CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS Jacob Shetter
SOUTHERN SOLDIERS Southern soldiers were disorganized as a result of a loose coalition of state militaries rather than a single universal military. The South had a hard time accepting the rules and regulations associated with organized military as it made them feel like the slaves whom were forced to do all the work. The citizens were spoiled and lazy, being accustomed to doing a minimal amount of labor. These soldiers were victims of the civil war as they merely wished to peacefully succeed from the United States.
SOUTHERN SOLDIERS Represented three distinctive classes: the aristocratic planter class, the poorer white farmer class and the slave class. Of the three only the poorer white farmers or the common people had a feasible impact in the war. Slaves were thought of as property and thus did not have a prevalent force in the Southern army. Aristocratic planters were capable of avoiding enlistment in the military by Southern law. Soldiers would often desert the war because they maintained a high value in family and wished to protect them from the war at all costs.
NORTHERN SOLDIERS More homogeneous, reflected the commerce, industry, cities and townships. The society was built on education and production, free labor reduced the differing classes and caused more unity. Free labor also caused the Northern soldiers to be accustomed to intensive work loads making them more easily adjusted to war than their Southern counterparts.
NORTHERN SOLDIERS Northern soldiers were more professional and conducted war with more structure than their counterparts. The North felt it necessary to force their opinion of free labor on the slavery orientated South. Where African-Americans were viewed as slaves in the South, the North recruited 180,000 as soldiers during the war. Northern force was the aggressor.
GENERALS The South felt they had more capable generals because the North was not having an attempt on their way of life and as a result the Southern generals had more passion. Southern generals were also more renowned than their counterparts in the north with great generals such as Joseph E. Johnston, Robert E. Lee, and Thomas J. Stonewall Jackson. The beginning of the war solidified this pretentious ideal of Southern generals as they experienced many victories in the first year.
RECRUITMENT The Southern peoples were ready and willing to fight to defend their way of life. The majority of Southern people, even those whom did not own slaves, felt it as their right guaranteed by the constitution to own slaves. White Southerners feared that if slavery was abolished the social displacement between whites and blacks would no longer exist and thus they would no longer have a guarantee of economic success.
RECRUITMENT Union soldiers were recruited by other citizens out of loyalty to the regular army or servitude in militias. Regular army soldiers would circulate enlistment papers for signatures and often influenced others so significantly as to sign out of blind loyalty. The Conscription Act was passed by congress and affectively served as the first American draft.
CAMPS The majority of soldiers on both sides had come from clean and healthy living conditions. Camps were dirty as well as insect and disease infected.
CAMPS A psychological strain came to the soldiers as they did not only have to worry about dying from foreign entities but as well as domestic to their living quarters. Soldiers became more concerned with dying inside the camps than in the war because they felt a type of heroism to die in battle compared to the degrading and slow death of disease.
THE EXPERIENCE Hospitals treated soldiers anonymously and almost inhumane, they often times did not get the care they needed. Camp and hospital conditions crazed the soldiers even during times when they should have been at rest.
THE EXPERIENCE Seeing death and mangled bodies during war hardened the soldiers. Because of the intense factors at all times the soldiers became savage and dehumanized. Soldiers were now no longer capable of assimilating with normal citizens and thus formed a tight brotherhood.
DESERTERS Estimated over 200,000 deserters during the Civil War. Deserting was more common in the North as they experienced more civil conditions and understood war enough to be discontent. Conditions such as lack of pay, food, liquids, and over all poor living conditions influenced Northern deserters.
PUNISHMENT Death was applied harshly after 1863 as means of discouraging the large rate at which soldiers were abandoning war efforts. Affectively lowered rate of desertion but went against civil rights.
PRIMARY SOURCE Fort Scott. Jan 22nd/62 Dear Mother James has just been here with a telegraphic despatch of the Death of Father Just as I had written the last sentence in a letter to Father. James tried to obtain a furlough for us to attend the Funeral but it was beyond the power of our Col to grant it as he had Orders from Gen McLellan not to grant any furloughs on any account Please tell me all about Fathers Death and the circumstances atending it. I remain as ever Your Affectionate Son George F. Elliott P.S. You will find the letter that I had just written to Father enclosed with this. Please tell me the Necesities of the Family, and what it is best to, and whether Father was much in dept. Give my Love to all of the Children Yours &c George
OPVL Origin: Letter during civil war(jan 22, 1862) from a union soldier to his mother. Purpose: Explain to his mother why he was incapable to attend his father s funeral and to become more informed of his death. Value: Paints an account of a casual civil war soldier s letter home. Limitation: The letter is from a union soldier so the opposing confederacy letters could differ.
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