Confederate mentality prior to the war?

[Talbot]

"Why did most Confederates believe that man for man they were better than Union troops?" (before the war starts).

I need to give a brief overview of this in my seminar this week but I know very little about the ACW and even less about the mentality of the Confederate soldier.

Any info or pointers to articles/journals would be great.


Thanks.

 

[BillO]

They considered the north to be full of shopkeepers and drunken immigrants. They on the other hand viewed themselves as natural soldiers because of a rural upbringing. I suppose the poor whites who squirrel hunted daily for the pot probably were good shots and were predisposed too shoot. After the war the NRA was originated to correct this problem.

 

[jpeter]

They considered the north to be full of shopkeepers and drunken immigrants. They on the other hand viewed themselves as natural soldiers because of a rural upbringing. I suppose the poor whites who squirrel hunted daily for the pot probably were good shots and were predisposed too shoot.

That's about right. There was a lot of propaganda in the South of the North being nothing but a nation of clerks (even though the North was still mostly agricultural).

The idea that the north wouldn't fight (and was largely incapable of fighting) was passed around from southern newspaper to newspaper. Many of those newspapers (The Charleston "Mercury" for example) were owned by southern Fireaters who were trying to convince an audience that secession would not be difficult.

 

[Copperhead]

I think Southerners felt more of a martial calling including their women
Wasn't their favorite book Ivanhoe?
Mary Chesnut who must have read every book in her massive Mulberry Plantation library quoted from Pericles and Aspasia

"The soldier boy for me"

"He who from battle runs away
May pray and sing and sing and pray
Natheless Alcaeus, howsoe'er
Dulcet his song and warm his pray'r
And true his vows of love may be,
He ne'er shall run away with me."

 

[BillO]

jousting was a very popular sport here in Virginia from before the civil war up till my dad was a young man. They would take a lance and try to put the tip through a ring while cantering the horse. The rings would keep getting smaller until they had a winner. I've never seen it but my dad (85 years old ) told me about doing it when he was young.

 

[whitworth]

The Confederacy made the supreme mistake. They expected either no war or a short one they would surely win. The South was exceeding weak in logistics and the ability to supply armies, a topic they showed no strength.

The British were well aware of Confederacy shortcomings, the main item being a lack of a navy and the inability to make one in a few short years. The British, with their industrial experience knew the importance of railroads and steamboats, items which revolutionized transportation and military transportation. There were areas the Confederacy could not compete. These were soon shown, in areas that battle historians ignore. Little could be done by the Confederacy to keep places like Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Arizona, and western Virginia for example; areas they spoke of needing to become an independent nation.

How was a 13 state battle flag important, if 13 state couldn't be held logistically by the Confederacy. By mid 1863, Vicksburg and the Mississippi River were lost, never to be regained the nation waving the 13 state battle flag.

 

[dvrmte]

The Confederacy made the supreme mistake. They expected either no war or a short one they would surely win. The South was exceeding weak in logistics and the ability to supply armies, a topic they showed no strength.

The British were well aware of Confederacy shortcomings, the main item being a lack of a navy and the inability to make one in a few short years. The British, with their industrial experience knew the importance of railroads and steamboats, items which revolutionized transportation and military transportation. There were areas the Confederacy could not compete. These were soon shown, in areas that battle historians ignore. Little could be done by the Confederacy to keep places like Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, Arizona, and western Virginia for example; areas they spoke of needing to become an independent nation.

How was a 13 state battle flag important, if 13 state couldn't be held logistically by the Confederacy. By mid 1863, Vicksburg and the Mississippi River were lost, never to be regained the nation waving the 13 state battle flag.

Which of the "battle historians" ignore the lack of war material and logistics of the Confederacy? I know Douglas S. Freeman didn't ignore the fact. So is it all of them but him?

 

[BillO]

Both sides made the same mistake in thinking that it would be short and heroic, flags flying, bands playing, beatiful maids swooning and then came Bull Run. It was a **** ugly brutal mess from beginning to end.

 

[prroh]

Both sides made the same mistake in thinking that it would be short and heroic, flags flying, bands playing, beautiful maids swooning and then came Bull Run. It was a **** ugly brutal mess from beginning to end.

Sadly, the history of a short and glorious war is as old as war itself. Both sides also usually believe that God and Right is on their sides. That is, until the first man dies.

 

[Copperhead]

I don't think men dying deters you from believing in right and God (as long as it's the other guy!) Certainly didn't stop Jackson or Lee anyway

 

[Nathanb1]

Which of the "battle historians" ignore the lack of war material and logistics of the Confederacy? I know Douglas S. Freeman didn't ignore the fact. So is it all of them but him?

dvrmte, it's hopeless....another "dump and run." According to some folks, everybody but them is a "battle historian" and hasn't a clue. We're all wasting our time even discussing it. Yeah, right.

 

[BillO]

Whenever I hear people getting too sure about what God wants I think back to the German army in WW2. They marched off to conquer Europe and rid the world of assorted undesirables with the slogan "God is with us" emblazoned on their belt buckles.

 

[larry_cockerham]

Most of what I've read above is essentially correct. I think we could still whip a few yanks as long as weight classes were strictly adhered to. "The South didn't lose the war, we just ran out of bullets." I'd vote for young men who had never seen war who were just very confident in their rural lifestyle as stated by others previously. After all, their grandfathers had whipped Ferguson at Kings Mountain handily. No reason they couldn't do the same with a yankee army, no better trained than they.... Miscalulation of the 19th century!

 

[ole]

I still refer back to Lincoln's statement. Something to do with "We ought not be thinking God is on our side, but rather that we are on His." OK. Butchered it, but you know what I mean.

 

[ole]

Miscalulation of the 19th century!

It was, wasn't it? Never did figure out why the southern boys figured they could whip any 10 northern boys.

That's the kind of thing we always said in high school. They were effete and sissy-boys over there. But they weren't. We got our butts handed back by the sissy-boys on more than one occasion.

 

[unionblue]

It was, wasn't it? Never did figure out why the southern boys figured they could whip any 10 northern boys.

That's the kind of thing we always said in high school. They were effete and sissy-boys over there. But they weren't. We got our butts handed back by the sissy-boys on more than one occasion.

"Never judge a book by its cover or a people by a compass direction."

Neil R. Hamilton, November 2, 2010.

 

[sf46]

On many occasions folks going off to war have thought the war would only last a short time. Besides the Civil War, World War I and World War II are good examples. I think nearly every war has the potential for people to have such a belief going in to it. A good saying that I've heard is that war does not decide who is right, it decides who is left.

 

[truthckr]

BillO, Just an FYI, they have annual joust at Mt. Solon in Augusta County. It's just as you described it with them using lances to hook smaller and smaller rings. I've seen it once and it is definitely worth the time.

 

[BillO]

Thanks it would be an interesting thing to watch.

 

[Independence]

I don't know if I've read they thought they were better,but they were fighting many times with their homes at their backs so that counts for a lot.Plus like said before they could shoot,could ride, could hunt and could camp so war life was probably less of a shock,a shock for sure, but probably less so.