Unlimited energy.

[wausaubob]

"Although prices tended to fluctuate with the season, in the long run, they fell throughout the antebellum period. For example, in 1830 anthracite coal sold for about $11 per ton. Ten years later, the price had dropped to $7 per ton and by 1860 anthracite sold for about $5.50 a ton in New York City. Annual production in 1860 also passed twenty million tons for the first time in history. Increasing production, intense competition, low prices, and quiet labor relations all were characteristics of the antebellum coal trade in the United States, but developments during and after the Civil War would dramatically alter the structure and character of this critical industrial pursuit. "

The US Coal Industry in the Nineteenth Century – EH.net

eh.net

See pages 173-174. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1860/manufactures/1860c-04.pdf?#
Despite the price of coal falling during the 1850's, the value of coal mined in the US rose from $7.1M to $20.2M between 1850 and 1860. This rapid change in the availability was on going as the war effort accelerated in 1861-1862.
Most of the coal came from mines in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois. Western Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee all had substantial production. By far Pennsylvania was the biggest producer.
This meant unlimited power for the US iron industry, the fledgling steel industry, US railroads and US naval vessels.
The Confederacy needed less coal than the north. And the Confederacy had some deposits that remained in their orbit or could be exploited during the war.
The Confederacy could use firewood, too. But firewood production requires tools, manpower and transportation.
In military terms, the advantage in coal had a huge impact on railroad operations, which affected issues as fundamental as battlefield triage and transport of the wounded.
In economic terms, it is one of the reasons the US economy was getting stronger as war demands stimulated production and innovation.

 

[PrivateBrooke]

I live in Pennsylvania coal country. It's enough of a thing here, we learned a lot about it and went on a couple field trips to the mines. It's very weird to think, but it was a huge part of the 19th century economy, akin to oil in today's economy.

 

[wausaubob]

Other than coal, the essential industry in the US in 1860 was rolled iron and railroad iron. That would include bar and sheets. Much of the coal that was mined was used to produce the 266K tons of rolled iron that was produced by Pennsylvania. See page 183. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1860/manufactures/1860c-05.pdf?#

 

[wausaubob]

There were 29,700 men employed in coal mining in Pennsylvania in 1860. Which represents one of the manpower advantages cited by @DaveBrt .

 

[Forks of the Ohio]

Other than coal, the essential industry in the US in 1860 was rolled iron and railroad iron. That would include bar and sheets. Much of the coal that was mined was used to produce the 266K tons of rolled iron that was produced by Pennsylvania. See page 183. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1860/manufactures/1860c-05.pdf?#

I'm from Central PA and also the Pittsburgh area. This is how Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick became fantastically rich. These things built Pittsburgh into the city that it is today.

 

[wausaubob]

I'm from Central PA and also the Pittsburgh area. This is how Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick became fantastically rich. These things built Pittsburgh into the city that it is today.

Andrew Carnegie left the telegraph service and went to Pittsburgh with instructions to start producing pre-fabricated bridge and culvert elements. Those types of structural elements were productivity savers for US railroad crews rebuilding and maintaining railroads in the contested areas. It was one of those niches that were extremely profitable and very helpful for the US. Later he became a monopolist. Frick was left with the task of exploiting a captive work force of men who could not afford to look for work in another industry.

 

[damYankee]

Is it possible that as coal was found in newly acquired territories such as Kansas, Mo, Michigan etc the market price fluctuated ?
Coal mining began in Missouri in 1839, Massachusetts in 1715 Wisconsin in 1825, Michigan in 1837, Ohio in 1800, Kentucky in 1820,
In fact the first report of coal being discovered in the US was reported by French explorer Father Hennepin in 1669! As the US expanded west coal was discovered all across the continent, is it any surprise prices fluctuated?