Fatal Mistake

Could have the Confederacy won the war with 200,000 soldiers? I have some very serious doubts.
The general historical concensus is the Confedrate Army had 800k to one million enlisted men throughout the war versus an estimated two million one hundred thousand Union enlisted.
Leftyhunter
 
The general historical concensus is the Confedrate Army had 800k to one million enlisted men throughout the war versus an estimated two million one hundred thousand Union enlisted.
Leftyhunter
At any given time how many could be properly supplied. This hits on the horse/mule deficit, to be effective troops must have rations/ammo.
 
At any given time how many could be properly supplied. This hits on the horse/mule deficit, to be effective troops must have rations/ammo.
Well Sam Watkins claimed Union soldiers sometimes would feed him . I wasn't there maybe it's true. Every Confedrate biography I have read speaks of hunger being an issue much less so in Union biographies.
Of course the figures I gave are spread over the entire course of the war. When soldiers got sick and if they were lucky they could convalase at home which means they also have to be lucky if their folks even had food do not all soldiers were feed by the army at all times.
Certainly providing adequate food to the Confedrate Army was a challenge and most likely contributed to desertion.
Leftyhunter
 
Well Sam Watkins claimed Union soldiers sometimes would feed him . I wasn't there maybe it's true. Every Confedrate biography I have read speaks of hunger being an issue much less so in Union biographies.
Of course the figures I gave are spread over the entire course of the war. When soldiers got sick and if they were lucky they could convalase at home which means they also have to be lucky if their folks even had food do not all soldiers were feed by the army at all times.
Certainly providing adequate food to the Confedrate Army was a challenge and most likely contributed to desertion.
Leftyhunter
I like Sam glad he survived the war. Both sides had jerks but there were a lot on each side who come across as really likable.
 
From what I gathered from my readings many Southern white males were seriously questioning exactly why they had to fight and die to protect someone else's property. Also Southern society in common with the rest of the US was very class oriented I.e. " rich man's war poor man's fight".
Leftyhunter
I have read extensively on the war and the politics leading up to it and I cannot recall ever reading where the Southern white male soldiers raised the “rich man’s war, poor man’s fight” issue. Please provide some links to source material as I would be interested to read.
 
I have read extensively on the war and the politics leading up to it and I cannot recall ever reading where the Southern white male soldiers raised the “rich man’s war, poor man’s fight” issue. Please provide some links to source material as I would be interested to read.
That is a famous quote from Sam Watkins autobiography of "Company Ach".
Leftyhunter
 
Those of us that live in Idaho have an interesting perspective on what the "Twenty Slave Law"; the law specifically exempted from Confederate military service one white man for every twenty slaves owned on a Confederate plantation, had upon the Confederate Army. A number of Confederates realized it was a 'rich man's war', when this exception occurred, and came West to mine gold and silver. This is what created the unusual boundary between Idaho and Montana, when the first territorial governor begged President Lincoln to carve out the Idaho Territory, otherwise, the Confederates would dominate the Territorial Legislature. This gold and silver offered great assistance in financing the North's war effort; the Idaho Territory even had a former Confederate Officer as one of its territorial governors, several of the people instrumental in Idaho's history are former Confederates. By the way, the proper display of the confederate battle flag is with the point of the center star "down pointing to us, rather than up, pointing to them Northern blue bellies!" Just look at the battle flag removed from the South Carolina Capitol.

confederateFlagRemovedCapitol.jpg
 
I have read extensively on the war and the politics leading up to it and I cannot recall ever reading where the Southern white male soldiers raised the “rich man’s war, poor man’s fight” issue.
They really did not raise the issue verbally, instead, they just....

- Deserted
- Enlisted in 1 year regiments and refused to re-enlist.
- Enlisted in less than fully deployable state regiments, or other selected formations that were viewed as truly combat bound.
- Moved to western territories or border states.
- Openly or discretely avoided conscription.

The North had an equal, if not greater number of men doing variations of the same things.

In the end, a minority of men on both sides viewed their causes as sacred (there was probably a greater proportion in the South). The rest just went along with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
 
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