The Civil War used the advances of the Industrial Revolution to foster great changes in industrial and technological development. Both the North and the South made use of advances in railroad and riverine transportation. The Union, however, was far more advanced technologically than the Confederate states. Consequently, the Union made greater and more effective use of progress in transportation, military medicine, and field artillery than did the Confederacy. Indeed, the industrial might of the Union states proved a major factor in the northern victory.

Historians generally agree that the Civil War was the first modern war, meaning the first in which technology and industrial strength played a significant role. But the nature of their industry and technology distinguished the two sides, which represented different economic conditions and ways of life.

The North had developed a mixed...