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It doesn't make any difference if you're a "Yank" or "Johnny Reb"...
If you are a student of the American Civil War, you probably feel a compulsion to learn all you can about those four long years that re-shaped the destiny of our nation.
I have often
wondered what there was about our Civil War that drives so many
people to spend so much time and effort to learn about it. What
can be so fascinating about a four year killing spree, that
sometimes seems to have been a case of national insanity.
In my particular
case, I can still remember back in 1971 or 72, when after having
finished reading Bruce Cattons "Mr. Lincoln's Army", my
wife and I took a four day camping trip to the Antietam
(Sharpsburg, MD) battlefield.
It is impossible to describe the sense of
awe I felt then, and still feel to this day as I stood near that
Dunker Church, and looked out onto the Corn field. In my minds
eye I could see the men of both armies as they crossed that
field, so filled with dead and wounded, it was almost impossible
to walk without stepping on a fallen comrade or enemy. These men
were soldiers who walked shoulder to shoulder with their heads
bowed down, as if they were walking into a heavy rain, not a hail
of bullets.
As I stood in that
sunken road, now known as Bloody Lane and looked around me, I
knew that I was standing in a place, where not so long ago in the
scale of history, dead soldiers lay, piled two and three deep. I
was standing on a spot that was soaked with the blood of
Confederate soldiers that for some reason refused to run away. I
looked up the slope to the crest of the hill that the Union
soldiers had to charge down, and die by the hundreds. My mind saw
a blue line of men coming toward me, the green flags of the Irish
Brigade fluttering in the smoke and light breeze. I could feel
the sound of the minnie bullets thudding into the ground and
bodies around me.
While I sat on the stone
wall of Burnsides Bridge, and looked down into the peacefully
flowing water of Antietam Creek, I thought about the men who were
ordered to charge across this narrow bridge, into what was almost
certain death. The Confederates were able to fire down onto the
bridge, and the men, from the top of a cliff overlooking the
bridge. This position can only be described as the proverbial
"shooting fish in a barrel" scenario. The only reason
the Federal soldiers were able to eventually get across the
bridge, was because the Confederates were running out of
ammunition and couldn't shoot fast enough to kill them all.
I
think what fascinates me the most about the Civil War is why the
soldiers fought and died the way they did. What could possibly
have been important enough for the millions of Americans on both
sides to endure the hardships and terrors of that brutal war. I
personally find it inconceivable that men could walk into a
fusillade of bullets and cannon shot and still be able to
function. 
What could drive a man
forward even while he saw his comrades falling all around him.
Surely, the noise of the explosions and the crying and screaming
of men being hit and wounded must cause even the man with the
stoutest heart to fail. But, even though some of the men did
fail, the vast majority of the soldiers continued on and did
their duty, even when it meant their lives.
Was it the
righteousness of their cause that steered these soldiers to
follow their flags? Perhaps is was glory, honor, chivalry or a
sense of duty that kept them going. Or, were the reasons simply a
matter of survival or resignation that caused these men to kill,
or be killed?
Whatever
the reason or reasons the Civil War soldier had for fighting and
dying, the speculation will probably never end. In my opinion
this is a good thing, because if the arguments are never ended,
the Civil War soldier will never be forgotten.
Notes:
1. I
realize that the American flag at the top of this page is not
historically accurate. However, in my opinion it really looks
good, so I decided to keep it where it is.
2. I am not an educator or historian in the formal sense of the
word, and I only engage in the pursuit of history for self
edification. Therefore, if I have made some errors in my
statements above, I apologize. If you wish to bring any errors to
my attention, any constructive criticism will be
appreciated.
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