Honor and Courage

The soldiers in the Civil War have a high degree of honor, perhaps more so in the South than the North. In the South, all soldiers are volunteers as opposed to the North that implemented a draft. Some of the Federal soldiers must have feelings of resentment due to being forced to serve.

Honor among the commanders of both armies is of high value. Some commanders take this beyond reason and try to raise themselves above what reality supports but these types make up a very tiny minority. The greatest display of honor comes at the end of the war, when Chamberlain orders his men to salute the Confederates and General Gordon returns the salute.

While some soldiers run from battles, most surge forward even into certain death or mutilation. The minie ball and canister cannon fire make the Civil War the most bloody of conflicts...