The Making of a Confederate - 1734 Words

The romanticized version of the Civil War creates a picture of the North versus the South with the North imposing on the South. However, after reading â€Å"The Making of a Confederate† by William L. Barney, one can see that subdivisions existed before the war was declared. The documents analyzed by Barney primarily focus on the experiences of Walter Lenoir, a southern confederate and a member of the planter elite. His experiences tell a vivid story of a passionate and strongly opinioned participant of the Civil War as well as demonstrate a noticeably different view involving his reasoning when choosing a side. Between analyzing this fantastic piece of literature and other resourceful documents from â€Å"Voices of Freedom† by Eric Foner, one†¦show more content†¦He defends the South’s position on slavery which is a deeply grounded belief. Abraham Lincoln describes this situation as a disagreement on the definition of liberty in his â€Å"Address at San itary Fair, Baltimore† (1864). He explains that liberty may mean â€Å"for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men† (Forner 287). It is easy to see how this disagreement was heading in a catastrophic direction as the South continued to fight for the whole reason they came to America in the first place. The Confederates were willing to fight to death to defend their definition of freedom because the North winning the war equated to the very same thing in their minds; the end of their lives. Not every southern Confederate felt this strongly about slavery or desired to go to war. Some southerners, like the Lenoirs, did not necessarily want to have slaves but didn’t really know how to accomplish anything without them on a plantation. Walter Lenoir had planned to move north to be free of the burdens of managing slavery, but with the battle at Fort Sumter, Southerners who were leaning one way or the other were suddenly forced to defend their homes and families from what they considered a declaration of war. Walter had already decided that, â€Å"If we are to have disunion, I will cast my fortunes with the South†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (BarneyShow MoreRelatedThe Battle of Chancellorsville Essay1359 Words   |  6 PagesFredericksburg where other two battles took place. The Confederate army was led by General Robert E. Lee, while the Union army was led by Major General Joseph Hooker. Impressively, General Hooker’s army was composed with as many as 130,000 soldiers. The Union army was very well trained, equipped, and had all odds in favor. The Union army was two times as big as that of General Robert E. Lee, whose army was composed of merely 60,000-65,000 Confederate soldiers. Of these, 30,000 soldiers were from GeneralRead MoreThe United States And The Civil War1565 Words   |  7 Pageswon the war? How would our lives be impacted and what freedoms would we have today if that were the case? What if the major Union victories were actually Confederate victories? The following is just an idea of what potentially could have happened if this were the case. There was intense fighting that occurred throughout the United and Confederate States of America ranging from Texas and as far north as Pennsylvania as well as Naval battles Atlantic Ocean and a few in the Gulf of Mexico. Coupled withRead MoreThe Battle Of Northern Virginia1504 Words   |  7 PagesSharpsburg, Maryland in September 17,1862. There are many factors that played into the outcome of the battle, such as the advantages and cons of each army, the battle and tactics used, and the overall conclusion of the Battle of Antietam. 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The following day, the Confederates gained ground by conduct ing an assault on Union’s left flank. These concurring events would lead to July 3rd which resulted in bloody massacre of the Confederate’s and a tragic loss. The Battle of Gettysburg Day 3 is a demonstration of the importance of decision making, communication, lack of strategic understanding and certain principlesRead MoreFactors Contributing to the Collapse of the Confederacy1701 Words   |  7 Pagesblockade of Confederate ports, their military man power and leadership, and the government and its leadership. During the war the North and the South seemed to be polar opposites based on their economies. The North was more urban oriented and â€Å"took advantage of the Industrial Revolution† (Stoddard and Murphy 2). The South was more rural oriented and its â€Å"economy remained based on agriculture† (Stoddard and Murphy 2). 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