confederate soldiers motivation

While it would be foolish to deny that slavery was the primary instigator of the War itself, very few Confederate soldiers were slave owners - most were poor farmers, little more than slaves themselves. As Dr. McPherson mentions, once the choice is first made, the typical combat soldier is forced to re-examine his choice at least two more times, once after his first battle and then again when he re-enlists. The Confederacy had the draft first and most effectively. One of them, Frank Kennedy (Carroll Nye), arrives at Tara and, having long been in love with Suellen, asks Scarlett's permission to marry her. Slavery. 7. While most historians agree that the war erupted over a debate about slavery, the role of slavery in the motivation of soldiers had been the subject of widespread debate. You see, the infamous murder can be traced back to the president’s actions during the conflict – and one in particular set Booth on edge. The Legion met Morgan in battle at Corydon. Whether they have the motivation to is another matter. Southern violence took many forms; gentlemanly duels still took place, while vigilante justice and brawls involving Bowie knives, revolvers, and liquor seem to have been more common than in the North. Anastasia was married to Martin Creane/Crane and later married Cyrus Chism. From the description: Hess's book "stands as a sweeping examination of the decisive link between the distribution of provisions to soldiers and the strategic movement of armies during the Civil War. they were not attuned to their leaders' interests. Religious differences. Report Video Issue Most Confederate soldiers enlisted for the duration of the war. The C.S.A. Many folks are fussing about why the Confederate soldiers served. For Cause, p. 110. The use of National Guard divisions meant that this tragedy alo occurred in … Current historiographical studies try to apply the same motivational factors to entire states, armies, or to all Union or Confederate soldiers in general. Thus soldier motivation was a critical aspect of the War. 3. When it comes to mid 19th Century America, I am definitely a Yankee and Abolitionist when it comes to my sympathies - to such an extent that I count John Brown as one of my heroes. Image of a Slave’s service in the Confederate army, Andrew Martin Chandler of the Forty-fourth Mississippi Infantry and Silas Chandler, circa 1861.Credit Collection of Andrew Chandler Battaile via Opionator.blogs.nytimes 100, also known as the Lieber Code of 1863, which set clear rules for engaging with enemy combatants and clarified how Union soldiers should treat civilians, and in particular women. Additional information may be found by viewing the image of the original record. Compare that to 61% of Union soldiers who mentioned a sense of patriotism as motivation for their service. Opinion among Union soldiers changed over time. Disgust for Yankee 'Negro-worship' was expressed in Southern rhetoric before and during the War. U.S., Confederate Service Records, 1861-1865. Christopher Hamner talked about the factors that motivated Union and Confederate soldiers during different periods of the Civil War. For the 647 Union fighting men, the proportion was virtually the same: 441, or 68 percent. But, how many would endure wearing rags for shoes in winter merely to protect economic investment or a “way of life”? Sure, it's worth going back to see how his actions were understood and perceived in the past. Our community welcomes everyone from around the world to discuss world history, historical periods, and themes in history - military history, archaeology, arts and culture, and history in books and movies. Since many soldiers were poor farmers, boredom and a simple longing for adventure must have inspired many. 429 Confederate soldiers and sailors whose letters or diaries form the basis for this book, 283, or 66 percent, affirmed such motivations at one time or another after enlisting. But, Dr. McPherson did the next best thing. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. ( Log Out /  I have to assume the vast majority of Confederate soldiers were not political, i.e. Union military courts prosecuted at least 450 cases involving sexual crimes. Many Southerners fought to avoid enslavement by the North. Dr. McPherson posits that likely, if all soldiers had been polled at the time, about one-half would have favored emancipation as a war aim, while 25% would have opposed and 25% had no opinion. Though scholars energetically debate whether or not the Confederate States of America achieved “nationhood,” there is no denying that the Confederacy acted as a separate country for the four years of its existence. Most soldiers were between the ages of 18 and 39 with an average age of just under 26. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The issue of racism was not limited to black-white relations. Morgan’s raid was by far the largest incursion into Indiana, involving some 2,400 Confederate soldiers. He went to the John Agar home. . Anastasia was the mother of George Price Crane. Peer pressure, boredom, and indoctrination. Dr. McPherson is a well known Civil War historian. The 'Puritanical' religion of New England Protestants was held in disdain by the most religiously-sensitive of Southerners; indeed, 'Puritan' was used like an insult to describe some Abolitionists. The motivation of soldiers in the Civil War is a subject that has long intrigued me. Confederate soldiers were in general a rag-tag clothed Army. This leads to popular misconceptions forming in the public's mind about important people and events, particularly with early American history, and even with some events occurred during modern record-keeping.In the present day, every line a politician speaks publicly is meticulously documented and can be readily retrieved by eager fact-finders. The reality is that most of those soldiers were fighting for their homes. Most Confederate soldiers served with a unit raised in the community where they lived. Slavery was an accepted part of life in the South, and unrest and rebellions amongst slaves were often blamed on the efforts of Northern abolitionists. Here's an interview of a confederate soldier who seems to think slavery was a secondary … The North was home to an increasingly enormous population of German, Jewish, Italian, and Irish immigrants, many of whom were viewed with distaste by nativists throughout the country. But hey, did you know blacks owned slaves too? I think that is a valid position for someone to take. For Cause, p. 21. According to Dr. McPherson’s study, 57% of Confederate soldiers espoused patriotic sentiment for serving. In his career, he explains that having looked at perhaps 25,000 such records, he believed this was a representative sample. Dr. McPherson reviewed the personal letters and diaries of some 400 Confederate soldiers. Most Confederate soldiers enlisted for the duration of the war. A factor modern day students of the Civil War era often forget, is that in the 19th Century many individuals felt greater loyalty to their home or adopted states than to the Government and nation at large. ADVERTISEMENT. The popular perception among some folks today is that most or all Confederate soldiers served to protect their economy or “way of life.” Surely, protecting economic interests motivated some Southerners. . They believed the North sought to subjugate the South in some way. 1. 1. Slavery was the political issue and served as the backdrop of the war, for most, was not their motivations for fighting. In response, Lincoln called for volunteers to help put down the rebellion, prompting the states of Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas, and North Carolina to secede as well, as they refused to send any forces to aid the federal cause. Well, slavery was something that the people of that generation had inherited and I don't think it was a practice that any of them loved. Along with these McPherson In his book For Cause & Comrades McPherson describes soldiers initial … He discussed patriotism. Morgan had cannon and was able to win the battle against the outnumbered Legion soldiers. Morgan hit a few other towns, but made a quick exit into Ohio as some 65,000 Hoosier men volunteered to fight against him in just forty-eight hours. That said, the motivation was most likely that of nearly all soldiers who are fighting mostly on "their own" soil - defense of family, friends, hearth and … The first 2 year of the Civil War was fought by volunteers. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. For Cause, p. viii. Not much in the way of a “boot camp” as we think of them today. And, soldiers began to see emancipation as another weapon against the Confederacy. But those building names, portraits and statues have meaning today. . John Mitchel, the Irish rebel and editor for a time of two Richmond newspapers during the war, insisted the North was seeking to subjugate the South as Great Britain had subjugated Ireland. The Union soldiers started seeing emancipation as something that caused harm to the Southern cause. Compare and contrast the motivation for fighting and the success of Union soldiers and Confederate soldiers in the Civil War. As harsh as it is to say, slaves represented material possession, an investment. *10 points to best answer! Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Confederate soldiers may have seen the curtailment of their liberties that came with soldier life more sharply in comparison to the enslaved people among whom they lived, but there is little evidence that they resisted the discipline of the army any more than their Northern peers. Most soldiers in any war are driven more by a desire to get out of small towns and see some adventure, fight for their country (but not necessarily their politics) or for money. ( Log Out /  For Cause and Comrade, p. 123. Most Civil War soldiers on either side went to war for at least one of these three reasons. *5 reasons for both! On May 18, 1865, one 1LT A.R. One assumes he spoke his true thoughts to his private diary. That said, I think it is both wise and often very interesting to examine all sides of the story in history. He looked at personal letters and diaries of both Union and Confederate soldiers to ask the fundamental question, what motivated them to join, and then to stay in military service during very harsh circumstances. That is, their service was motivated by a sense of patriotism. Award-winning historian Earl J. Hess reveals how that dynamic served as the key to success, especially for the Union army as it undertook bold offensives striking far behind Confederate lines. Their worlds in the mid-1800s was much smaller than ours. J. Tracy Power in Lee's Miserables and Stephen Berry in All That Makes a Man argued that Confederate soldiers … JavaScript is disabled. The revival began in the Army of Northern Virginia in early 1863. Many others would have been roused to righteous indignation by the glamorous rhetoric that was used to inflame the populaces of both the warring sides. The samples of both Confederate and Union soldiers are biased toward the False According to Senator John Sherman, the war resulted in capitalists like J.P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie, who imagined making "millions as confidently as formerly of thousands" after the war. 3, 4. Connected to the issue of slavery was simple racism. It is generally regarded as part of the Third Great Awakening.. Benjamin R. Lacy suggests that the revival began in the camps and hospitals around Richmond, Virginia. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. They died on … In the 'Bleeding Kansas' conflict pro-slavery Missourians often accused Yankee 'Free State' immigrants of cowardice, and with some infamous exceptions, most of the latter were definitely less confrontational than their opponents. Confederate forces (most of whom were, by this point, turncoat soldiers and officers) shelled the fort and forced it to surrender. That is, their service was motivated by a sense of patriotism. A brief history of the "Lost Cause": Why this toxic myth still appeals to so many white Americans Racist myth-making conquered American history — … ( Log Out /  You can not fight a war with volunteers unless the population is strongly motivared. In any event, those sentiments changed in 1863. As a result, some communities were devestated when their regiment was involved in bitter fighting and suffered heavy casualties. Entire communities were emptied of their young men, and those who stayed behind were liable to be mocked by their female contemporaries. Booth’s motivation for slaying the president may still seem unclear, but it was firmly rooted in the role Lincoln played during the American Civil War. Votes: 65,540 | Gross: $31.80M Well, slavery was something that the people of that generation had inherited and I don't think it was a practice that any of them loved. 'Cause you're here'. The Confederate soldiers at Vicksburg faced horror and hardship rather than consider surrendering to the Union. Most of the fighting men in that war were neither professional soldiers nor draftees—they were volunteers. That said, it was obvious and natural that the natives of an invaded region would rally to defend their states, communities, and livelihoods, especially 1864-1865 as the horrors of War became more apparent to the civilian population of the South. While the United States continued to operate normally (elections, parties, campaigns, state and Congressional legislation, court rulings, etc.) But, just as certain, many soldiers served simply because they saw it as their duty. This database contains records of Confederate soldiers who served in military organizations that were formed by the Confederate Government. Civil war is an organized war between organized groups within the same state or country their aim may be political is to take control of the country or a given region. Some months later, in spring of 1865, the war is finally over. For Cause, p. 102. Information available about a soldier includes his name, unit, and rank. Copyright © 2006-2020 Historum. Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Sondra Locke, Chief Dan George, Bill McKinney. Conscription was eventually introduced in the North, but the first two years of the War was fought with volunteers. I, too, would assume most Confederate soldiers were not political. Mumford went to the home of my ancestor’s aunt in New Orleans. Union soldiers and even several Presidents honored the courage and valor of the Confederate veterans and did not begrudge them their statutes which stood as memorials to their fallen heroes and the lives lost in that war. 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