The Role Of Slavery In Confederate General Longstreet's War

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The War was a fight about slavery and required much bravery, however; the generals and soldiers each had their own views on what the war was specifically about, was it about slavery or was there more? There was more. Through the fight there was more than just bravery needed to face the many trials each man faced and the big question was how those trials would be handled. The war was more than just slavery, each person had their own ideas on what the war meant. One example of these ideas can be seen on page 149 from confederate colonel Fremantle. His fireside conversation with his fellow troops left the reader with the feeling that the main reason for his part in the struggle was not that he was trying to reach any incredible feats or promote any specific cause but rather to fill the void of excitement in his life. War gave him the thrill that domestic peace didn’t provide. However; the sheer monotony of everyday life was not what drove others to fight…show more content…
Longstreet’s point in fighting against the Union was to keep the old way of life and tradition, transplanted England as he described it, and not to protect slavery specifically because as he recognized that will soon pass. Fighting for fun and tradition were two main players, but a third idea was introduced by General Lee in a moment of reflection on page 251. He revealed and idea that the reader wouldn’t have thought of originally, he didn’t want to fight but was forced to in order to protect his family, town, and state which had been swept up into the tidal wave of conflict. Meanwhile; the Union, who thought the war was all about slavery, was confused to no end on why one would declare a war just to keep individuals enslaved as Chamberlain expressed in the last conversation in the
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