Longstreet and Lee's comments of feeling that they had no choice about fighting for the South were very interesting to me. I knew that Lee had been asked to command the Union army and had turned down that commission. But it didn't occur to me that many of the Confederate soldiers had once fought with the men that they were now fighting against.
Longstreet laments that they "broke the vow". It struck me that serving in the army creates such a tight bond between fellow soldiers. When they are called upon to go into the heat of battle against former friends and their 'former country', they are doing the very thing they swore they wouldn't do. The internal conflict for these soldiers must have taken quite a toll.
Lee at least has the comfort of believing that "the issue is in God's hands. We will live with His decision, whichever way it goes." So even though he has broken a vow, his faith that God will orchestrate the outcome of this conflict, ultimately gives him the reassurance he needs to lead the Confederate army.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Stacy, we might liken this to what happens sometimes in sports. Players are together until they go to different high schools or different colleges. How does it affect their play? How does it affect their relationship later? Pro sports might even be a better example as players are shuffled around from team to team. See what kind of reaction we get from students on this front.
ReplyDelete