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Civil War America
Reluctant Rebels: The Confederates Who Joined the Army after 1861
After the feverish mobilization of secession had faded, why did Southern men join the Confederate army? Kenneth Noe examines the motives and subsequent performance of "later enlisters." He offers a nuanced view of men who have often been cast as less patriotic and less committed to the cause, rekindling the debate over who these later enlistees were, why they joined, and why they stayed and fought.
Noe refutes the claim that later enlisters were more likely to desert or perform poorly in battle and reassesses the argument that they were less ideologically savvy than their counterparts who enlisted early in the conflict. He argues that kinship and neighborhood, not conscription, compelled these men to they were determined to protect their families and property and were fueled by resentment over emancipation and pillaging and destruction by Union forces. But their age often combined with their duties to wear them down more quickly than younger men, making them less effective soldiers for a Confederate nation that desperately needed every able-bodied man it could muster.
Reluctant Rebels places the stories of individual soldiers in the larger context of the Confederate war effort and follows them from the initial optimism of enlistment through the weariness of battle and defeat.
Noe refutes the claim that later enlisters were more likely to desert or perform poorly in battle and reassesses the argument that they were less ideologically savvy than their counterparts who enlisted early in the conflict. He argues that kinship and neighborhood, not conscription, compelled these men to they were determined to protect their families and property and were fueled by resentment over emancipation and pillaging and destruction by Union forces. But their age often combined with their duties to wear them down more quickly than younger men, making them less effective soldiers for a Confederate nation that desperately needed every able-bodied man it could muster.
Reluctant Rebels places the stories of individual soldiers in the larger context of the Confederate war effort and follows them from the initial optimism of enlistment through the weariness of battle and defeat.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 14, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 11, 2025
We are all familiar with the patriotism that led volunteers to enlist in the opening days of the Civil War. But what about those who didn't answer the initial call to serve?? The author bases his book on this subject matter. I found the book to be very readable, with a lively narrative and a brisk pace. My only complaint about the book was that it seemed overly condensed; the author could have easily stretched the book length by at least twice the actual page count. Other than that it was a fantastic read and well worth the time spent.
August 26, 2020
The first third of the book seemed too psychological and statistical. Noe is making the case for a distinction in motivation between soldiers who enlisted at the beginning of the war and those who joined later. But he keeps making points and then hedging that the data pool is too limited. If his researched found a paucity of samples for his thesis, why publish the book?
Fortunately, the last 2/3 improved. It became more of a general discussion of soldiers’ motivation, with only occasional attempts to force the later-enlisting Confederates into a coherent group with unique characteristics.
It’s interesting that Noe kowtows to the academic claim that Confederate soldiers fought ONLY to perpetuate slavery but then at various points undermines this simplistic claim.
A good read, but only three stars because, to me, it frustratingly failed to give me a convincing picture of any uniqueness to the late-enlisting Confederates.
Fortunately, the last 2/3 improved. It became more of a general discussion of soldiers’ motivation, with only occasional attempts to force the later-enlisting Confederates into a coherent group with unique characteristics.
It’s interesting that Noe kowtows to the academic claim that Confederate soldiers fought ONLY to perpetuate slavery but then at various points undermines this simplistic claim.
A good read, but only three stars because, to me, it frustratingly failed to give me a convincing picture of any uniqueness to the late-enlisting Confederates.
October 10, 2014
Great research. My g-g grandfather was an enlisted Confederate of 1862 in the 24th Arkansas. He left a wife and two small children to go off to war. This book gives excellent insight into the conflicting issues of the " reluctant rebels " and their service. Previous histories tends to generalize the enlistments into either the rush of men who joined the colors right after Sumpter or those who are categorized ( sometimes incorrectly) as " conscripts" of late 1863-64. This book fills the gap of those enlistees of '62-'63 and offers us a glimpse into their motives, thoughts and patriotism through a survey of first person sources through their letters. If you are looking for the thoughts, fears, hopes and motives of the individual line soldier who enlisted after the first wave of enthusiasm had waned and yet still went off to war before forced to by the draft, this is your book. These men avoided the initial rush to service and had already observed what the war really was from the news and their returning ( or often not returning) friends and neighbors, yet they still enlisted. This book explores the reasons why. These late war enlistees often went to war individually absent the parades and flag waving of the mass regimental organizations of 1861. Yet they went. The Confederacy had suffered a number of serious setbacks by the time these men entered service, yet still they went. This book gives us some thoughts as to their reasons and those reasons are as varied and surprising as the men themselves. For the most part they went in with eyes open, and the resignation of service in a sectional strife and what was in store for them. If you are a serious student of the service of the private Confederate soldier in the Civil War this book is not to be missed and you will find yourself going back to it again and again.
"So with this character of education there was reared a generation of warriors, and so it was blood- letting, nothing else and we surely spilled it." Rebel private front and rear-memoirs of a Confederate Soldier. William Fletcher, private, co. F 5th Texas.
"So with this character of education there was reared a generation of warriors, and so it was blood- letting, nothing else and we surely spilled it." Rebel private front and rear-memoirs of a Confederate Soldier. William Fletcher, private, co. F 5th Texas.
March 17, 2016
Noe's work is a compact and personalized look at a specific kind of Confederate: the men who joined after 1861. On a whole he finds the group to be unfairly maligned, most delaying entry due to personal reasons. They fought as well as able, but were mostly hobbled by being older men. This gets to Noe's other argument: the Rebels ran out of strong military age men much sooner than the North. Being a supporter of the "external" thesis of Confederate defeat (they were out-numbered), I found this point to be convincing. I will add that internal factors, in particular Southern honor culture, were also significant. Great events do not happen for only one or two reasons.
August 6, 2010
I really like Noe's writing, but this one just didn't hit the mark. The use of statistics were particularly superfluous and contributed little to the text. Also, the comparisons with earlier works were incomplete. It just felt really disappointing and relied too heavily upon works by others.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews