A legendary war 140 years old is still examined today, for the causes of such an atrocity are widespread and varied. The outcome of the war can be broken down into the differences in manpower and industrial resources of each side ("Wartime Resources," 1). The Civil War divided a nation and had a profound effect on the people as well as the economy. "In all history, no nation of mere agriculturists ever made successful war against a nation of mechanics. . . .You are bound to fail" (Barnes, 21). In stating so, William Tecumseh Sherman saw the Union as the clear dominant power of the war. The economic dissimilarity between the North and the South stemmed from controversial ties to slavery and the conflicting ideas over industry and agriculture, eventually leading to the inevitable Civil War.

Upon examination of the economic statuses of the North and South, little similarity is evident. Once a...