Factors behind Motivation of American Soldiers during Civil War - Essay Example

? Number] Factors behind Motivation of American Soldiers during Civil War Introduction The American Civil War was fought in United States from 1861 to 1865. The war was basically intended to outlaw slavery in the country. In 1961 when Abraham Lincoln was elected as the U.S. President 11 slave states of the south declared that they are separated from United States and have created the Confederate States of America. The other 25 states decided to remain with the federal government. The Civil war continued for four years and ended up with the surrendering of the confederacy and outlaw of slavery across the United States. In the reconstruction era most of the issues raised in the civil war were settled however, some of the issues remain unsolved but people got the solution of their major causes and problems1. The American Civil War has been regarded as one of the earliest industrial war fought in America. During the war mass produces weapons, railways, telegraphs streams and roadways were widely employed. It was also the deadliest war in the history of United States because over 620,000 soldiers were killed during the war and numbers of civilian casualties were also reported from all over the country. The war concluded with the desired outcomes for the North in term of termination of Confederacy and slavery. The demand of free men society was approved and all the slaves were freed from the slavery and were bestowed the rights to live freely in the country2. Factors behind the Motivation of Soldiers The identification of the factors behind the motivation of the soldiers to fight in the Civil war is an important issue that has been explored extensively by the historians and social scientists. The social and political situation of the country has been assessed in detail to understand the perspectives of people and soldiers. In addition to this, the letter, dairies and life stories of different soldiers participated in the war are also widely read and analyzed to understand their motive to take part in the war. Since, Civil War soldiers were the most literate soldiers in the war history they had strong intellectual base and thoughtful motivations behind their fight that they widely expressed through their letters and personal diaries3. Understanding the thinking style and direction of the Civil war soldiers is a complicated and challenging task that became easy by reading the diaries and letters of these soldiers. This understanding is very important to identify the factors that actually worked to motivate them at that time and to understand what the soldiers were thinking and feeling at the war time. Due to this reason, their personal writings have been regarded as most important source to list out the factor behind the motivation of soldiers during the civil war. The letters and dairies acted as major source to understand the thoughts and actions of the soldiers during the Civil war. On the basis of this analysis the historians and war experts have listed out numbers of factors that encouraged the soldiers to fight in the war. The American Civil War lasted for four years during which thousands of soldiers were dead but war was fueled by more soldiers came forward to take part in the war. There are several factors that motivated the soldiers to take part in the Civil war. Most of the soldiers participated in the Civil War were volunteer from the civilian life and they were not professional soldiers. They don’t have professional training of war but their motivation kept them fighting throughout the war just like the professionally trained soldiers. The motivation of the soldiers during the Civil war is a golden part of the political history of America because people were fighting for their cause with full dedication and potential. The traditional thoughts affirm that the soldiers were motivated to fight during the war by the factors like patriotism, ideology, religious issues and quest for glory however, the in depth studies have pointed out towards some close and real reasons behind their motivation. Most of the factors stem from the major causes of the war that compelled people to instigate the war and to take active part in the war for the approval of their demands. The major factors behind the motivation of soldiers could be listed as slavery, social and racial discrimination, intellectual support and literature written in favor of the war to motivate the soldiers to fight until the acceptance of the demands. Slavery Slavery was the most important and major cause behind the Civil War. At the same time, it was the major factor that motivated the soldiers to fight during the war because most of the officers and soldiers in the Lee’s army were having very close ties with slavery and were determined to end it. It is found that most of Northerners soldiers were motivated by the cause of preserving Union but the President Lincoln also realized that ending slavery is the second major goal of the war after the preservation of the Union4. The issue of slavery has been widely put in the center while talking about the motivation of soldiers. The issue was not only related with the wellbeing of the slaves but the impacts of slavery upon the American social values and economy were also became point of concern for the people who put forward the demand for the eradication of slavery from the country. It was widely agreed that slavery has appeared as a mean to exhaust the American land and it is necessary to confiscate slavery from America. The anti-slavery forces dedicatedly put down their efforts to step the expansion of slavery that eventually resulted in gradual extermination of slavery from the country. Primary Group Cohesion It is also found that the soldiers were not simply fighting for their causes but they were also motivated to fight to support their fellows and to obey their commander. The soldiers were fighting in groups that were consisting of comrades in the squad. There were strong ties among the soldiers in the battle fields and they were literally acting like bank of brothers. They were mutually dependent upon each other were seeking mutual support to create cohesion within the fighting units. They were well aware of the fact that each of the members of the group has important individual responsibility that affects the overall functioning of the group. The soldiers knew that the survival of every individual in the battle field depend upon the functioning of the others. The steadiness of each and every individual member was necessary for the survival of the group. The soldiers realized that if any one of them will run away due to fear of death or defeat than all the lives of all other people would also be in danger along with own life. The soldiers know that the survival for the group is dependent upon the individuals and in case any person fails to fulfill his job then the entire group would have to face the consequences. This thought keep the soldiers motivated because they did not wanted to lose their self-respect as a man and as a soldier. The soldiers identified the critical importance of peer group and decided that they don’t have to let their comrades down and for this they have to help the man next to them. This thinking make them fighting for the survival and sake of others. They were not simply fighting for the cause but they were also energetic to provide support to their fellows and to perform their duties adequately during the wartime. This argument in universal in nature and could be applied to all war and the historians believe that the soldiers during the Civil War were also motivated strongly by the factor of primary group cohesion. The soldiers also expressed their thoughts and experiences during the war “We seem almost like brothers. We have suffered hardships and dangers together and are bound together by more than ordinary ties”5. Sectionalism Another important issue that kept the soldiers motivated to fight during the Civil War is sectionalism. Sectionalism refers to the existence of different economies, social structure, classes and differences in the political values and social customer between the North and the South. The differences between North and South were increasing steadily because in North slavery was abolished and process of industrialization and urbanization was on its way. On the other hand, South was still relying upon plantation agriculture that was mainly based upon the slave labor and the trend of urbanization was very slow. The situation resulted in identical difference between the North and South that evolved as industrial urban and plantation rural lands. The difference in these two economies also caused dissatisfaction among the people and soldiers and they were motivated to fight in the war in order to give an end of this difference. The economic difference between these two parts not only caused the way but keep people stick with the war until the assurance that this difference has been eliminated and there is no more sectionalism in the country6. Nationalism and Unity An important factor to motivate the soldier was the willingness to achieve national honor and unity. The Northerners were mostly in support of the Union whereas the South was also seeking nationalism but they were split over the issue of loyalty to the entire United States or to the Confederacy and southern region. South was seeking for Southern nationalism while the leaders in North were also inclined towards nationalism and was opponent to the proposition of splitting the union. The willingness to remain unite and inclination towards nationalism and honor keep the soldiers motivated to fight for the attainment of their caused with full dedication and spirit. Personal Honor The soldiers were not fighting for the nationalism and honor but they were motivated during the war by the factor of personal honor. They had fear of becoming a coward person in front of the others. They want to avoid the shame of being weak and fainthearted in the eyes of their peers. It was very strong source of motivation during the civil war that kept the soldiers fighting with their full potential and dedication. A letter of soldier participated in the Civil War confirmed the role of this factor in motivating the soldiers. He wrote “I am so afraid I shall prove a coward. I can hardly think of anything else …. I was a little shaky at first, but soon got used to the music7. The music he talked about is the sound of shells and bullets that were frightening him in the beginning but then he overcame the fear because he didn’t wanted to be considered as a coward person who ran away from the battle field. Geographical Recruitment The soldiers for the Civil War were recruited geographically due to which the soldiers fighting within a group were mostly belonging to the same community or region. Many of the soldiers were friends or neighbors to the other members of their group and they already have close connections and affiliation with each other. This factor not only allowed them moving comfortably with each other but they also became conscious about their performance in front of their friends, relatives and neighbors. They were also aware that if they will show cowardliness during the war then the news will reach to their home town in no time and eventually their families would also have to face disgrace and shame due to their acts8. The soldiers were strongly committed towards the war and they commonly had the attitude of disgrace for the people thinking to run away from the war fields. The slang expression of showing white feather was used for the soldiers who decided to bug out or run away from the battle field. The soldiers widely believed that the person to show white feather would never be respected in the community and people of their families and social circles would be informed about the cowardly act during the war. A soldier belonging to North Caroline writes that “if any man showed the white feather, he should never return to live in North Carolina9”. These expressions show the commitment for the soldiers towards the war and their expectations regarding the active and supportive participation of all the soldiers in the war. Patriotism, Religion and Principle of Liberty The soldiers were guided by their ideologies that keep them motivated throughout the war. The soldiers were strongly convinced and directed towards the attainment of their cause and ideals. They were motivated by the values of duty and honor. In addition, the religious faith also kept them stick towards their struggle and they fight for gaining freedom, liberty and justice in the society for all people. They were highly inspired by the American Revolution ideologies and were willing to defend the country by defending the union. It was the love for their country and their community that keep them energetic and they participated in the war with great courage and spirit. Even after couple of years bloody war the volunteer soldiers didn’t withdrew from the war because they believe that they have to fight until the approval of their causes and have to continue their efforts till the last drop of their blood10. Conclusion Hence, it is unveiled that the soldiers during the Civil War were motivated by numbers of important factors. In the first stage the civilians were motivated by their ideologies and spirit to voluntarily join the battle and later all of them remain motivated to fight for their cause of eliminating slavery and due to the community pressure, patriotism, national and personal honor and primary group cohesion. The soldiers were eager to earn glory in the war fields and were enthusiastic to take all the necessary actions towards the attainment for their cause. The bloody episodes of war were source of discouragement for the soldiers especially those coming from the civilian life with little professional war training but even after getting introduced with the horrifying realities of war most of them decided to remain stick with the army and continue their struggles for attaining their goals. The soldiers were literally sick of war after witnessing bloody shadows everywhere around them but it was due to their perceptions and beliefs about liberty, justice and overall good of society and mankind that kept them motivated and they continued with their efforts with same disposition and audacity till the end of the war. Work Cited Brian Holden Reid. The Origins of the American Civil War. Ontario: Prentice Hall of Canada Ltd, 1996 Howard J. Fuller. Clad in Iron: The American Civil War and the Challenge of British Naval Power. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2008 McPherson, James. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988 Perman, Michael. Major Problems in the Civil War and Reconstruction. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998 Roberts, Giselle. The Confederate Belle. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2003 Weigley, Russell F. A Great Civil War, a Military and Political History 1861–1865. London: Indiana University Press, 2000 Read More