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Comparing and contrasting the union army and the confederacy army
American civil war comparison of union to confederacy
Civil war combat strategy
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The Civil War. Louis P. Masur’s book, The civil War: a Concise History, Is a book that gives an overview of the civil war from 18 to 1800, Providing multiple causes an consequences that emerged from the war. The book begins by reviewing the origins of the war. Chapter one covers the issues between northern and southern states and the tension over right and slave possession. The tension created a conflict that raised a number of political, social, and military events that then proceeded into a battle to abolish slavery from the colonies.
Civil War soldiers fought for something more than just manhood, duty, government, and their country. They fought for and against slavery, which for most soldiers was their primary motivation beyond defending their home. Slavery for many was more than just an institution, it was the fabric of their economic society that provided the wealth and opportunity to the South. Without slavery the South could not operate and prosper which made it impossible for the notion of emancipation. However, those in the North did not immediately rely on the institution of slavery in such dire manner.
Taylor Headrick Review of: McPherson, James M. For Cause & Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War. New York, Oxford University Press, 1997. In James M. McPherson’s book, For Cause & Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War, he investigates Civil War soldiers’ diaries to discover why men from both sides chose to fight in the Civil War while also examining the different motives for each side. McPherson challenges traditional knowledge about the motives and mentalities of Civil War soldiers, offers new insight that differs from typical historians, and provides readers with specific details from soldiers’ journals and letters.
The United States Civil War is possible one of the most meaningful, bloodstained and controversial war fought in American history. Northern Americans against Southern Americans fought against one another for a variety of motives. These motives aroused from a wide range of ideologies that stirred around the states. In James M. McPherson’s What they fought for: 1861-1865, he analyzes the Union and Confederate soldier’s morale and ideological components through the letters they wrote to love ones while at war. While, John WhiteClay Chambers and G. Kurt Piehler depict Civil War soldiers through their letters detailing the agonizing battles of war in Major Problems in American Military History.
As you know being in an army could be quite difficult for soldiers. Both Union soldiers and Confederate soldiers train everyday and do certain duties to get ready for the American Civil War. However, there are huge differences between the two armies. Before the war started, most of the soldiers from both North and South had been farmers. If the Southerners did not farm they either became carpenters, mechanics, merchants, machinist, lawyers, teachers, blacksmiths, or a dentist.
The two out four questions that I choose are to 1.) Discuss the causes of the civil war. Cite as many facts as possible to back up your analysis. And answer 2.) If the enduring vision of America is embodied in the Declaration of Independence's statements about equality and universal rights to justice, liberty, and self-fulfillment, how much progress toward those ideals had blacks and women made by 1877?
The Civil War was filled with many diseases and deaths. Over 620,000 men lost their lives during this war; roughly two thirds of the casualties were caused by the lack of medical knowledge of many diseases. The remaining one third of the casualties was from the actual battle itself. The war became a turning point for many women interested in the medical field. The knowledge of medicine was the beginning of a new age during the Civil War, and the lack of it led to many gruesome deaths.
Imagine seeing a friend get shot but not being able to do anything to help because if one would help they’d be the next to go. This is what was happening in the American Civil War from 1861-1865. Many soldiers came back and very different, some in good ways but many in bad ways. During the Civil War, soldiers experienced horrific and terrifying things often causing severe psychological trauma; as a result of this trauma, men often suffered mistreatment and went wrongly diagnosed until Jacob DaCosta discovered and researched what we now call Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Life for the Union Soldier was not only brutal on the battlefield, but the camp life for a Union soldier was just as cruel. With the lack of personal hygiene, unsavory and repugnant food, and the shortage of clothing made living, a very difficult thing to do. Growth in the number of people with diseases was also a contributing factor to the massive amounts of death within the camp and as well as the post-battle wounds that often left either a man with one less limb or put in a mental institution. A Union Soldier’s life during the Civil War was cruel and horrific during their stay at the camps.
Some people think that there was not a purpose to wearing uniforms in the Civil War. They believe that you should know who is on your side. I however, disagree. I think that uniforms played a very important role in the war because it showed your personal beliefs, which side you were on, what rank you were, and so much more. Uniforms also provided warmth during the cold times, and showed which special team you belonged to.
We all know the saying “There is strength in numbers”, and this applies in the case of the Civil War, the bigger your army, the bigger the chance you have at victory. Casualties were at an all time high and the Union and Confederacy scrambled to protect their troops. The Civil War’s staggering number of casualties accounted for calculated tactics, the troublesome lives of civilians and the emergence of proper medical practice in a race to win, and in doing so caused an abundance of trauma for almost everyone in the nation. Fighting in a war is all about tactics and the Confederate and Union armies managed to keep theirs the same throughout the war. Tactics included surprise attacks and taking back-roads to avoid attacks, as this was essential in keeping their army’s forceful.
The Jews were also given a striped uniform which they had to wear indefinitely without washing it. They were fed small portions of watery soup and small pieces of bread. Within a week or so, the concentration camp inmates were nothing more than skin, bones, and a number tattooed into their forearm. Also, there was always the imminent fear of death. An SS officer could shoot any inmate without reason.
Other people in the militias of the South simply wore clothes from their homes as well, considering they weren't really trained for war. Some of the leaders or generals on the Confederate side wore dark blue uniforms and were mistaken for apart of the Union at times, because of this they tried to keep mostly in gray uniforms. Plantations in the South were a big part of Southern life and if not big plantations it would just be a small family owned farm. Plantations could own up to one hundred or more slaves. There were some farmers though who owned around 0-5 slaves as well.
During the Civil War, it is said that almost 180,000 Black Soldiers served in the Union Army. The families of these soldiers would camp in nearby makeshift villages to be near their husbands, sons and fathers. The soldiers assisted them the best they could by share food and clothing from their military rations. Nearly 40,000 Black Soldiers died during the course of the war with 30,000 due to infections and diseases. Although Blacks were giving the chance to fight for their freedom, they were still not looked as equals.
Civil War The year was 1861 and the first battle had already begun. The country was now divided as two teams, the confederates and the unions. I wasn’t looking forward to the upcoming battle that was about to happen. I sat in my tent in silence, thinking about what might happen.