General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: I just found out that one of my great great grandfathers served on the Confederate side [View all]VOX
(22,976 posts)I wouldn't exist. His daughter, who links me to him, was born *after* the conflict.
Zachariah Andrew DeHay, Private, Company D, 11th Mississippi Infantry, the "Neshoba Rifles." Mustered in March, 1862, the 11th Miss. was part of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Fought in most major engagements, including Gettysburg, where 50% of the 11th was wiped out in the Pickett-Pettigrew advance on July 3rd, 1863. Private DeHay fought and survived until his capture at Petersburg in April 1865. He was imprisioned and contracted smallpox, but survived that, too. In the dismal aftermath of the war, he and his family relocated to Texas, as did many displaced Southerners.
He was a poor farmer, had no slaves, and retained the lowly rank of private throughout the conflict. What motivated him to fight? What did he have to gain? What were his beliefs? All unknown, and lost to history. My best guess was that he, like most poor Southerners, felt that his home, his farm, his livelihood and his family were under attack and in jeopardy. (Turns out he was right on all counts.)
I've felt conflicted for years about my ancestor's exploits. On the one hand, he survived the odds, and the 11th Miss. has a reputation for being fierce and brave -- they were looked down upon as a lower class by Virginians, but their courage and spirit were appreciated, and the "Upper South" gentry liked having bold Mississippians around to bring in when things got hot.
On the other hand, my GGF fought for one of the lousiest causes... ever. Maintaining slavery? Dissolving the union? Just truly horrible ideals. But who knows how much thought he gave to all this -- he was a simple farmer. Although I can never accept the beliefs he enabled by fighting for them, I nonetheless feel admiration for his bravery and his will to survive what must have been an absolute living hell.