Who was better prepared at the start of the civil war?

Answer 1

The North. They had an industrial foundation, government in place, navy and army all equipped, and more population. The south had to create the Confederate government, they were mainly an ag economy, and they had to create a navy and army from scratch.

Answer 2

In reality, neither the North or the South was prepared for the US Civil War. If, for example, the British could have secretly assembled an army of 50,000 troops in Canada and attacked the US in 1861 from both the land and via the sea, the US would have been beaten very badly. With that said, it's clear the North was better prepared for the following reasons:

1. A standing army of 16,000

2. A navy (small )

3. A formal government

In contrast, the South had no army at all. No warships and no well established central government.

Answer 3

Union. They had a standing military, the factory system, they produced gunpowder and had most of the rail lines. The south was mainly a farming/plantation society that didn't have the structure for waging war. Cotton and slaves was what they had. One thing the south had that really worked fo them was the men who were southern military officer graduates from West Point. Robert E Lee was the top of his West Point class and resigned his rank to become the confederate General who ran the war. Grant was at the bottom of that same West Point class.