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What They Fought For PDF

The document discusses why Northern soldiers fought during the Civil War. Many Northern soldiers felt they were fighting to uphold the legacy of the American Revolution and defending the liberties that their forefathers had fought for. Soldiers saw themselves as continuing the sacrifice of Revolutionary War patriots and fighting to preserve the Union, which they viewed as essential for the survival of republican government and democracy in America and as a beacon of liberty for the world. While some soldiers' wives argued they should prioritize their families over defending the founding fathers' legacy, the soldiers insisted preserving the Union was vital for securing freedom and liberties for their children and future generations.

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Maggie Dorgan
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3K views3 pages

What They Fought For PDF

The document discusses why Northern soldiers fought during the Civil War. Many Northern soldiers felt they were fighting to uphold the legacy of the American Revolution and defending the liberties that their forefathers had fought for. Soldiers saw themselves as continuing the sacrifice of Revolutionary War patriots and fighting to preserve the Union, which they viewed as essential for the survival of republican government and democracy in America and as a beacon of liberty for the world. While some soldiers' wives argued they should prioritize their families over defending the founding fathers' legacy, the soldiers insisted preserving the Union was vital for securing freedom and liberties for their children and future generations.

Uploaded by

Maggie Dorgan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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What They Fought For 1861-1865

Read
ExcerptFromChapter2:TheBestGovernmentonGodsFootstool
OneofthequestionsoftenaskedaCivilWarhistorianis,WhydidtheNorthfight?Southernmotives
seemeasiertounderstand.Confederatesfoughtforindependence,fortheirownpropertyandwayoflife,
fortheirverysurvivalasanation.ButwhatdidtheYankeesfightfor?Whydidtheypersistthroughfour
yearsofthebloodiestconflictinAmericanhistory,costing360,000northernlivesnottomention
260,000southernlivesanduntolddestructionofresources?Puzzlingoverthisquestionin1863,
ConfederateWarDepartmentclerkJohnJoneswroteinhisdiary:Ourmenmustprevailincombat,or
losetheirproperty,country,freedom,everything.Ontheotherhandtheenemy,inyieldingthecontest,
mayretireintotheirowncountry,andpossesseverythingtheyenjoyedbeforethewarbegan.
Ifthatwastrue,whydidtheYankeeskeepfighting?WecanfindmuchoftheanswerinAbrahamLincolns
notablespeeches:theGettysburgAddress,hisfirstandsecondinauguraladdresses,theperorationofhis
messagetoCongressonDecember1,1862.Butwecanfindevenmoreoftheanswerinthewartime
lettersanddiariesofthemenwhodidthefighting.Confederateswhosaidthattheyfoughtforthesame
goalsastheirforebearsof1776wouldhavebeensurprisedbytheintenseconvictionofthenorthern
soldiersthattheywereupholdingthelegacyoftheAmericanRevolution.
WefightfortheblessingsboughtbythebloodandtreasureofourFathers,wroteanenlistedmanfrom
Missouritohisparentsin1861.IwillfighttillIdieifnecessaryforthelibertieswhichyouhavesolong
enjoyed.AMichigansoldiertoldhisyoungerbrotherthathefoughtagainstTraitorswhosoughttotear
downandbreakintofragmentstheglorioustemplethatourforefathersrearedwithbloodandtears.A
NewJerseyofficerdeclaredthatthemanwhodoesntgiveheartysupporttoourbleedingcountryinthis
dayofourcountrystrialisnotworthytobeadescendantofourforefathers....Wewillbeheld
responsiblebeforeGodifwedontdoourpartinhelpingtotransmitthisboonofcivilandreligiousliberty
downtosucceedinggenerations.AnIllinoisfarmboywhoseparentshadopposedhisenlistmentasked
themtartly:ShouldWetheyoungestandbrightestnationofalltheearthbowtotratersandforsakethe
gravesofourFathers?Heansweredhisownquestion:Nononever.
Thethemeofparallelsacrificewiththepatriotsof1776punctuatedthelettersofmanyUnionsoldiers.An
officerinthe101stOhiowroteinDecember,1862,thatourfathersincoldestwinter,halfcladmarkedthe
roadtheytrodwithcrimsonstreamsfromtheirbleedingfeetthatwemightenjoytheblessingsofafree
government.Likewise,ourbusinessinbeinghere[is]tolaydownourlivesifneedbeforourcountrys
cause.TwoweekslaterhewaskilledinthebattleofStonesRiver.AyoungMichiganprivatewasalso
killedinactionnotlongafterhewrotealettertohisuncledescribingthehardshipsofasoldierslife.But

didtherevolutionarypatriotsinvalleyforge,heaskedrhetorically,complain[when]theyhadtomarchin
thesnowwiththerebarefeetandtostandthecoldtwentydegreesbelowzerowithoutblankets?...We
willshowourfathersandmotherswifessistersbrothersandsweetheartsthatweareworthyofthat
heritage.
Someofthosewives,however,toldtheirsoldierhusbandsthattheyhadagreaterresponsibilitytotheir
presentfamiliesthantothefoundingfathers.Inresponsetosuchlettersfromwives,agoodmanyUnion
soldierswroteasdidanOhiolieutenant:OurFathersmadethiscountry,we,theirchildrenaretosaveit..
.andyoushould...experiencealaudableprideinthepartyour[husbandandbrothers]arenowtakingto
suppressthegreatestrebellionthehistoryoftheworldhaseverwitnessed...Whydenouncethewar
whentheinterestatstakeissovital?...WithoutUnion&peaceourfreedomisworthless...ourchildren
wouldhavenowarrantofliberty....[If]ourCountrybenumberedamongthethingsthatwerebutarenot,
ofwhatvaluewillbehouse,family,andfriends?AnotherOhiosoldier,whosewifecomplainedrepeatedly
oftheburdensofraisingthreechildrenwhileworryingabouthisfate,askedhertobearyourtroublewith
goodcheer....Itonlygivesanothertroubleonmymindtoknowthatyouaresodiscontented....Ifyou
esteemmewithatruewomansloveyouwillnotaskmetodisgracemyselfbydesertingtheflagofour
Unionaflagthatisasdearaslifetome....Noitwillneverdo,cheerupand...rememberthatthousands
wentforthandpouredouttheirlifsbloodintheRevolutiontoestablishthisgovernment;andtwouldbea
disgracetothewholeAmericanpeopleifshehadnotnoblesonsenoughwhohadthespiritofseventysix
intheirhearts.Justifyingtohiswifeadecisiontostayinthearmyaftermorethanayearsfightinginstead
ofacceptingamedicaldischarge,athirty-three-year-oldMinnesotasergeant,fatherofthreechildren,
wrotehomefromanarmyhospitalwherehewasrecoveringfromexhaustion:Mygrandfatherfoughtand
riskedhislifetobequeathtohisposterity...thegloriousInstitutionsnowthreatenedbythisinfernal
rebellion....ItisnotforyouandI,orus&ourdearlittleones,alone,thatIwasandamwillingtoriskthe
fortunesofthebattlefield,butalsoforthesakeofthecountrysmillionswhoaretocomeafterus.
Butwhydidthesesoldiersthinkthattheinfernalrebellionjeopardizedthesurvivaloftheglorious
republic?Whycouldtheynot,asConfederateWardDepartmentclerkJohnJonessuggested,merely
returnhometoanorthernnationandleavetheSouthalonesothatthetworepublicscouldliveinpeace
asdualheirsoftheRevolution?Because,saidnorthernsoldiers,almostasifinechoofAbrahamLincoln,
onceadmitthatastatecansecedeatwill,andrepublicangovernmentbymajorityrulewillcometoan
end.Thedis-UnitedStateswouldfragmentintoseveralpetty,squabblingautocracies,provingthe
contentionofEuropeanmonarchistsandreactionariesthatthisharebrainedexperimentindemocracy
couldnotlast.Governmentofthepeople,bythepeople,forthepeoplewouldperishfromtheearth.Many
UnionsoldiersvoicedwithextraordinarypassiontheconvictionthatpreservationoftheUnitedStatesas
thebeaconlightofliberty&freedomtothehumanrace,inthewordsofathirty-five-year-oldIndiana
sergeant,wasindeedthelast,besthopeforthesurvivalofrepublicanlibertiesintheWesternworld.

ExcerptedfromWhatTheyFoughtFor1861-1865byJamesM.McPherson,publishedbyAnchorBooks.

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