The importance of the industrial revolution for the U.S. Civil War was in its influence on the way the war was progressing; more advanced weapons, better communication, and information transmission, active use of railroads and telegraphs, and the rising number of industrial firms has resulted in a war that had similarities with the wars defined as “modern wars”. i The industrial revolution has provided more advanced weapons that could double the killing zone and permit high volumes of fire. Furthermore, both sides, the Union and the Confederacy had to mobilize their economies and engage business in the war due to their dependency on different industries and suppliers (e.g., railroads). ii The industrial revolution changed warfare by introducing warships, rail and steam transportation, the telegraph, extensive production of food and armor, and new technologies for war propaganda. iii Nevertheless, the deliberate large-scale destruction of the property for demoralization and robbery, although also perceived as the causes of the industrial revolution, were known since the XII century or earlier. The industrial revolution provided the Union with another significant advantage in the war. The control over the rivers was possible due to the naval force of the Union, which was countered by the Confederate’s guerrillas that, however, were not particularly effective in reducing the Union’s control over the rivers. As Beringer points out, light-draft “tinclad” steamboats were as effective in controlling the rivers as heavier ships; from January till June the Union was able to convoy 400 steamboats without a single loss. iv The change of political course during the years of the Civil War also highly influenced its progress. The idea of popular sovereignty, i.e., the perception of people as the source of political authority and legitimacy was also highly prominent. Nevertheless, the influence on the warfare of the new perception also had its disadvantages. For example, passivity and obedience were rejected, and soldiers insisted on choosing their own officers and taking actions they found beneficial (e.g., Northern soldiers robbing Southern civilians). Despite the active propaganda of political ideology and appeal to serve the government (without being coerced), soldiers’ support after the expiration of their terms of service for their government reduced, sometimes leading to a mass exodus, e.g., the departure of the Pennsylvania Reserves. v Furthermore, the government’s later direct forms of compulsion also were not effective in attracting more workforce but negatively influenced popular support for it. vi One of the social factors that together with the Industrial Revolution influenced the course and the outcome of the military revolution was demographics. The South’s large slave population was beneficial to the Confederacy at first because during the mobilization of the white population the slaves were able to support economic progress at first. Nevertheless, the Confederacy was unable to compete with its rival neither in a demographical aspect nor the number of available industrial firms. Out of 128,300 industrial firms in the USA, 18,206 of those were located in the Confederacy and were mostly represented by small concerns. vii The miles of railroads