A United Cause: a Look at the Soldiers in the Army of Tennessee and Northern Virginia

Abstract

The American Civil War was the bloodiest war fought on American soil. In a single battle at Gettysburg, over fifty thousand men were wounded, killed, or missing in action. Even with the severity of war, fathers and brothers marched away from their homes to defend their country. In the South, states seceded from the Union due to states' rights; however, the soldiers that joined the Confederate armies fought for far more. Whether from Florida, Virginia, Texas, or Alabama, soldiers went to war with the same reasons in mind. This research paper will look at the writings from soldiers in the Army of Tennessee and of Northern Virginia and draw conclusions on whether the soldiers that fought for the Confederacy as a whole had the same reasons for joining and continuing to fight. While many writings put emphasis on the soldiers' bond to their state or the reasons behind fighting in both Union and Confederate armies, this paper will focus on just soldiers of the Confederacy in hopes to better understand the point of view of the soldiers in two different armies. Though both armies varied in generals and success, the men that fought for both of them would hold the same beliefs.