Expert: Tom Schott - 3/3/2009

Question
You asked me to be more precise with my question, which was - How bad did the North outnumber the South regarding soldiers during the Civil War?  I've always thought it was 8:1, but I've heard everything from 2.5:1 to 10:1.  I meant actual men in uniform during the war.  I hope this helps.  

Answer
Brian,

The figure is actually lower than you think.

 For the Union, a total of 2.129 million served.
 The figures for the Confederates has been hotly debated. The best estimate puts the number around 1.5 million.

 So next time you're asked, the Union had roughly one and half times total men under arms than the Confederates.