So true but now you have stroked his ego by bringing him up!CanyonAg77 said:
Don't let Dr. Watson listen to 13:00 mark
3) not in our houseCanyonAg77 said:
I'll admit that the interview is his answer after 80 years of thinking about it. But I suspect his attitude in 1862 was
1) those damn yankees aren't going to tell me what to do
2) those damn yankees killed my friends
(Distant #3) not gonna let them take my slaves
Quote:
Civil War veteran Julius Howell of Bristol, Va. was 101 years old when he was recorded at the Library of Congress in June, 1947. He spoke of how he learned of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, 140 years ago this morning.
...
After gaining his freedom, Howell began an academic career, attending the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard before eventually becoming president of Virginia Intermont College.
They had thoughts on honor, patriotism, and pride that we can barely comprehend today.Quote:
what was the common soldier thinking about during the war? What were their motivations?
PineTreeAg said:They had thoughts on honor, patriotism, and pride that we can barely comprehend today.Quote:
what was the common soldier thinking about during the war? What were their motivations?
For example, upon joining Andrew Jackson's Army at the age of 20, Sam Houston's mother gave him a musket and told him "never disgrace it: for remember I had rather all my sons should fill one honorable grave, than one of them should turn his back to save his life"
They were looking for adventure. An insult to their home, country, lifestyle cut deep and had to be answered to defend one's honorpolitics be damned.
Another thing to consider was that people in that period were so much more in touch with their own mortality then we are today. Death at all ages from infants to the elderly was a more familiar circumstance. People did not go off to nursing homes or hospitals to die. They died right at home in the bed and were buried in the back yard. I don't believe people were quite as afraid of death as they are today. Dying in a good way was of paramount importance for many. Dying with honor, glory and being remembered as a hero occupied their thoughts.
Nicely said. Born at home, died at home. Lots of children died and lots of women died in childbirth. A lot of folks died from disease. Life expectancy was relatively short by todays standards.PineTreeAg said:They had thoughts on honor, patriotism, and pride that we can barely comprehend today.Quote:
what was the common soldier thinking about during the war? What were their motivations?
For example, upon joining Andrew Jackson's Army at the age of 20, Sam Houston's mother gave him a musket and told him "never disgrace it: for remember I had rather all my sons should fill one honorable grave, than one of them should turn his back to save his life"
They were looking for adventure. An insult to their home, country, lifestyle cut deep and had to be answered to defend one's honorpolitics be damned.
Another thing to consider was that people in that period were so much more in touch with their own mortality then we are today. Death at all ages from infants to the elderly was a more familiar circumstance. People did not go off to nursing homes or hospitals to die. They died right at home in the bed and were buried in the back yard. I don't believe people were quite as afraid of death as they are today. Dying in a good way was of paramount importance for many. Dying with honor, glory and being remembered as a hero occupied their thoughts.
BQ78 said:
But for one that just answers the question of why the men fought on both sides, see James McPherson's For Cause and Country: Why Men Fought in the Civil War.
I think it's as simple as, "Invade my state and I'll fight you."RPag said:
This is something I have become interested lately; what was the common soldier thinking about during the war? What were their motivations?