Final answer:
The correct answer is (B) with the North facing geographical and military leadership disadvantages and the South economic challenges caused by their dependence on cotton exports, blockade effects, and lack of industry and infrastructure.
Step-by-step explanation:
When the Civil War began, both the North and South faced various disadvantages. The correct answer to the comparison question is (B) The North faced disadvantages related to geography and military leadership, while the South faced economic challenges.
The North, despite its greater industrial capabilities, larger population, and extensive railroad grid, had to contend with establishing long supply lines and faced challenges of fighting in unfamiliar terrain with a hostile civilian population. Union forces needed to maintain these supply lines over a vast area which was daunting and required significant resources. Additionally, while the North had to engage in offensive warfare, which is typically more difficult than defending, it also struggled with having initially less experienced military leadership compared to the South.
On the other hand, the Confederacy faced significant disadvantages due to its economy, which was heavily reliant on the export of cotton. With the naval blockade by the Union, the South's primary income source was severely hindered, leading to shortages of goods and runaway inflation as a result of printing paper money. The South's smaller population, of which nearly half were enslaved, and lack of infrastructure also presented significant disadvantages in sustaining a prolonged conflict.
The South had the advantage of being able to wage a defensive war on home territory, supporting a military strategy that relied less on manpower and more on territorial familiarity. However, the Confederate armies suffered from destruction of property and dislocation of civilians as the Union forces advanced, undermining the Confederate war effort.