Why did the Southern Man go to war?

[pirateCSA]

I am helping a friend of mine with his 7th grade project for National History Day. It has to be a debatable topic. We chose "Why did the southern man go to war?" as the topic. We are building a website for this project. We would like to get as many views as possible. Thats why I figured I would start with you. I have always enjoyed the discussions on this forum and I'm sure you all will provide lots of insight. I have my own views. Now I would like to hear yours. Please provide any documentation you may have.

Thanks for your help,
Bobby Small

[Boucher42]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

I recall reading somewhere that when one Confederate was asked why we went off to war he merely stated, "There wasn't anything else to do."

[KPavia]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

An excellent book to read for this exact reason would be James McPherson's "For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought In The Civil War"

For Confederates, he runs through all the reasons from patriotism and defense of home, shame of not going, defense of rights, and defense of slavery. He quotes extensively from primary sources and uses soldiers' own words. To sum up the cause for Confederate soldiers, he says on page 106, "Indeed, white surpemacy and the right of property in slaves were at the core of the ideology for which Confederate soldiers fought."

The book isn't very long at all but has tons of information on this subject. I'd highly recommend finding it at a library or bookstore.

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

Why do any of us go to war?

[42va.reb]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

Check out this book that was for sale(has just been sold I think). Just read it a few weeks back. Great accounts and new look at elements that tend to be overlooked sometimes. Certanily worth the read.

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?30929-Reluctant-Rebels-The-Confederates-Who-Joined-the-Army-After-1861

[LWhite64]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

Its a very complex topic that several of us have been working on for years, but to boil it down simply, and believe me there is a lot of gray areas here. The men that enlisted in 1861, the first regiments, low numbered like 1st TN, 2nd GA etc. Tended to be very idologically driven, were very strong supporters of secession and slavery. Then in late 61 and into 62 you have another round of men brought into CS service (they will be your regiments in the 20s, 30s, 40s and lower 50s), they were men that didnt see the need to run off into the madness earlier, they were in general family men slightly older than the ones that enlisted right off the bat, they may have not been strong supporters of secession, but they will now enlist to avoid the draft, to protect their families and homes, or because of community pressure. THen there is a third round that come in with the conscription act (high numbered regiments late 50s and 60s), so men that are forced into service they tend to be older, married with large families, and men who opposed secession strongly. Like I said this is being VERY general, but gives you the idea.

[texandrummer61]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

I would suggest reading the first two chapters of "General Lee's Army" and "Reluctant Rebels". Both of those selections will give you a great deal of insight into the issue, and the men's reasonings.
There were also gleanings I got from a couple diaries/memoirs that stick out, particularly in David Holt's "Mississippi Rebel in the Army of Northern Virginia". He describes very vividly the atmosphere leading up to the war, including the pre-war political campaigns led by southern fire-eaters.


Best advice I can give ya is read what they wrote. Especially if it is written after the war, the men are particularly frank about why they went to war, and how they felt about it.

[csuniforms]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

Hello, I would state from what research I have, is that the Secesssion of States had been fomenting since 1789. The Secession movement become very hot in 1832 with the Nullification crisis of 1828,- the rise of the Republican Party in the 1850's and the threat to Slavery and the expansion of Slavery-- plus John Brown's Raid in 1859, put the South on a war footing. Lincoln's election in Nov. of 1860 put the South over the edge. So why did the Southern Men go to War? They were primed for it since 1832-- as long as they held a majority in Congress they felt safe-- with the influx of immigrants from Germany and Ireland the politics over Slavery changed not in favor of the Southern States-- AND!!!! the women of the South, from documentation were more adamant about Secession than the men, and made it public that any man who did not want to fight could not win the heart of any good Southern women!!! The men were also badgered by the Minute Men-- if you did not want to support the Secession movement-- well then maybe you were no longer welcome in these parts-- Many were beaten, their heads shaved, or worse, and most just left for parts up North or out West. It is a good question-- with many answers-- just like today we have people arguing over politics and the economy-- Many in the South felt the North would not fight-- After Sumter, the realization that Lincoln was asking for 75,000 men to put down this Rebellion was a real shock and they to had to form Armies, massive Armies, in fear of the Northern Aggression as they called it-- So what would you do if your way of life, your local economy that made huge amounts of money, and the fear of an invasion-- it is only natural that you would join up....

Tom Arliskas
CSuniforms

[JimKindred]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

Why do any of us go to war?

While this is a valid point, let's keep this within the context of the question which is 1861-1865.

[Tkessen]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

I truly believe, that above all else, it was no to defend slavery, but to defend his state and his way or life that had been invaded by the Union armies. I believe that states rights also had a say in it, but overall, I believe the AVERAGE southern soldier would be fighting to defned his home and his family from the "Wretched Yankee Foe" that was marching down South to get him and his family. Just my opinion (it's what I would have done if I were a Southerner!)

Taylor Kessen
5th Ohio Light Artillery Battery

[Mark Lewis]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

Shelby Foote, in his three-volume Civil War history, recounts an incident in which a Union soldier asks a Confederate prisoner captured in Tennessee why he was fighting. The rebel responded, "Because you're down here."

[texandrummer61]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

I truly believe, that above all else, it was no to defend slavery, but to defend his state and his way or life that had been invaded by the Union armies. I believe that states rights also had a say in it, but overall, I believe the AVERAGE southern soldier would be fighting to defned his home and his family from the "Wretched Yankee Foe" that was marching down South to get him and his family. Just my opinion (it's what I would have done if I were a Southerner!)

Taylor Kessen
5th Ohio Light Artillery Battery

While that may be your opinion, it doesn't check out with the reality of why a lot of those men went to war. In Glathaar's book that I mentioned above, he throws out the statistic that 45% of those who enlisted into the Army of Nort. VA in 61 were from slaveholding families. The ranks of the boys of '61 were made up of people that identified with the institution of slavery, and if they did not directly benefit from it, many believed they would hurt if it was abolished. Southern intellectuals went to fair lengths to make sure that poor whites identified with the rich whites more than they did the slave pop.

This is not to say men enlisted ONLY because of slavery, I'm just saying that we can't continue to discount the fact the slavery was a driving factor in the reason men enlisted, when the facts simply say otherwise. The arguement of "johnny reb wanted to protect his home against the yankees" can't entirely apply to the men who joined up before the huge calls for volunteers went out. Also, I'm not trying to pass judgement on those men who did enlist to defend the institution. In it's historical context, defending slavery was understandable, as it was the system that kept the south existing...if someone in the US government proposed that as of noon today, no one was going to be allowed to use gasoline or diesel, you would probably do everything you could to make sure that did not come to pass. (not trying to start a political flame here, just using the a comparison. Our culture today is just as dependent on those resources as the antebellum south was on slavery, so I feel that it is a valid comparison.)

[VA-Patriot'61]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

Ian,
I don't believe there was an Army of Northern Virginia in existence in 1861. There were 3 distinct military districts in Virginia when the first volunteers were raised. Off my soapbox now...

Speaking from personal family history from the Peninsula and York County area, many residents were fearful of what the US soldiers stationed at Ft. Monroe would do after Ft. Sumter had been fired on and Virginia had seceded. I can't speak for other families on the Peninsula but I know mine in particular did not own slaves and were the equivalent of low middle class citizens who were farmer's and tradesmen and didn't own slaves or servants. We have an established family business that is still in operation since 1842, Smith's Marine Railway, and many of the men who worked there in 1861 saw the US presence at Ft. Monroe as a threat to their families, homes and the business. George Washington Smith answered the call for volunteers and enlisted in the Peninsula Artillery, little did he know it would take him away from home and he'd end up dying outside a farmhouse in Pennsylvania nearly 2 years later.

Our family home was occupied by officers from the 1st Conn. Heavy Artillery the spring of '62 when they were planning the 2nd siege of Yorktown. The farm and business was used as a landing for their artillery stores before being transported by barge upriver to the batteries being built. Evidence is still in the home where they marked using red "X's" the rooms our family was not allowed to enter and their camps stretched across the family property and neighboring farms, excepting those who were staunch Unionists. Interestingly enough those with Unionists sentinments were spared the same treatment the Secessionists were and the feelings of hatred towards those Unionist families were still felt in the community over 100 years later. My grandfather would talk about some of the families up the creek from us who were shunned in school and the local community as Unionists.

Every southern community has it's own reasons for joining up, based on many different reasonings, economic times, what was said in the papers (not always the truth) and so on. I believe this is a very difficult subject to broach and leaves far too many "what if" questions open. I can only speak for my own family and what we know they experienced... I couldn't imagine someone showing up and forcing themselves into my home today only to mistreat and threaten my neighbors and my own family. Regardless of what my family experienced in the past and our proud history I still see it as my duty to serve in the US Army today in the defense of this great nation.

[Hank Trent]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

The ranks of the boys of '61 were made up of people that identified with the institution of slavery, and if they did not directly benefit from it, many believed they would hurt if it was abolished. Southern intellectuals went to fair lengths to make sure that poor whites identified with the rich whites more than they did the slave pop.

A good example is this article by J.D.B. DeBow from January 1861:

THE NON-SLAVEHOLDERS OF THE SOUTH:
THEIR INTEREST IN THE PRESENT SECTIONAL CONTROVERSY
IDENTICAL, WITH THAT OF THE SLAVEHOLDERS.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[texandrummer61]

Re: Why did the Southern Man go to war?

Ian,
I don't believe there was an Army of Northern Virginia in existence in 1861. There were 3 distinct military districts in Virginia when the first volunteers were raised. Off my soapbox now...

hahah, sorry. Good catch, I am lacking sleep hours.