Why the South Lost or How the North Won?: Part 3
total war since it focused on the destruction of Southern property and did not target the Southern people for annihilation.
While the North began with overwhelming odds against the South, it was never a given that the Union would be victorious against the Confederacy. However, after key military defeats at Antietam and Gettysburg the Confederacy began to show signs of weakness. Jefferson Davis was not able to match the skillful leadership afforded the North by Abraham Lincoln. Additionally the South faced economic ruin and hardship brought about by Sherman's total war strategy. Thus given these circumstances the South was brought to defeat in 1865.
Sources: James M. McPherson, "American Victory, American Defeat." In Why the Confederacy Lost. Edited by Gabor S. Boritt. New York: Oxford University Press, 1992.
James M. McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
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