help with making this flow smoother?

I am writing a two page paper on why the North won the war, and i need help making the introduction paragraph flow smoother. If anyone could point out any sentences that need correcting and give suggestions on how i could fix them, that would be very helpful. Expert help please. 10 points to best answer ;)

On August 20th 1866, President Andrew Johnson formally declared that the 'civil' war with the South was officially over. After four years of bloody fighting, the South was finally defeated and joined back into the Union. But there were many factors that were vital to the turn-out of the war that eventually led to the Norths victory. The North enjoyed many more important advantages than the South did, and it was these benefits that helped the North win the war. Among the most important of these benefits were these three: the North had overall, many more resources and industry; they had a much stronger government than the South; and the North had an effective strategy that worked very well to tear the South apart bit by bit.