Decision Four: Enlisting

• With the firing on Fort Sumter, war has begun

• All young men in both sections of America are being requested to enlist for their respective armies

• Most young men are not very political, nor old enough to vote, and not slave owners nor active abolitionists

• Nevertheless, there is pressure for everyone to enlist. The pressure mostly comes from the community. It is a matter of loyalty, duty to home, and proof that you are not a coward

• The general feeling on both sides is that the war will be brief. There is an excitement in the air about the potential for glory, fun, and camaraderie

• The women in your town provide another pressure. If you do not enlist, they will shun you; you won't have an opportunity of marriage. Impressing women is a powerful motive.

• READ THIS LETTER from the women of your town to you:
  The women of the South bestow all their respect and affections on the heroes who defend them against a barbarous and cruel foe… When that sacred vow shall have been accomplished your reception by us will more than attest our sincerity. For your stricken country's sake and ours, be true to yourselves and our glorious cause. Never turn your backs on the flag, nor desert the ranks of honor or the post of danger. Men guilty of such infamy sell your blood and our honor and give up the Confederacy to its wicked invaders. In after years, from generation to generation, the black title of tory and deserter will cling to them, disgracing their children's children. But no stigma like this will stain you and yours. Brave, patriotic and self-sacrificing in time of war, you will be honored in peace as the saviours of your country, and the pride and glory of your countrywomen.

Ladies of Columbus, GA, to Soldiers, in Richmond Whig, March 3, 1864.  

• On the other hand, to enlist is to risk your young life

DECISION: You are a young man, 19 years old. Even if you are not interested in the politics of the war, the issue of preserving the Union or Southern Independence, do you enlist anyway to avoid the ignominy of shirking?

Click here to see what most young men did.