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Similarities Between Union and Confederate Soldiers

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Submitted By riqulr33
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The Civil War was a grueling war in history that threatened to tear our country apart. It is arguably one of the most devastating wars because it threatened to sever our nation that had just recently been established. Our country was separated into two opposing sides that had different beliefs and values. At times their ideologies clashed, but in general they had many similar reasons for why they fought for their regions and how they maintained that motivation. James McPherson’s, For Cause and Comrades gives us insight into what goes on in the mind of a Civil War soldier as they prepare to fight, start fighting, and continue to fight. As the reader delves into the psychological reasoning behind why Union and Confederate soldiers fought for the United States of America, the reader discovers that the soldiers definitely had more similar motives than different ones. The beginning chapters of this account by McPherson tell us of the initial motivation of the Civil War soldier to fight. Their initial motivation would be defined as the moment they decided to enlist. McPherson helps us to understand the drive behind these soldiers to fight, sometimes until death, for their country. Two of the driving forces that motivate soldiers to fight were honor and duty (McPherson 5). They were looked upon as honorable if they fought for their country; dying to protect the rights of their country was seen as one of the most righteous ways to die. They also felt a deep connection to their country and they felt as though it was their duty to fight to protect it. These held true for both the Union and Confederacy even though the Confederacy was more likely to speak of honor (McPherson 23).They were more concerned with their public image and how others would perceive them and that was the definition of honor to them. The Union soldiers were also more likely to follow the concept of duty

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