Three
thousand miles of undefended coast invited the attack of the U. S. Navy,
while twenty million Northerners stood with their feet on the borders of
the South ready to advance without the possibility of hindrance save the
bare breasts of the men who might oppose them.
The difference between the sections in material resources was absurd.
The North was rich and powerful Her engines of war were exhaustless and
under perfect control. The railroads of the South were few and poorly
equipped, with no work shops from which to renew their equipment when
exhausted. The railroad system of the entire country was absolutely
dependent on the North for supplies. The Missouri River was connected
with the Northern seaboard by the finest system of railways in the
world, with a total mileage of over thirty thousand. Its annual tonnage
was thirty-six million and its revenue valued at four thousand millions
of dollars. The annual value of the manufactures of the North was over
two thousand millions, and their machinery was complete for the
production of all the material of war. Her ships sailed every sea and
she could draw upon the resources of the known world. Her manufacturing
power compared to the South was five hundred to one.
No leader in the history of his race was ever confronted by such
insuperable difficulties as faced Jefferson Davis.
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