NPS Why Confederate Soldiers FoughtFour site or informational bulletins are available at Appomattox Court House Historical Park. One of the bulletins describes "Why Confederate Soldiers Fought." Confederate soldiers were primarily volunteers who enlisted for a variety of reasons. A crucial motivator for many Southern soldiers was the defense of home and family against the invading Northern armies, often characterized as “Vandals” or “Hessians.” View this PDF to hear the rest of the story.
NPS Why Federal Soldiers FoughtThe majority of Northern soldiers, like their Southern counterparts, were volunteers rather than draftees and fought for many different reasons. For most, the preservation of the Union against secession was of primary importance. For the rest of the soldier view this PDF.
Fort Sumter National Monument website Union DissolvedIn the time between the election of Abraham Lincoln as the first Republican president and the firing on Fort Sumter, Southerners voiced their beliefs as what they saw as the immediate cause of Southern secession and the formation of the Confederacy. Lincoln reassured Southerners that he did not advocate the abolition of slavery but many Southern leaders saw something different in the Republican Party Platform of 1860. More information about the seccession is available in thisPDF.
1863 Lithograph by H. L. Stephens United States Colored Troops(USCT)During the latter half of the American Civil War more than 180,000 African-American soldiers served in the ranks of the Union Army, they were known as United States Colored Troops. Of the more than 150 units of USCT organized, seven regiments, totaling more than 5,000 soldiers, participated in the Battle of Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865. This PDF will provide more information about the USCT. |
Last updated: July 3, 2018