"Everyman's War: A Rich and Poor Man's Fight in Lee's Army"

           The article by Joseph Glatthaar focuses on the misconception of the idea that the lower class soldiers of the confederate army suffered greater losses than that of those higher in the planter society. He discusses supporting evidence for his stance that the Civil War was not a conflict of lower class citizens fighting in the infantry while the wealthy soldiers took positions of general, lieutenant, or sergeant. In the article he also provides evidence to support the ties that all confederate soldiers had ties to slavery whether or not they were slave owners themselves or not. Glatthaar argues against the belief that the Civil War was a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight. He discusses the percentages of the wealthy, middle, and poor class soldiers who were enlisted as confederate infantrymen, deserters, and the hardships that affected the soldiers during the war.

            The main focus of the article was the counter the idea that the confederate army’s front consisted of mainly lower class poor southerners. In fact there was almost an equal amount of wealthy soldiers fighting as infantry as there was middle and lower class soldiers. Even with the Twenty- Slave Law in effect, many slave-owning households would send their sons to fight, only leaving the father of the household to manage the plantation. The idea that the rich were promoted to higher positions due only to their wealth is myth, and in fact the companies would vote on who would be the leader of their unit. They did not base their decision on the worth of their fellow soldier financially, but based their vote on the individual’s leadership skills and wartime abilities. Officers of the C.S.A. were nearly nineteen percent lower class soldiers.

            Slavery impacted all levels of society in the south. The rich needed slavery to maintain their mastery complex as well as provide crops for financial gains in the agrarian society. Yet, lower class soldiers also depended on the slaves buy having their masters buying produce and livestock to provide for their slaves. Freeing the slaves would eliminate the need for the masters to buy these goods from lower class citizens, in turn removing financial stability to these families.

            Glatthaar also discusses the problem of desertion when the weight of the war grew heavier on the confederate army. He explains that the vast majority of soldiers who disserted during the war were made up of poor soldiers. These soldiers were the breadwinners of their families and hardships at home pulled these men away from battle. On the contrast, the wealthy soldiers rarely disserted during the war due to the fact that their households were maintained during their absence.           Glatthaar attacks the common misconception about the profile of confederate soldiers with numerous statistical evidence and supportive reasoning behind the numbers. His article reveals the reality that this war was a fight for a cause that tied all levels of society and has truly changed my perception of the confederate army.

            Glatthaar, Joseph T. “Everyman’s War: A Rich and Poor Man’s Fight in Lee’s Army.” Civil War History 54, no. 3 (2008): 229-246.