"There has been a tendency since the antebellum days to view the South as martially superior to the North. In the antebellum years Southern elites viewed themselves as cavaliers and referred to Northerners as Yankees. The object here is to investigate the validity of this perception of Southern martial superiority that lingers to this day. Topics include: the reasoning behind the Southern viewpoint of martial superiority, why the South expected to win, an ethnic and cultural comparison of the antebellum North and South, command leadership, variables affecting the outcomes of battles and Campaigns, which side faced the more difficult path to victory, demonstrated superior strategy and an evaluation of battle efficiency. Agendas and bias have affected Civil War writing since the antebellum days: here is an effort to provide an unbiased appraisal of the military performance of our Civil War ancestors, free of the influence of partisanship or sentiments regarding their propriety."-- Provided by publisher.

American antebellum marital perceptions -- 1860: Pre-war motivation and morale -- 1861: America stumbles into Civil War -- 1862: A disastrous year for the Confederacy -- 1863: The year of Northern ascendency -- 1864: The decisive year -- 1865: The Confederacy collapses -- Comparisons and conclusions.