Well said Ted, Thank you! Ann ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ted Myers" <sgtmajor17thcav@yahoo.com> To: <civil-war@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, December 03, 2007 2:05 PM Subject: Re: [CIVIL-WAR] Company E, 53rd Regiment, NC Troops - desertions > As some of may think desertion a bad thing, or think of soldiers as > cowards, was > not always the case in the civil war. The first thing one has consider is > the fact > that it was horrible blood bath, and this was on both sides. However I do > feel that > the men who fought in the south suffered a great deal more then those in > the north. > But even at that, those men in the north who Volunteered, desertion was > high. by > the wars end 170,216 white soldiers in the Volunteer army deserted. this > also takes > in 187 officers. As for Colored troops it was 12,464 and this total > includes 24 officers > Also included in these figures are 16,365 regular army troops. > > As for confederate troops in many cases the totals were much higher. By > Oct 1863 > thoundsands had already deserded the ranks. In 1862 R.E. Lee wrote that > the rate > of desertion in his army was the reason he did not win at Antietam. As > for the men > in the southern ranks the problem was hunger in the ranks and hunger at > home. The > southern soldiers families were starving. Many had no food, money and > were being > refused credit at stores to get food. Many who had farms, their livestock > was being > taken to feed the army. Many left with little or nothing, and few getting > payed for > their stock or food taken. > > There were many contributing factors on both sides of the line. Do I > consider them > cowards, no. One has to take in to consideration the kind of war it was. > Consider > the number of men who died between the ages of 17 and 21. Your time in > battle > was roughly 30 minutes before you were killed or wounded. Fredericksburg > and > Gettysburg are great examples of death on a battlefield. > > I have served my country honorably for 26 years, and never would consider > the fact > of ever deserting my post or my duty to the people of this great place we > call > America. But I never had to fight in the Civil War, and if I had would I > have ever > considered desertion, I can honestly say I don't know. > > Folks there is a great book out there about what people went through > during the > civil war. If you get the chance read it, some of you amy look at things > a little > different. > > "The People's History Of The Civil War" by Daivid Williams > > Ted Myers > > Edward Harding <eharding2@suddenlink.net> wrote: > Alice, > > Thanks for mentioning these soldier's own patriotic beliefs. One of my own > ancestors stated something so well in a portion of his last letter home to > his wife and I wanted to share it. This letter was written on August 13th > and 14th, 1864 and my ancestor was killed on August 16, 1864. > > "I do not think you should be as indifferent as you estimated in one of > your letters, should I not be spared too return to my loved ones. Had it > been the present generation alone that we would benefit it would have been > better to have submitted to the incroachments of that blind fanaticism of > the north that has drafted our sunny south with mourning & caused > thousands of hearthstones to be desolate. We should remember it is not for > ourselves alone we labor. Our revolutionary fathers planted the seed of > liberty - nurtured the tender plants & watered it with their blood, & for > what? That we, their offspring might eat of the fruits thereof. Are we > less patriotic than they? Should it be said, that the sons of such sires > have become so selfish that they look only to the present enforcement of > themselves & sit comfy and witness the manufacture of the chains that are > being prepared for their children? I know you will say no. I am aware that > there are those who pretend to bel! > ieve that this war might have been averted - that it was in the power of > certain southern men to have prevented hostilities between the two > sections & that those men are responsible for the evils we are now > experiencing. I am one of those who do not think it could have been > consistant with Southern honor." > > Edward Harding > http://ehardingwbtsancestors.homestead.com/Index.html > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CIVIL-WAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > --------------------------------- > Get easy, one-click access to your favorites. Make Yahoo! your homepage. > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > CIVIL-WAR-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >