Both sides needed time to replace overpromoted officers with competent command hierarchies. By the time the Confederacy found capable officers, it had lost the logistics needed to sustain the war. By the time the Union found capable leaders, they commanded trained armies rather than the militia formations of the opening years. Capable officers did exist earlier, so the point concerns when each side could build an effective military system around them. Better leadership alone could not restore the Confederate position.
Notable Point · 3:08-3:31
Why command and logistics decided the American Civil War
The Confederacy's collapsing logistics and the Union's maturing officer corps left the South without a viable path to victory.