Many soldiers wanted to prove their manhood and support for their respective sides. The book mentions several quotes from soldiers that show that they had to fight to prove their manhood to their family and others around them. This reason really stood out to me because most of the time we hear about soldiers who decide to fight in wars because of their stance on the issues at hand, but we never really hear about soldiers fighting because of their manhood. In For Cause and Comrades, a letter from a soldier describes the reasons that men faced bullets and it states “Simple manhood, force of discipline, pride, love” (McPherson, 1997). Manhood was a key personality trait during this time, and those who chose not to were looked down upon by others. Many soldiers, North and the South, joined the war to defend their family names as
Many soldiers wanted to prove their manhood and support for their respective sides. The book mentions several quotes from soldiers that show that they had to fight to prove their manhood to their family and others around them. This reason really stood out to me because most of the time we hear about soldiers who decide to fight in wars because of their stance on the issues at hand, but we never really hear about soldiers fighting because of their manhood. In For Cause and Comrades, a letter from a soldier describes the reasons that men faced bullets and it states “Simple manhood, force of discipline, pride, love” (McPherson, 1997). Manhood was a key personality trait during this time, and those who chose not to were looked down upon by others. Many soldiers, North and the South, joined the war to defend their family names as