To elaborate on the answer given by Coach.... . The blacks in the south at the start of the Civil War out numbered white men 3 to 1. Thus it made it extremely difficult to supply their armies with sufficient troops. The Southerners had to protect their families from possible attacks from the slaves, keep them from escaping, keep them working, keep cotton and food and what little industrial capacity the south had operating and much more.. . The north had a much larger population to begin with and didn't have to concern themselves with controlling and managing slaves.. . Those are just some basics.