federacy lost over 20,000 men. And at the Battle of Gettysburg, the Confederacy lost 25,000 men. In total, Confederate causalities amounted to 450,000 men. This significant loss of manpower had dire consequences on the ability of the South to wage war. For example, as more men in the Confederacy lost their lives on the battlefield, the more men that were needed to take their places. This means that men engaged in the production of wartime goods had to go to war. Therefore, as more men went to war, the Confederacy produced less and less for the war. This was not a problem in the Union because it had a great surplus of men to be used for fighting and producing.The Union used its numerical advantage in population to decimate the South. The North, by fighting a war of attrition in a Napoleonic style, was able to steadily deplete the fighting power of the South. The Union general, Ulysses S. Grant, recognized the numerical advantage of the North and exploited this advantage. He did so by continually fighting Confederate soldiers, no matter the cost to his army. Grant may have lost many soldiers under his command, but his tactics led to a Northern victory.Northern triumph also came with the innovation of Total War. Total War is the attack, not only on opposing armies; but the attack on civilians, livestock, towns and cities. With greater numbers, the Union could attack more often and consistently. Union generals soon engaged in Total War and decimated the South. Union troops burned down cites such as Atlanta. This action had a severe psychological factor against the citizens of the Confederacy. The demoralization effect Total War produces is tremendous upon civilians. If a soldier is fighting for a country and is not supported at home, then the soldier does not have much to fight for. Furthermore, the effects of Total War went beyond that of city living.Total War tactics decreased the Souths agricultural capacity. Later i...
