Data Literacy for Social Studies, Pig Iron Production, Union vs. Confederacy, 1860

This bar graph uses a data table from the 1860 US Census to compare the amount of pig iron produced in Union (including free and border states) and Confederate states. The spreadsheets found here include the original table, a recreated table, and the bar graph. Pig iron is an intermediate product used in the production of steel and cast iron that is made by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. It was an important resource for making weapons and other war-related materials. The graph illustrates the considerable advantage the Union had over the Confederacy in the production of pig iron at the beginning of the Civil War. During the Civil War, industries like Virginia's Tredegar Iron Works tried to make up for such disadvantages.