The following were advantages of the South as they prepared for war with the Union:
* greater familiarity with the terrain
* strong cavalry
* more experienced military leadership
* a culture that placed a high value on soldiering
The North had, among its advantages, a much greater industrial capacity, a larger and more experienced navy, a vastly more extensive railroad network, a banking system that could finance the massive costs of war, and a larger population from which to draw soldiers.
