One reason the North won the Civil War might surprise you [View all]

[KamaAina]

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article77862987.html

The outcome of the Civil War was influenced by many factors on both sides, including population, finances, the availability of weaponry, naval power and military leadership.

But in a recent study published by the Geological Society of America, a North Carolina professor suggests a less obvious factor: rocks.

"It is not an overstatement to say that rocks helped determine the outcome of the Civil War,” said Scott Hippensteel, an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. “Geology determines terrain, and terrain can be exploited by a skilled commander on both offense and defense.”...

“Overall, the geology didn’t favor either side,” he said. “Nevertheless, multiple individual battles were strongly influenced by the geology of the region, and the geology seemed to favor whichever side took a more defensive approach.”