Interesting Fact

[Swampman]

 "By the end of 1863, half the Confederate army was absent without leave or missing".  That's why we lost.

[BUGEYE]

"By the end of 1863, half the Confederate army was absent without leave or missing".  That's why we lost.

I think the norths "total war" which destroyed homes and crops caused troops to go awol to try and protect their families.  I would have done the same thing.
total war is also what they used against the indians, which caused great suffering among women and children.
total war is the war of COWARDS.

[williamlayton]

I disagree with the use of "coward."
Wars are fought to be won. They are fought not to prove manliness. They are also fought to preserve the lives of comrads.
There would not have been a Souther youth left alive if it were not for total war to end the conflict quickly.
Many Southern soldiers gave up the fight as futile and headed west.
Blessings

[Swampman]

It's amazing how warped our idea of history is.  Mostly shaped by misinformed teachers, faux school history books, and Hollywood.
 
War and it's reasons are very complex.

[BUGEYE]

I disagree with the use of "coward."
Wars are fought to be won. They are fought not to prove manliness. They are also fought to preserve the lives of comrads.
There would not have been a Souther youth left alive if it were not for total war to end the conflict quickly.
Many Southern soldiers gave up the fight as futile and headed west.
Blessings

I'm against "total war" where both sides have a uniformed military.  in the case of terrorists, that's the only way it can be fought.  even without total war, the south couldn't have held on much longer.

[subdjoe]

You had several things going on.  First, poor communication and paperwork.  A lot of men who were recovering from wounds, or not listed as killed, ended up being classified as AWOL.  Also, with most of the fighting being done in the south, many men were quite close to home and would slip away for a few days.

It was almost as bad for the federals, with men just slipping away from their units and heading home.  An interesting aside was, if I recall correctly, a husband and wife who had enlisted together.  He got tired of the fighting and deserted, she rather enjoyed Army life and stayed behind. Don't recall the names or regiment. 

But by late 1864 men on both sides were sick of war and killing, so it was a constant problem for both sides.

"By the end of 1863, half the Confederate army was absent without leave or missing".  That's why we lost.

[williamlayton]

It happens most often in homebound armies---they have a place to go.
Blessings

[JonD.]

It's amazing how warped our idea of history is.  Mostly shaped by misinformed teachers, faux school history books, and Hollywood.
 

And, it's all done intentionally.

[rio grande]

I disagree with the use of "coward."
Wars are fought to be won. They are fought not to prove manliness. They are also fought to preserve the lives of comrads.
There would not have been a Souther youth left alive if it were not for total war to end the conflict quickly.
Many Southern soldiers gave up the fight as futile and headed west.
Blessings

When Lincoln and his Generals began to  target Southern civilians they committed war crimes, no doubt about it.

I agree with bugeye that "total war' is cowardly.

War by "any means necessary" is not only cowardly, but is also immoral by any standards.
In keeping with the sentiments described in "Do unto others as you would have then do unto you" civilized men came up with the theory of "Just War".

This is from  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_war_theory

Jus in bello
Once war has begun, just war theory (Jus in bello) also directs how combatants are to act or should act:

 Distinction   Just war conduct should be governed by the principle of distinction. The acts of war should be directed towards enemy combatants, and not towards non-combatants caught in circumstances they did not create. The prohibited acts include bombing civilian residential areas that include no military target and committing acts of terrorism or reprisal against civilians.

Proportionality   Just war conduct should be governed by the principle of proportionality. An attack cannot be launched on a military objective in the knowledge that the incidental civilian injuries would be clearly excessive in relation to the anticipated military advantage (principle of proportionality).

Military necessity   Just war conduct should be governed by the principle of minimum force. An attack or action must be intended to help in the military defeat of the enemy, it must be an attack on a military objective, and the harm caused to civilians or civilian property must be proportional and not excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage anticipated. This principle is meant to limit excessive and unnecessary death and destruction.

Fair treatment of prisoners of war  Enemy soldiers who surrendered or who are captured no longer pose a threat. It is therefore wrong to torture them or otherwise mistreat them.

No means malum in se   Soldiers may not use weapons or other methods of warfare which are considered as evil, such as mass rape, forcing soldiers to fight against their own side or using weapons whose effects cannot be controlled (e.g. nuclear weapons).