The Civil War Soldier
The battle at First Manassas in July 1861 brought a new sense of urgency among leaders of the Confederate and United States governments. No longer did they believe that this would be a short 90-day War with victory coming to the side who was facing the aggressor (and who the aggressor was, of course, depended on which side you asked). Soon after that Union disaster at Bull Run both sides urged their male citizens to enlist to fight for the cause. And enlist they did, by the hundreds of thousands.
But who were these people were so eager and willing to fight for their cause? What was their cause? What enticed their enlistment? The levels and modes of enticement were certainly numerous. Some men joined the ranks out of a sense of patriotism and duty to their country. Honor and the fear of being branded a coward if they did not enlist served as a powerful motivator in others. Many in the South joined to defend their home and land from invasion. And certainly the pay was a considerable factor in making this important decision. In the North there was significant unemployment and many men were desperate to find work. That $13 a month looked rather appealing to the poor and unemployed. As the War progressed and enlistments began to fall, the Federal government authorized the 19th century version of a signing bonus-in the form of $100 or more-for those who would join the fray. In the South men were paid $11 a month; many poor farmers and laborers saw the monetary advantage in enlisting.
Preserving the Union was probably paramount among Northern enlistees, especially with foreign-born Americans. And some did indeed see the War as necessary for ending the evil institution of slavery. "'Slavery must die,' wrote one Vermont corporal, 'and if the South insists on being buried in the same grave I shall see in it nothing but the retributive hand of God'" (Robertson, Jr., 1984, p. 24). But this view was not of the majority. Most Union recruits, particularly in the early part of the conflict, were relatively indifferent towards the quandary of the American slave. Preserving slavery was an issue among Southern recruits, but certainly not in the minds of most. The wave of war fever and the sense of duty to their state, land, family, and posterity tended to stand above any other professed issue for the majority of Southern soldiers (Robertson, 1984 & McPherson, 1997).
Latest Articles