Financial reserves in the United States prior to the Civil War 1861, by region

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, the Union states had over three times as much money as the Confederacy, a fact that would prove vital as the war waged on. Throughout the war, the industrialized northern states were able to generate wealth at a much higher rate than the arable southern states, who had lost much of their work force when the armies enlisted. The ability to feed, supply and pay for their armies proved crucial for the Union States, who eventually won the war in 1865.