2 - Call To Duty: The Common Soldier - 1861

About this episode:

Perhaps, the last time Americans volunteered en masse was in the days and weeks immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Yet, as my father and many of his generation found, many more men were needed to wage a two-front war and, so, there was conscription. In the American Civil War, conscription was, also, eventually, resorted to - first by the Confederacy in April of 1862 and, eleven months later, by the Federal Government. Yet, the overwhelming majority of those who fought in both Northern and Southern armies were there because they chose to be. Indeed, the Civil War was the last great American conflict fought, essentially, by volunteers.

This is their story - the common men and women who stepped forward. This is "Call to Duty - 1861."

Some Characters Mentioned In This Episode: 

 

President Otis Burgess

 

Edward Black

John Clem

Jennie Hodgers as Albert DJ Cashier

 

 

Other References From This Episode:

 

The University of North Carolina During The Civil War

Civil War Unit Nicknames

Choctaw in the Amercian Civil War

The 26th NC Regimental Band

 

Great Resources To Check Out:

 

The Life of Johnny Reb

 

The Life Of Billy Yank

 

The Thin Light of Freedom

 

 

Get The Guide:

Want to learn more about the Civil War? A great place to start is Fred's guide, The Civil War: A History of the War between the States from Workman Publishing. The guide is in its 9th printing.

 

Producer: Dan Irving