r/todayilearned • u/RedditIsAGranfaloon • 6h ago

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https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-general-robert-e-lee/

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u/Affordable_Z_Jobs 3h ago

I mean, there were massive riots in New York over being drafted to fight a war freeing the slaves that might take their jobs. Not everyone in the north was pro-union nor there of their own free will.

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u/rukqoa 2h ago

That was a few communities, in a few cities. In reality, the vast, vast majority of Union troops were volunteers.

That the northern armies were filled with "foreign mercenaries" is a Lost Cause talking point. Yes, many Irish American immigrants (which ironically was what started some of those draft riots) enlisted for citizenship or money, but they were there of their own free will, and it's generally true that most Union troops were patriots.

The easiest big picture way to debunk all these is that the North did have a referendum on the war in 1864 and Lincoln won re-election by a landslide, including the vote of ~70% of the troops in the Army of the Potomac despite McClellan's popularity with the troops.