turned into money without going north or to sea. In finance the
North was overwhelmingly strong by comparison, more especially
because Northern sea-power shut off the South from all its
foreign markets. In manufactures the South could not compare at
all.

Northern factories alone could not supply the armies. But finance
and factories together could. The Southern soldier looked to the
battlefield and the raiding of a base for supplying many of his
most pressing needs in arms, equipment, clothing, and even food--
for Southern transport suffered from many disabilities. Fierce
wolfish cries would mingle with the rebel yell in battle when the
two sides closed. "You've got to leave your rations!"--"Come out
of them clothes!"--"Take off them boots, Yank!"--"Come on, blue
bellies, we want them blankets!"

It was the same in almost every kind of goods. The South made
next to none for herself and had to import from the North or
overseas. The North could buy silk for balloons. The South could
not. The Southern women gave in their whole supply of silk for
the big balloon that was lost during the Seven Days' Battle in
the second year of the war. The Southern soldiers never forgave
what they considered the ungallant trick of the Northerners who
took this many-hued balloon from a steamer stranded on a bar at
low tide down near the mouth of the James. Thus fell the last
silk dress, a queer tribute to Northern seapower! Northern
seapower also cut off nearly everything the sick and wounded
needed; which raised the death rate of the Southern forces far
beyond the corresponding death rate in the North. Again,
preserved rations were almost unknown in the South. But they were