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malthaussen

(18,546 posts)

14. In point of fact, according to The Oxford Companion to American Military History...

Wed Jun 24, 2015, 01:40 PM

Jun 2015

"Conscription directly accounted for only 13 percent of Union soldiers, but by the last two years of the war it undoubtedly encouraged a large number of voluntary enlistments."

(Link to article) http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Union_Army.aspx

I agree with the substance of the OP and the post to which I am replying, but I do like to have facts straight. Even the much-despised and hard-luck Army of the Potomac had more volunteers than conscripts. (I remember reading a figure of 58% at war's end, but I can't verify that) Conscripts were largely mistrusted by both their fellows and leaders, had a very high desertion rate, and were pretty unreliable.

An interesting support to your point concerns the (in)famous Battle of the Crater, for which Burnside had designated a division of U.S. Colored Troops as the spearhead and extensively trained them for the task (well, extensively by Civil War standards). However, Meade and Grant overruled him, quite possibly because they lacked confidence in the USCT. This caused Burnside to essentially become demoralized and lose all interest in the attack, which led to unfortunate results. (Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Crater )

--Mal

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Gonna drive by a reservation on your way to tell folks how racist the Confederate flag is? [View all] jtuck004 Jun 2015 OP

Thank you. The anti-South hysteria on this board is getting out of hand. Coventina Jun 2015 #1

A friggen men. tymorial Jun 2015 #3

This message was self-deleted by its author 1000words Jun 2015 #21

America's south isn't hateful and racist like that damn flag is, it has hateful racist people uponit7771 Jun 2015 #26

LOL, we all did bad things so lets keep the racist flag???? Nt Logical Jun 2015 #57

I didn't say that at all. I think the Stars & Bars is completely inappropriate in any context but a Coventina Jun 2015 #58

Are you saying the south is not more racist that the rest of the country? Nt Logical Jun 2015 #96

You know what? I don't live there, never have lived there, and have rarely visited. Coventina Jun 2015 #99

I am saying that. Leontius Jun 2015 #162

The South is not more racist than the North Man from Pickens Jun 2015 #177

I heard some pretty bad stories about the area around Fort Drum JonLP24 Jun 2015 #182

I was born and raised in South Arkansas. Around a lot of racists and red necks. LiberalArkie Jun 2015 #103

In his autobiography, Malcolm X stated he preferred southern racists to northern racists... KansDem Jun 2015 #176

I knew s lot of black people who made their money in the north especially Detroit and out in Califor LiberalArkie Jun 2015 #178

I concur Man from Pickens Jun 2015 #184

Par for the course. NaturalHigh Jun 2015 #131

Just all the monuments and idols to the traitorous slave owning bastards. n/t ncjustice80 Jun 2015 #136

I'm fine with taking them out of government or even public spaces and put into museums where they Coventina Jun 2015 #147

Not museums. They don't deserve that type of respect. ncjustice80 Jun 2015 #164

Well, then you should be outside protesting just about every military museum in existence. Coventina Jun 2015 #165

Destroying their disgusting monuments isn't "erasing history." ncjustice80 Jun 2015 #166

If you put all Confederate flags through the shredder, as you stated, that would be erasing history Coventina Jun 2015 #167

No it isn't. They have no merit. n/t ncjustice80 Jun 2015 #168

Well, again, I fully expect to see you protesting at the USS Arizona Memorial Coventina Jun 2015 #169

Love your point tymorial Jun 2015 #2

In point of fact, according to The Oxford Companion to American Military History... malthaussen Jun 2015 #14

The New York riots were fun Prism Jun 2015 #41

NYC Civil War Race Riots HockeyMom Jun 2015 #85

The IWW insisted that people of color be allowed to join. More than a few left for the AF of L jtuck004 Jun 2015 #91

+1 Pooka Fey Jun 2015 #116

Rushbo, the drug addict, predicted liberals would go after the American flag next. randys1 Jun 2015 #4

I use to hate when the nuns in Catholic school upaloopa Jun 2015 #5

My Dad's family came from England in 1886 HockeyMom Jun 2015 #16

I'm only a teeny-tiny bit English, but I have a couch cushion with a Union Jack on it. Coventina Jun 2015 #24

I only fly the Stars and Stripes upaloopa Jun 2015 #33

If I may navarth Jun 2015 #27

You can feel what you want. What is truth upaloopa Jun 2015 #35

Not be real? navarth Jun 2015 #38

I have no control over how the past benefits me upaloopa Jun 2015 #56

Your implications navarth Jun 2015 #67

Yes upaloopa Jun 2015 #76

pls see post 121 navarth Jun 2015 #122

You say we have benefited from misdeeds of others upaloopa Jun 2015 #130

So navarth Jun 2015 #134

I am not responsible for other people's past actions upaloopa Jun 2015 #135

well.... navarth Jun 2015 #142

Yes, you are. MicaelS Jun 2015 #100

So you both think I am correct in saying navarth Jun 2015 #121

Some people immigrated here due to treestar Jun 2015 #172

Um, navarth Jun 2015 #175

I used to feel like you, especially since I wasn't even born in this country but to an ex-pat dad. Cleita Jun 2015 #67

Confederate flags first. We'll burn the other ones later. nt Zorra Jun 2015 #6

LOL dreamnightwind Jun 2015 #126

+1 DawgHouse Jun 2015 #7

The last people actively fighting for the CSA were Native Americans, led by a Cherokee . . . Journeyman Jun 2015 #8

There is no doubt that the goal was genocide from the very beginning. That is clearly seen in what jwirr Jun 2015 #9

I always believed reparations should be made to both African Americans and Cleita Jun 2015 #10

And Hawaiians Coventina Jun 2015 #11

Yes, of course. They need to be included too. Cleita Jun 2015 #13

Cleita for prez! Coventina Jun 2015 #15

Thanks, but I would make a piss poor President. eom Cleita Jun 2015 #17

How about an advisory position? Coventina Jun 2015 #18

That I could do but no one would listen to me. Cleita Jun 2015 #20

I know what you mean. Coventina Jun 2015 #23

There is a Bernie Group. If you favor him, there is no sniping and a lot of good information. eom Cleita Jun 2015 #45

Thanks! I'll check it out! n/t Coventina Jun 2015 #51

+1 for Bernie and for Cleita. nt navarth Jun 2015 #29

huh? Kali Jun 2015 #12

Reference of a historical event? Bradical79 Jun 2015 #22

well that would be kind of gross but not exactly cannibalism Kali Jun 2015 #25

Corrected below by TheKentuckian Bradical79 Jun 2015 #32

I thought that was Davey Crockett and they ate the potatoes and roots in the cellar TheKentuckian Jun 2015 #133

Ah yes, that's right. I got 3 separate stories mixed up in my head :-P Bradical79 Jun 2015 #170

Yup, all kinds of foul deeds by our hero's (minus sleepy hollow, I guess) TheKentuckian Jun 2015 #179

Girl’s Bones Bear Signs of Cannibalism by Starving Virginia Colonists jtuck004 Jun 2015 #64

there was cannibalism in the New World before Europeans arrived Kali Jun 2015 #123

I was taken aback by that comment too deutsey Jun 2015 #160

Yes, history is complex and none of our ancestors are bloodless Bradical79 Jun 2015 #19

This exactly JustAnotherGen Jun 2015 #158

And of course Native Americans never fought among each other or had slaves.... n2doc Jun 2015 #28

Good ole Human Nature navarth Jun 2015 #30

Imagine salimbag Jun 2015 #42

the original inhabitants, plants and animals, must have hated when humans showed up. then msongs Jun 2015 #37

Ask a woolly mammoth about Humans n2doc Jun 2015 #54

lol.. there was another shark attack yesterday... ms liberty Jun 2015 #159

Translation: Whatever an issue is, it can be used to attack DUers and liberals! FSogol Jun 2015 #31

America Sucks and Everything is Obama's Fault Democat Jun 2015 #43

And do you see a lot of people here edhopper Jun 2015 #34

This message was self-deleted by its author 1000words Jun 2015 #46

Is that today? edhopper Jun 2015 #62

People are living on the land, have profited from the murder of those people. Today, jtuck004 Jun 2015 #75

It is edhopper Jun 2015 #79

That is my point. Thank you. n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #80

But it's existence edhopper Jun 2015 #83

Yup, yup. Let's shove the flagstick in a pile of bones from people we murdered before we salute it. jtuck004 Jun 2015 #87

uh? edhopper Jun 2015 #113

Neither needs a pass. n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #114

Okay thanks edhopper Jun 2015 #129

Oh for fuck's sake. NuclearDem Jun 2015 #36

I've lived in the South for 21 years. sulphurdunn Jun 2015 #39

I am good evidence for that. I lived there for about my first 50 years. Had to find some place jtuck004 Jun 2015 #88

So all that, just so we will feel bad and leave the Rebel Flag alone? Rex Jun 2015 #40

"Sure, the South needs to finally surrender, and that flag needs to come down." LWolf Jun 2015 #44

Yeah one line of lip service is really convincing. Rex Jun 2015 #52

One line or twenty, LWolf Jun 2015 #60

This has got to be one of the strangest OPs Ive ever seen. bunnies Jun 2015 #47

We've got to leave the Rebel Flag alone, because of the way we treated the Native Americans. Rex Jun 2015 #53

And dead horses? bunnies Jun 2015 #70

Good question, they are piled up so high we cannot get out the door! Rex Jun 2015 #73

lol. Ill fetch the tractor. bunnies Jun 2015 #77

Don't eat people? When did this start? Rex Jun 2015 #81

Just toss it in the horse pile. bunnies Jun 2015 #86

Thanks! Rex Jun 2015 #90

Well hey... bunnies Jun 2015 #94

True, can't drive to the local gas station without seeing people eating bodyparts on the side of the Rex Jun 2015 #95

Some people have no decency. bunnies Jun 2015 #97

Wow, we agree on something? stevenleser Jun 2015 #139

Did I miss Cosmocat Jun 2015 #59

I was wondering the same thing. bunnies Jun 2015 #72

odd OP, odd timing - but not really, I guess. I've lost the plot around here recently NRaleighLiberal Jun 2015 #65

You and me both. bunnies Jun 2015 #74

don't scratch too hard...you'll lose your flapjack! NRaleighLiberal Jun 2015 #78

! bunnies Jun 2015 #82

The cannibalism reference and horse slaughter example were puzzling deutsey Jun 2015 #161

Yes that is another part of American history Warren Stupidity Jun 2015 #48

I prefer to fly the flag of Nutopia. Crowman1979 Jun 2015 #49

I know of no "Sons of the Indain Fighters" group, nor are any of us out brewens Jun 2015 #50

No kidding. blackspade Jun 2015 #108

Uh, you realize the people already "went around with guns", and many of their victims died in the jtuck004 Jun 2015 #117

Not sure what you were getting at unless you completely missed the point brewens Jun 2015 #125

We all live here after our ancestors murdered the people who lived here and took their homes jtuck004 Jun 2015 #132

I like seeing the Nez Perce people a few years back wearing these Treaty of 1855 jackets, brewens Jun 2015 #149

"...my house payment started going to the tribe instead of the bank" - Now there is an interesting jtuck004 Jun 2015 #150

...my other favorites are Pirate flags. Crowman1979 Jun 2015 #55

At least Pirates are honest thieves. n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #84

If you're going to try and justify flying the Dixie Swastika SwankyXomb Jun 2015 #61

nice distraction and deflection pasto76 Jun 2015 #63

You profited, as we all still do, from the violent acts of racism of others. Fortunately for you jtuck004 Jun 2015 #69

I agree with them and I have native American blood on one side and holocaust survivor on the other stevenleser Jun 2015 #140

You're making me think of that treestar Jun 2015 #173

Heh. Iggo Jun 2015 #66

We just don't learn... n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #93

kick Angry Dragon Jun 2015 #71

“Flags are bits of colored cloth that governments use first to shrink-wrap people’s minds Tierra_y_Libertad Jun 2015 #89

Thank you for this.n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #92

Excellent point. Blue_In_AK Jun 2015 #98

!! Jack Rabbit Jun 2015 #101

I think that's also the flag of Chase Bank now...n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #115

I hope not Jack Rabbit Jun 2015 #119

They would make it look bad. Little more than pig feed, Dimon is. n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #120

So the ultimate goal of those opposed to the Confederate flag... BKH70041 Jun 2015 #102

One has to feel sorry for English after reading this. n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #105

English were oppressors, too. BKH70041 Jun 2015 #107

Not "the" English. <G> n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #109

Yes, "the" English. BKH70041 Jun 2015 #110

Thank you. You just made my day. <G> n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #112

HORSES? Didn't the Spanish bring horses to America? MADem Jun 2015 #104

Damn there are some smart people here. No sarcasm at all. n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #106

What the hell did I just read? dorkzilla Jun 2015 #111

You and me both REP Jun 2015 #118

Do you blame Asians for the tens of millions of Europeans who died from the plagues? ieoeja Jun 2015 #124

According to the most recent genetic testing, disease wiped out most Native Americans LittleBlue Jun 2015 #127

Huh. wonder why the British wrote of giving them smallpox laden material and hoping it jtuck004 Jun 2015 #146

That has nothing to do with what I wrote LittleBlue Jun 2015 #151

Genetics don't lie. People do though, and they create things to support their stories. And sometimes jtuck004 Jun 2015 #154

A thread I just saw here on Stone Mt reminded me of Mt Rushmore countryjake Jun 2015 #128

My country tis of thy people struggle4progress Jun 2015 #137

This is a ridiculous OP. The Confederacy can't be racist because of what the US did to Native stevenleser Jun 2015 #138

+1 treestar Jun 2015 #180

Where did you get the idea that calling the Confederate Flag racist means not caring Ken Burch Jun 2015 #141

Generally speaking people talk about what they care about. And in post after post after post jtuck004 Jun 2015 #144

I agree with everything you've said there. Ken Burch Jun 2015 #148

Kinda like the Chataqua. I think that is a great idea. It's how the wobblies used to jtuck004 Jun 2015 #153

What country romanic Jun 2015 #143

So, you got yours, fuck everyone else? Sure you are in the right place? Wait, you are. n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #145

I guess I am in the right place. romanic Jun 2015 #156

We took the bike through Washington, Oregon, the Dakotas.......... raven mad Jun 2015 #152

This is in Washington Juicy_Bellows Jun 2015 #155

I did not know about that. Thank you! n/t jtuck004 Jun 2015 #174

The current US flag is better than the Confederate Stars and Bars and the Nazi Germany flag steve2470 Jun 2015 #157

humbling... heaven05 Jun 2015 #163

By that metric no flag should ever be flown treestar Jun 2015 #171

The Stars and Stripes, unlike the Confederate flag, has never stood for slavery. n/t pnwmom Jun 2015 #181

I've always thought the wrongs to Native Americans, were most understated, in relative terms HFRN Jun 2015 #183