WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAIN MEN IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY: AN ANALYSIS OF HOW BATTLEFIELD AND HOME FRONT EVENTS INFLUENCED THEIR PARTICIPATION DURING THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, 1861-1865

Abstract

This "synthetic works narrative" effort1, examines how western North Carolina evolved through the experiences of its people on the home and war fronts in America's Civil War. Themes like race, class, gender, and ethnicity interacted in the political and social upheavals that caused this most cataclysmic war for and among Americans. Battlefield results directly and indirectly influenced the varying levels of commitment that mountain men and women made to sustain the Confederacy. Likewise home-front instability occurred as a result of policies implemented and actions taken to support the war effort against the Union invaders. Volunteers in 1861 knew why they were willing to fight. Some persisted but many did not as morale fell due to external pressures. Internal pressures wrought hard times at home, news of which adversely affected the commitment of those mountain soldiers who did not have the moral fiber to stay and chose to desert.