Robert E. Lee's Decision

[maillemaker]

And those with blinders on with persist with the idea that every person serving as a soldier in the CSA was fighting to preserve slavery because they knew they would personally benefit from that awful institution.

I don't think anyone in this thread is making that case at all.

What has been said is that the wealthy people in power had a lot to lose since their wealth was largely based on slave labor. Just like today, the people in power with the wealth to bankroll wars have entirely different motivations for the war than the people doing the actual fighting.

Steve

 

[ClemBert]

A person didn't have to own a slave to be pro-slavery. I'm sure those who didn't own slaves were keenly aware of the economic advantage their South enjoyed due to slavery.

Even today there are oodles of people who are adamantly against illegal immigration who hesitate to support enforcement, knowing what would happen to food prices were it not for illegal immigrant field workers. I believe every loyal southerner did indeed have that "dog in the fight", and knew it full well.

I don't think anyone in this thread is making that case at all.

I took the liberty of interpreting that a soldier in the CSA was also a loyal southerner. Did I go too far? Maybe Model-P can clarify who/what constituted a loyal southerner. I thought it was clear that the implication was that every loyal southerner (to include soldiers in the CSA) knew that the institution of slavery was good for them economically and therefore took up arms against the Federal Guberment to protect that institution. This even though most of them never owned slaves and in fact many of whom where themselves farmers who competed with farms/plantations that did use slaves.

 

[4V50 Gary]

We have strayed from the original topic and now feathers are being ruffled. Let us remember the words of Major Parker at Appomattox: "We are all Americans."

Nap time.