The Civil War Volunteer Regiments Essay

The reasons that motivated people to pick up arms and fight were as different as the people who were doing the fighting. When asked by a Union officer a Southern P.O.W. answered “… Why they were fighting this war…[he responded]… They was fighting for their rats… It finally dawned on us that what the feller meant was their rights.”(Page 170-171). Another Southern gave this analogy “… it’s as if we all joined a gentlemen’s club, and then the members of the club started sticking their noses into our private lives, and then

Life during the Civil War was not a pleasant time. There was basically utter chaos

War, the Ultimate Proving Ground: The black troops persevered in the face of hardship, prejudice, and discrimination. They fought in spite of atrocious treatment and in the face of bitter challenges, believing they could make a difference.

As long as man has had the ability to think for himself, there has been conflict and war. Wars are waged by the rich and powerful, but fought by the poor masses who march, inexorably into the meat grinder. The question of “why do soldiers fight?” arises when looking at the study of warfare. What compelled the hoplite from Sparta, the foot soldier in Napoleon’s Grand Army, the American Infantryman on Omaha Beach, or the Army Ranger in Baghdad to willingly enlist and fight for their cause? The most devastating war in American history was by far the Civil War, claiming more American lives in four years than all other American wars (except World War I and II) combined. What is it that made these

For Cause and Comrades is a book written by James McPherson, with the help of diaries and letters written by soldiers from the Confederate and Union forces, he is able to formally detail accounts on why men fought in the civil war. Consequently, McPherson is able to shed light on the mentality and motives that soldiers possessed that made them fight in the war. Although we will never truly know why soldiers fought in the civil war, this book most definitely gives readers evidence that soldiers had certain values and morals that gave them reason to fight.

Throughout the beginning of the Civil War, soldiers felt loyal to their side, also known as being patriotic. One piece of evidence that showed this attitude was is document four, “Excerpt from Reflections on the Civil War by Bruce

James M. McPherson, author of For Cause and Comrades, uses more than 25,000 unaltered letters and closely 250 private journals from Civil War soldiers—both Union and Confederate—in his attempt to explain what possessed these men to endure the roaring, gruesome chaos of war. What better way to express the motivation behind fighting than words straight from the pens of the men who were physically there and experienced the Civil War to its fullest? I personally feel as though McPherson succeeded in his explanation of the different driving forces that kept each man going during these difficult years of battle. The Wall Street Journal describes McPherson’s work as “an extraordinary book, full of fascinating details and moving self-portraits.”

The equipped power required more work or, as African-American warrior James Henry Gooding put it with annoying effect, "more conspicuous help for its vivacious throat." By 1865 around one tenth of each Union officer and sailors were African- American, and around 80% of these started from the slave states. Dull troopers fight with imperative valor. Exactly when gotten they went up against extensively more discernible mercilessness from Confederate warriors than did their white confidants. Union affiliation, in any case, was no affirmation of for all intents and purposes indistinguishable treatment. Decrease warriors in the Union prepared power served in separated troops, as often as possible as possible tested humble assignments, and got cleave down pay—$10 dependably to white officers' $13. In this letter to President Lincoln, Gooding, making in the energy out of himself and his related reduce warriors, attempted these

Fighting was a privilege to them, and gave them immense satisfaction. They often spoke of their desire to fight and risk their lives for the cause they held so dear to their hearts in their letters. They didn’t care about how long it took, they cared about winning with high honor and protecting their nation. It was a glorious sacrifice in their eyes to lay their lives on the line to fend for their manhood and loving country. The Unionist felt like the Confederates were traitors, disrespecting their rights their forefathers had sacrificed their lives for.

The Battle of Gettysburg was amongst one the most important turning points during the Civil War. It was a three-day bloody battle between the Union and Confederate forces which would ultimately lead up to the victory of the Union. In The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara shows a depiction of the battle through the eyes of the officers and tries to give the reader a first-hand look into the daily struggles that they had to deal with when it came to distinguishing between what’s best for their men and chances of success in the battle. In the book, we are introduced with two important officers: Colonel Chamberlain of the Union force, and General Lee of the Confederate force. Throughout the book, we witness different leadership strategies and philosophies between both officers which ultimately serve as their road to success or failure in the battle. Focusing on General Lee’s philosophy on leadership, “To be a good soldier, you must love the army. But to be a good officer you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love.”, it reinforces the idea that in order to fully succeed at battle, you must set aside and sacrifice your sense of sympathy towards your soldiers as a way to avoid making emotional decisions.

The numbers of children that were involved in battles was very high. Just in those who received the Congressional Medal of Honor, 48 were under the age of 18(Children in the Civil War). Children enlisted as soldiers, but were often regiment musicians. Some also became hospital attendants, guards, water carriers, and barbers. Even the children who stayed at home had many responsibilities to help with the war.

“War at its basic level has always been about soldiers. Nations rose and fell on the strength of their armies and the men who filled the ranks.” This is a very powerful quote, especially for the yet young country of the United States, for it gives credit where credit is truly due: to the men who carried out the orders from their superiors, gave their blood, sweat and tears, and in millions of cases their lives while fighting for ideals that they believed their country or government was founded upon, and to ensure the continuation of these ideals. Up until the end of the 20th Century, they did so in the worst of conditions, and this includes not only the battle scene, but also every day life. In

Military tactics and strategies are depicted in a historically accurate way for both the union and confederate armies. The rank of a Civil War soldier indicated his duties and responsibilities within the army. The vast majority of men who fought in the civil war were enlisted men who fought as soldiers. Above them were non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers. While officers had more prestige than soldiers, they also had a lot more responsibilities, since they were accountable for all the soldiers under their command. In the movie we can see that General Robert E. Lee and General Reynolds are clearly in control and have the highest control of dictating soldiers, with who have lower ranks. Furthermore this attribute can be further seen when Colonel Chamberlain (in the Union army) speaks to the 20th Main, on whether they should continue to fight with the Union. The motivational speech emotionally expatiated, indicates the true power and ability high ranked soldiers have during the Civil War. The speech is clearly able to motivate and persuade the young men to fight against the Confederates. This ranking hierarchy

In 1861, the American Civil War commenced after many years of tension building between the Northern and Southern states. The main reason of the tension was said to be the debate of slavery between the North and South, and although some documents support this claim, it is false. The war had been brewing since 1607, before slavery was even introduced to the colonies that would become the United States of America. The debate of slavery did play a major part in the civil war; however it did so in supporting the true cause of the civil war. The main cause of the American Civil War was not the debate of slavery, but rather Europe’s role in the American economy.

Music has always been an important part of American society and it was no different during the Civil War. Instruments such as bugles, drums, and fifes were used for marching orders, signals,to tell the soldiers to wake up, eat meals, and perform camp chores.Music was also a way to communicate at long distances. A tune called "Cease Fire" that fifers and drummers would play to tell the soldiers to stop firing at the end of a battle while a tune called "Parley" was used to signal to the enemy that a surrender or peace talk was desired. Drummers would play beatings and say turn right or turn left as well as to load and fire their muskets. Unfortunately, it was difficult for a soldier to hold a fife because it required two hands. Instead, cavalry