territory, they just wanted to survive and defend it's right to secede. The strategies of the Confederacy could not work against the strength of the United States.

The Civil War revolutionized the concept of war. There were many technological advancements including the telegraph, railroads, trench warfare, hot air balloons, and ironclads. In my opinion, the most important of these was the telegraph. This invention allowed almost instant long-distance communication. If an armies telegraph wasn't working the outcome of the battle could dramatically change. The Union had a more reliable telegraph system than the Confederates, this could have been a major contribution to the North's victory. While railroads were invented in 1825, they were never really popular before the Civil War. During the Civil War, both North and South could move men, weapons, and food to there armies. The first balloon flight was in 1783. The Civil War was the first war to use air balloons for reconnaissance and artillery spotting. Trench Warfare was introduced during the war which prolonged fighting. Ironclads drastically advanced naval warfare because they were nearly impossible to sink.