Reply #97: Two reasons why southerners wouldn't forget the war

[Yupster]

after it was over.

1) The losses they suffered were so monumental it was impossible to forget. Before the war it's estimated that there were about 1 million adult white men in the south capable of wearing a uniform. The Confederacy put 750,000 of them into uniform and incredible 75 %. Of that total, 250,000, or 1/4 of the adult white men in the south died and another 250,000 (1/4) were wounded. We've never had any osses coming anywhere close to those percentages in any other war we've ever fought.

It's even worse when you consider how the Confederacy formed its armies. They formed regiments by county so pretty much every adult white man in the county marched off to war together and served togather. When a regiment led a charge it could be disastrous.

Just as an example, the 26th North Carolina Regiment was from the Crabtree Valley. At Gettysburg it lost over 70 % of its men. Imagine a week later when the news got back to the Raleigh area. 70 % of the men in the county were illed or wounded in three days. I think it's understandable that the people of that area would not soon forget the war.

Plus there were the other losses. Transportation system was completely torn apart, livestock almost all killed, Confederate money and bonds worthless. It's not something to soon forget.

2) The other reason is the people at the end of the war still felt they were right. If they wanted to leave and form their own government, and they did it by democratic vote,m they should have had the right to do it. There's nothing worse than thinking you are right and having to give in anyway. It's not something you forget quickly.