What Are The Soldiers In The Civil War Essay

The Soldiers War Alexander Hamilton once said, “When the sword is once drawn, the passions of men observe no bounds of moderation.” The American Civil War came into being due to these “passions of men”, and the average men, who went into the war with such gusto, got slapped into the harsh reality of war. The Civil War ushered in a new era of fighting, with new tactics, new weapons, and new strategies. However, as the first of major changes, the transition took time, and that time cost the lives of thousands of men through no fault of their own. This war was one of change, and the soldiers that fought it changed the most. Civilians strode into the war in garish “uniforms,” soldiers clashed with their former countrymen, killers dealt with the
Enthused with patriotic sentiments, civilians who chose fighting for the preservation of the Union, or perhaps to punish the rebellious South, craved the “glory” of battle. Even as the numerous state militias proudly wore gaudy, impractical uniforms and excitedly waited for the fighting, the few seasoned generals they had, attempted to whip them into a functioning army. This was not an easy task, seeing as the would-be soldiers consistently undermined any and every authority figure by ignoring orders, asking for reasons to obey, and breaking rank whenever the felt the urge. Not to mention that the number of commanders who knew how to turn civilians into warriors was dreadfully low. None of these men had a clue what was in store for them, in what would be a much longer and bloodier war than they expected. Through the excited eyes of young volunteers, the war looked to them like a “great adventure,” and those who were not be accepted went home with hanging heads.1 Men saw the Civil War as a chance to defend “The land of my childhood my love and my tears; the land of my birth and my early sunny years.”2 The sword had been drawn, and the men of the Union army gave off an aura of “passion” for the