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Political Factors for Desertion

After countless months of enduring unbearable conditions, as well constantly receiving letters from home filled with desperate cries, Confederate soldiers in Western North Carolina found themselves questioning the reasons they were a part of this force in the first place. Absenteeism seemed like a viable option for these soldiers, and hatred for those being treated considerably better in the Confederacy brewed class distinctions and political dissent, which caused desertion rates to soar as well. Soldiers soon found that their loyalty to the Confederacy was put to the test when the negative effects of the war took a toll on their physical and psychological health. Amidst these factors, Confederate soldiers in the mountain region of the state dealt with the fact that their wealthier counterparts were far better off than themselves.[1]

The majority of those fighting for the Confederacy in North Carolina were young, uneducated farmers who were heavily coaxed into joining the cause.[2] As a method for gaining Confederate support from those that were formerly Unionist, the government made threatening statements about the result of a Union victory, telling mountain counties 300,000 Negros would be released into their homes, would marry their daughters, and would be allowed to vote and sit on a jury with them.[3] Individuals in these mountain regions also feared that wages and job opportunities would fall as a result of freed slaves seeking employment after the war.[4] Since the majority of those in the mountain regions of North Carolina were poor and had little economic stability, their situation would become worse should slaves be emancipated. By making manipulative statements such as these to brainwash former Unionists into the Confederate war effort, the class separation that would later lead to desertion had begun.

Although the above factors connected Confederate men to the Southern fight, these men had no loyalty to rich individuals in the Eastern part of the state that were fighting to protect their wealth. In fact, the now Confederate soldiers living in Western North Carolina found themselves fighting to protect the institution of slavery simply because it was the only thing ensuring their equality with white, Eastern elites.  Private John Reese in the 60th regiment gives insight to how little the actual fight meant to men in this area, telling his wife that he would leave at any point if she told him to.[5] The only factor that held Reese back was the payment he had been receiving, and to honor his family.[6] Not at any point did Reese state that the Confederacy or its goals mean anything to him.[7]

Already outcasts to the Confederate army, men from the mountain region found themselves secluded and lacking commitment and connection to the army in which they were serving, and realized economic divisions between themselves and their wealthy counterparts had formed.  Not only were these men fighting to preserve an institution that was completely irrelevant to their own lives, Confederate soldiers were in the fight alone, thanks to laws passed that enabled wealthy plantation owners to evade enlistment. The Conscript Act of 1862 gave a 20 slave clause in which the wealthy that owned 20 or more slaves were exempt from fighting, and gave the okay for hiring others to fight for them.[8] Sadly, those who were hired were often poor farmers, and the war effort was thrown to the underprivileged.[9] The lowly treatment Confederate soldiers endured differed greatly from the wealthy officials reigning over them. In a letter to his sister, Private William Horton in the 58th regiment describes the lack of nourishment he and others had, with only a pound of meat each for four days.[10] Horton states that he is out of money, tobacco, suitable clothing, and friends, and makes the statement “I hope and trust to God that they is a day coming when poor privates will be as free as big rich officers. This cruel war is a rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight.”[11] It’s evident that those suffering during this time often compared their lifestyles to their wealthy counterparts, and the division between the two caused dissents on the part of poor soldiers in the West. Due to this growing dissent between the poor and elite classes, desertion grew into a political tool of rebellion for Confederate men in Western North Carolina.  

            Historian Scott Owen argues in Conditional Confederates that a group with little power will often resort to forms of everyday resistance, such as deserting, rather than raise a major insurrection.[12] As result of the continuous favoritism that occurred towards wealthy plantation owners in the East, poor Confederate men did all they could to defend themselves and act out against the government, desert. The backlash that occurred was immense, and the Confederate government soon had an epidemic on their hands.



[1] Trotter, William R. Bushwhackers: The Mountains. 138.

[2] King, Owen. "Conditional Confederates Absenteeism among Western North Carolina Soldiers, 1861–1865." 57.4 (2011). Print.

[3] King, Owen. "Conditional Confederates Absenteeism among Western North Carolina Soldiers, 1861–1865." 57.4 (2011). Print.

[4] King, Owen. "Conditional Confederates Absenteeism among Western North Carolina Soldiers, 1861–1865." 57.4 (2011). Print.

[5] King, Owen. "Conditional Confederates Absenteeism among Western North Carolina Soldiers, 1861–1865." 57.4 (2011). Print.

[6] King, Owen. "Conditional Confederates Absenteeism among Western North Carolina Soldiers, 1861–1865." 57.4 (2011). Print.

[7] King, Owen. "Conditional Confederates Absenteeism among Western North Carolina Soldiers, 1861–1865." 57.4 (2011). Print.

[8] King, Owen. "Conditional Confederates Absenteeism among Western North Carolina Soldiers, 1861–1865." 57.4 (2011). Print.

[9] King, Owen. "Conditional Confederates Absenteeism among Western North Carolina Soldiers, 1861–1865." 57.4 (2011). Print.

[10] Watford, Christopher M. The Civil War in North Carolina: Soldiers' and Civilians' Letters and Diaries, 1861-1865. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2003. 153. Print.

[11] Watford, Christopher M. The Civil War in North Carolina: Soldiers' and Civilians' Letters and Diaries. 153.

[12] King, Owen. "Conditional Confederates Absenteeism among Western North Carolina Soldiers, 1861–1865." 57.4 (2011). Print.