USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -The Confederates had the advantage of being able to wage a defensive war, rather than an offensive one. They had to protect and preserve their new boundaries, but they did not have to be the aggressors against the Union.

Detailed explanation-2: -Despite the North’s greater population, however, the South had an army almost equal in size during the first year of the war. The North had an enormous industrial advantage as well. At the beginning of the war, the Confederacy had only one-ninth the industrial capacity of the Union.

Detailed explanation-3: -They knew the terrain well and had shorter supply and communication lines. And since most battles were fought on Southern soil, the Confederate army seldom had to worry about fighting behind enemy lines. Perhaps the greatest advantage held by the South was that it could fight a defensive war.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Southern armies had the advantage of fighting on interior lines, and their military tradition had bulked large in the history of the United States before 1860.