Albert Einstein once said: “The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil but because of those who look on and do nothing.” The Civil War started because of differences between the free and slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in the territories that had not yet become states. The war was fought from 1861-1865, and it was the bloodiest 4 years in U.S. history. It started when the Confederates bombarded the Union soldiers at Fort Sumter. The majority of the fighting took place in Virginia and Tennessee. The Union had about 2.1 million soldiers, and the Confederates had about 1 million soldiers fight for their victory. Approximately 260,000 soldiers died from combat, accident, starvation and disease. The Battle of Gettysburg was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, it killed 51 thousand people. Life during the Civil War was difficult for the soldiers.
Slavery was a very big issue during the Civil War, so I’m gonna talk the black soldiers and how they got to be able to attend the war and not be just slaves. Frederick Douglass said: "Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship” (Frederick Douglass … Soldiers). The black families could not vote, hold office, or even testify against white in courts of law. If you were a free black man in Virginia you still had to face war and all the hardships of it. Though slaves undoubtedly suffered from scarcity of food, clothing, and medicine during the war, their masters, at least theoretically, were expected to provide for their welfare. The free blacks supported the Union over the Confederate as a rejection of their position (Lee). Elizabeth Wingfield supported the Union said because “ I thought they had to come free all the colored people & to give them their rights.” They hoped the Union victory would grant them equal rights. Confederates hoped to offset the Union 's white manpower advantage by employing blacks as military, agricultural, and industrial laborers. The confederate black men worked in salt, iron, or lead mines, and also would be nurse, cooks, teamsters, construction laborers. The Confederates forced William Peters, a black man, to labor for them and if he would not do it they were going to lynch him (Lee) Both the Union and Confederate sides of the battle brought African Americans to the battlefield . Before the war even started, there were only 4 million slaves in the United States and about 500,00 free Africans Americans . About 180,00 African Americans served in 163 units for the Union army as about a thousand more in the Navy. African Americans did not start serving for the Confederate army until 1865. Robert E. Lee had to convince the Confederate Congress to start enlisting black soldiers. The United States Colored Troops, USCT, made their mark on the American Civil War battlefields in every theater of the war. Though seen by white soldiers and officers as lacking the courage and ability to fight and fight well after Congress allowed the enlistment of African Americans in July 1862, after just three months the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers had changed …show more content…
Some of the early estimates put their numbers between 750,000 and 1,000,000 men served on the Confederate side of the American Civil War. The number of casualties of the Confederate army are about 94,000 men were either killed or mortally wounded on the battlefield. It is also estimated that about 164,000 soldiers died due to diseases and about 26,000 to 31,000 died in the Union prison. A total of 25,000 died of various reasons like accidents, murder, killed after capture of the Union soldiers, suicide, drowning, sun stroke, and execution for committing crime. 174, 223 Confederate soldiers surrendered to the Union army at the end of the war (Confederate Soldiers). The government was responsible for their rations, uniforms, training, arms, equipment, and pay the rate of $11 per month (Confederate
Slavery was a very big issue during the Civil War, so I’m gonna talk the black soldiers and how they got to be able to attend the war and not be just slaves. Frederick Douglass said: "Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship” (Frederick Douglass … Soldiers). The black families could not vote, hold office, or even testify against white in courts of law. If you were a free black man in Virginia you still had to face war and all the hardships of it. Though slaves undoubtedly suffered from scarcity of food, clothing, and medicine during the war, their masters, at least theoretically, were expected to provide for their welfare. The free blacks supported the Union over the Confederate as a rejection of their position (Lee). Elizabeth Wingfield supported the Union said because “ I thought they had to come free all the colored people & to give them their rights.” They hoped the Union victory would grant them equal rights. Confederates hoped to offset the Union 's white manpower advantage by employing blacks as military, agricultural, and industrial laborers. The confederate black men worked in salt, iron, or lead mines, and also would be nurse, cooks, teamsters, construction laborers. The Confederates forced William Peters, a black man, to labor for them and if he would not do it they were going to lynch him (Lee) Both the Union and Confederate sides of the battle brought African Americans to the battlefield . Before the war even started, there were only 4 million slaves in the United States and about 500,00 free Africans Americans . About 180,00 African Americans served in 163 units for the Union army as about a thousand more in the Navy. African Americans did not start serving for the Confederate army until 1865. Robert E. Lee had to convince the Confederate Congress to start enlisting black soldiers. The United States Colored Troops, USCT, made their mark on the American Civil War battlefields in every theater of the war. Though seen by white soldiers and officers as lacking the courage and ability to fight and fight well after Congress allowed the enlistment of African Americans in July 1862, after just three months the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteers had changed …show more content…
Some of the early estimates put their numbers between 750,000 and 1,000,000 men served on the Confederate side of the American Civil War. The number of casualties of the Confederate army are about 94,000 men were either killed or mortally wounded on the battlefield. It is also estimated that about 164,000 soldiers died due to diseases and about 26,000 to 31,000 died in the Union prison. A total of 25,000 died of various reasons like accidents, murder, killed after capture of the Union soldiers, suicide, drowning, sun stroke, and execution for committing crime. 174, 223 Confederate soldiers surrendered to the Union army at the end of the war (Confederate Soldiers). The government was responsible for their rations, uniforms, training, arms, equipment, and pay the rate of $11 per month (Confederate