The Responsibility Of Soldiers During The Civil War

In a period of rising national discord, the turmoil between the north and the south over the “peculiar institution” of slavery created a national divide. The disagreements grew to such feverish extents that, finally, war seemed to be the only option. As true to the name, the civil war brought out the most unlikely, seemingly noncombatant of soldiers to defend their strong-held convictions. As a result, many inexperienced men found themselves on a battlefield or in the barracks constantly amidst chaos and trial entirely foreign to the comfort of their previous civilian lives. In the 1860s, on the frontlines of an American civil war battlefield, it would not have been uncommon to see a wide variety men suited up in mud-stained combat boots ready for war; the previous owner of family bakery could be found standing alongside a bright eyed seventeen-year-old boy who lied about his age to get a glimpse of the action. Both the Union and the Confederate army consisted of men from varying qualifications, but rarely did those qualifications involve being familiar with a war rifle. Statistics show that over two million soldiers enlisted with the Union during the war were under 21 years of age, most older men took higher ranking jobs with more required skill. With armies comprised …show more content…
Millions of soldiers entered the war as young boys excited by battle, and left as rugged men who had lived through some of the roughest war conditions in history. As inhumane and exhausting as the battlefield was, civil war soldiers took pride in the good faith of their homeland and fought to defend what they believed to be justice despite the vulgar conditions that threatened to stand in their