It is simplistic to say either side fought for one particular reason, especially with the common foot soldier. There were no absolutes. You are not going to easily convince descendants of thousands of USCTs or abolitionists from Massachusets that their ancestors were not fighting to end slavery. Your not going to easily convince decendants of poor dirt farmers in rural Mississippi that their ancestors were fighting to preserve slavery. What about those looking to preserve the union, those drafted, those conscripted, those looking for adventure, those looking for a paycheck, those looking to satisfy their lust for killing? The list goes on and on.....
Lost Cause,
In my own view, it is NOT simplistic to say either side fought for one particular reason, as one side made it perfectly clear by way of the historical record it was fighting for the right to preserve, protect, and expand the institution of slavery, even at the price of rendering the Union they were part of in two.
The other side made it very plain it was fighting to preserve that Union. Period. Slavery was brought into the mix by the one side while Union was the chief cause by the other. It's simply too plain not to see, in my own opinion.
As for the common foot soldier, we need to look at that first rush of volunteers who enlisted in those first days and what they knew about the issues of the day. I am very certain each side's volunteers knew exactly what those issues were.
In my own view, and from my own experience, soldiers enlist into the service for many reasons. But they all fight for their government's "absolutes" no matter what reason they gave themselves for enlisting.
Every Confederate soldier, whether he owned slaves or not, whether he enlisted for adventure, states rights, to get off the farm, etc., fought to preserve, protected and defend slavery. He could not help doing so as this was the stated political goal of the Confederacy and the seceding states. It's all there, in black-and-white, for anyone to read.
Every Union soldier, whether he wanted to or not, fought for the preservation of the Union, and then when his government deemed it necessary, to end the institution of slavery, no matter how each individual soldier felt toward blacks and emancipation. He could not help doing so as this was his federal government's stated political goals of the Union.
After a soldier enlists (or is drafted, as happened first in the Confederacy and then in the Union), no one asks him for a vote on the reason he is fighting. Individually, he may agree or disagree with his government's war aims or the reason it has decided to place him in harm's way on a distant battlefield. I know many of the soldiers I enlisted and served with often complained about the reasons for why they were sent to Vietnam, Grenada, Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, Turkey, etc. But the point was, they went where they were told and served or fought whom the government told them to.
My point is the "particular reasons" are there and can be identified. As our friend Frederick Douglass said,
"There was a right side and a wrong side in the late war, which no sentiment ought to cause us to forget, and while to-day we should have malice toward none, and charity toward all, it is no part of our duty to confound right with wrong."
I agree with Mr. Douglass completely.
All of my direct ancestors who fought during the Civil War were all Confederate soldiers. They were all slaveholders. Does this make them so evil, so despicable, that I cannot understand their motives and reasons for joining the Confederate army? That I cannot bring myself to admire their courage and bravery during that bloody time?
No, it does not.
I simply cannot bring myself to believe, in this day and age with my reading of history, that they were right in rebelling against their country for the reasons given by their Confederate leadership or the personal beliefs they held that made them do so.
Sincerely,
Unionblue
Seems to be par for the course tonight- was a rather exhausting week (well half a week). Thanks for the clarification, LC.
Bringing the