The South had no manufacturing base. No real industry. All they had was warm water ports the North likely coveted. They had no way of breaking the North's blockade. General Jackson's death was a big blow for the Southern forces. Lee made some critical mistakes that cost him dearly. Military tactics at the time were brutal and both sides suffered terrible losses. All this for protecting the status quo of a dying practice of Slavery the South could ill afford to keep. Their inability to compromise on the issue of Slavery in the new territories brought about the most cataclysmic debacle in the history of the Republic.
