Virginia Historical Society: Waging War: The Battlefront: Offense or Defense?

To win the war, Union troops needed to invade and control an unfriendly South and subdue Confederate armies. Confederate armies did not have to conquer northern territory to win independence. They did, however, need to win enough battles to erode northern will to keep fighting and convince southerners that the war could be won. Rifled weapons changed the way these battles were fought as they could be used over a long range and allowed for repeating rounds.