Which side of the civil war had better trained soldiers?

Answer 1

Neither side had well-trained Generals at the beginning.

But the South had more of a soldiering tradition, with young men actively encouraged to serve in the army, and the US Army officers who resigned to join the Confederates were mostly of a higher calibre than the ones who didn't, especially in the cavalry.

The drawback was that these aggressive fighters were more likely to feud with one another, and it was noted that some Confederate Generals seemed to hate each other more than the enemy. Also their president Jefferson Davis was a poor chooser and motivator of Generals.

So was Lincoln, of course, at the beginning. But he learned from his mistakes, and by the midpoint of the war, he had started to assemble the winning team.

Ironically, there was one well-trained Confederate General, who did put his troops through a very professional training routine. He was Braxton Bragg - the most unpopular of the lot!

Answer 2

The North had many advantages over the South in the Civil War. It had more factories, more railways, and a greater population of men of fighting age. In several battles, the Union suffered greater casualties but still won.

Answer 3

Generally, neither side had well-trained soldiers.

On the Confederate side, the Army of Tennessee under Braxton Bragg was particularly well-trained, but the discipline was so harsh that he became the most hated General in America.

The point about the Confederates was that many of them had grown up in the riding and shooting way of life, as well as being a more aggressive breed. So they made better soldiers in the early stages.

Answer 4

At the beginning of the war, neither side had a very good navy. As it progressed, the manufacturing ability of the North led them to create and maintain a much stronger navy that bottled the South up tightly and the embargo very much helped subdue the South.

Answer 5

The North was better equipped when the war began, and their equipment improved as the war continued.

Answer 6

Discounting slaves, the North had a huge advantage in population over the South.