“I have no greater desire than to be permitted to return to you, but my first duty is to my country, then to you and if I die in the struggle, be assured I die for you and our little ones.”[1] So wrote Joshua Calloway, a soldier in the Confederate Army, in 1862. Calloway’s sentiments represent the sentiments and reasons behind so many men who willingly joined their local regiments in the North and the South during the Civil War in America. A call of duty to country and hearth bolstered by a strong love for their comrades and faith in a God who cared for them drove these soldiers on for four long years of battle.
Union and Confederate soldiers believed they were fighting to defend their country. For the South, the soldiers rallied around a battle cry of “state’s rights,” defining this nebulous phrase in whichever way suited them. For some, it was an issue of maintaining their slaves; for others, it was antipathy against the industrialized North and the attempt to harm the Southern economy. And in the case of Joshua Calloway, the excited thought of seeing a Yankee, a battle, and a chance of heroism was enough to make him leave his family and teaching career. For many Union soldiers, their defense of the country was described best by President Lincoln and his desire to preserve the Union.
But these reasons alone were insufficient to drive these soldiers to the battlefield and perhaps to their deaths. As McPherson points out in his book, For Cause and Comrades, the bond these men felt towards each other, and their communities motivated them to sign up for the cause and fight. They had no desire to disappoint their friends; they were part of a fighting unit, and the concept of letting one another down was abhorrent to them. Furthermore, if that wasn’t enough, the fear of poor reports returning to their homes and communities drove them on in their determination to fight. Calloway’s letters home to his wife are full of news of his comrades, descriptions of their bravery, and how they supported one another.
Religion and a belief in the hereafter played a crucial role in the dedication of these soldiers. In fact, religion was a motivating element in their decision to fight, and their faith in God made them ready to face their own death. They did not fear death because they knew that God was Sovereign and had appointed each of them the time and place of their death. If this is the case, they could go onto the battlefield with bravery, knowing they would not fall unless God willed it. As Stonewall Jackson told one of his men who questioned his constant courage in the face of the enemy, “Captain, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. Captain, that is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave.”[2]
For the black soldiers who fought on the side of the Union, their numbers were small and misunderstood. The attempt to unite blacks and whites in a fighting unit was a new idea for the North. The Abolitionists supported it, but for others, the feelings were mixed. The Confederacy refused to allow their slaves to fight, though, as in the case of Neptune Small of St Simons Island, GA, slaves were allowed to attend their masters. Neptune accompanied his dear friend and son of his master, Lord King, to the battlefield, and when Lord met his death, Neptune Small went out under the cover of night to find his beloved childhood friend and return his body to Savannah and his parents. Neptune accompanied the younger King boy for the rest of the War and, in the end, was given a portion of the island, the best portion, for himself and his family.[3] By the last year of the War, the Confederacy agreed to allow slaves to fight, granting them freedom if they did. Less than 200 men joined.[4]
[1] Letters
[2] Selby, John. Stonewall Jackson as Military Commander.USA: Barnes and Noble. 1999.
[3] Mueller, Pamela Bauer. “Neptune Small” New Georgia Encyclopedia. 2014.
[4] Woodworth, Steven, Lecture Series for Civil War and Reconstruction, Liberty University: Black Troops.
Beginning To End: All Things History 