For Cause and Comrades
The American civil war was sparked by a number of reasons some of which can be traced back to the American colonization though slavery issue was the immediate main cause of the conflict that led to the war. The southern politicians were hard on defending slavery by controlling the federal government and maintaining balance in the senate through addition of states like Maine, Missouri, California and Minnesota to the Union. The southern states still held on to the agrarian plantation economy the reason to why they were pro slavery while the northern states embraced industrialization which led to urbanization, increased technology and population. These differences were further widened with the election of anti- slavery president from the north which was set back to the southern politicians who wanted to maintain control of the government so as to defend slavery (Hickman, 2009).
Majority of young enrolled for the war to defend their comrades who are the family and friends and also to defend the cause which was to protect their government’s ideologies. Soldiers from both the union and confederacy were optimistic of winning hoping that the war would last a very short time, thus swathe reason to join the war. From the larger perspective, soldiers from both the union and the confederacy aimed at protecting their respective governments. The northern soldiers fought against the revolts that had refused the constitution and the union while the southern soldiers fought for the maintenance of state rights, secession and constitution that would enable them maintains their southern way of life (Turcker, n.d.). The confederates fought for defense of their land, flag, constitution and liberty of the whites while the union fought for the flag which they saw as the America’s liberty symbol. They also fought for the nation as well as the constitution claiming to fight for the best government ever in the world (McPherson et al, 2000).
A good number of confederate and union soldiers were volunteers protecting their personal issues like family and economic sacrifices since they claimed that the pay was very poor and unreliable (McPherson, 1997). They felt that the war was a threat to their families and their land which they aimed to protect other than fight to protect the government’s ideologies. Honor associated with fighting in the war was another motivating factor for the young men enrolling for the war as they longed for the honor and appraisal associated with the aftermath of the war. The southern men pressurized the young men to enroll for honor’s sake who did so to avoid being criticized that they lost because their young men are cowards. Abraham Lincoln listed reasons like patriotism, employment and courage to encourage the young men to join the war most of which heeded to gain the society respect (McPherson, 1997).
However, as the war went on and got intense, many soldiers lost the fighting interest due to the unexpected longer time the war was taking and sought for means to avoid facing the bullet like feigning sickness or disappearing whenever an opportunity arose. Others disappeared in the battle field while others enrolled for “bombproof” jobs like clerks, hospital attendants and alike to keep distance from the battle field (McPherson, 1997). Some soldiers confessed that the battle experience was horrific and found it better to avoid the battle field by opting for the other job. The battles argument of “rich man's war and poor man's fight” led to many soldiers running from the fighting to Britain, for example. In 1964, the southern felt they were losing which demoralized the soldiers from fighting (Harper, 2002)
Some young men had joined the military either for monetary gain or gain of position in the army, this unfortunately led to loss of fighting interest in such young men. The anticipation that the war would take a short time had vanished and it seemed that it was far from getting over. Some soldiers thought of what they had left behind and longed to get back to their families and property. The fear of death in others made them think of means of bringing the war to an end, thus if they let go off and loose the war, it would be over and they get back home safe (Gallagher et al 2000).
In conclusion, the war led to loss of many lives including the assassination of President Lincoln five days after it ended. However, the cause led to amendments in the constitution like abolition of slavery, legal protection to all races and equality in voting. The cause was nearly solved.
Majority of young enrolled for the war to defend their comrades who are the family and friends and also to defend the cause which was to protect their government’s ideologies. Soldiers from both the union and confederacy were optimistic of winning hoping that the war would last a very short time, thus swathe reason to join the war. From the larger perspective, soldiers from both the union and the confederacy aimed at protecting their respective governments. The northern soldiers fought against the revolts that had refused the constitution and the union while the southern soldiers fought for the maintenance of state rights, secession and constitution that would enable them maintains their southern way of life (Turcker, n.d.). The confederates fought for defense of their land, flag, constitution and liberty of the whites while the union fought for the flag which they saw as the America’s liberty symbol. They also fought for the nation as well as the constitution claiming to fight for the best government ever in the world (McPherson et al, 2000).
A good number of confederate and union soldiers were volunteers protecting their personal issues like family and economic sacrifices since they claimed that the pay was very poor and unreliable (McPherson, 1997). They felt that the war was a threat to their families and their land which they aimed to protect other than fight to protect the government’s ideologies. Honor associated with fighting in the war was another motivating factor for the young men enrolling for the war as they longed for the honor and appraisal associated with the aftermath of the war. The southern men pressurized the young men to enroll for honor’s sake who did so to avoid being criticized that they lost because their young men are cowards. Abraham Lincoln listed reasons like patriotism, employment and courage to encourage the young men to join the war most of which heeded to gain the society respect (McPherson, 1997).
However, as the war went on and got intense, many soldiers lost the fighting interest due to the unexpected longer time the war was taking and sought for means to avoid facing the bullet like feigning sickness or disappearing whenever an opportunity arose. Others disappeared in the battle field while others enrolled for “bombproof” jobs like clerks, hospital attendants and alike to keep distance from the battle field (McPherson, 1997). Some soldiers confessed that the battle experience was horrific and found it better to avoid the battle field by opting for the other job. The battles argument of “rich man's war and poor man's fight” led to many soldiers running from the fighting to Britain, for example. In 1964, the southern felt they were losing which demoralized the soldiers from fighting (Harper, 2002)
Some young men had joined the military either for monetary gain or gain of position in the army, this unfortunately led to loss of fighting interest in such young men. The anticipation that the war would take a short time had vanished and it seemed that it was far from getting over. Some soldiers thought of what they had left behind and longed to get back to their families and property. The fear of death in others made them think of means of bringing the war to an end, thus if they let go off and loose the war, it would be over and they get back home safe (Gallagher et al 2000).
In conclusion, the war led to loss of many lives including the assassination of President Lincoln five days after it ended. However, the cause led to amendments in the constitution like abolition of slavery, legal protection to all races and equality in voting. The cause was nearly solved.
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