The Confederates and the First Shot

Current, Richard N.

doi:10.1353/cwh.1961.0033

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 9 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…You will wantonly strike a hornet’s nest…Legions now quiet will swarm out and sting us to death. It is unnecessary….It is fatal.” (Current 1961, 367–68). Toomb’s assessment of the South’s chances may have been shared by enough West Pointers as to dilute the effect of rank on joining the Confederate side.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rebel, Remain, or Resign? Military Elites’ Decision-Making at the Onset of the American Civil War

White

2023

Journal of Conflict Resolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A critical element in civil wars is military fragmentation. Yet, we have a limited understanding of why military elites fight in civil wars and on what side. In this article I develop a theory of the economic and professional motivations of military elites. I test this theory using the case of West Point graduates in the American Civil War. I argue that in addition to home state, economic and professional interests were a major influence on West Pointers. Graduates with connections to Southern cash crops were less likely to fight for the Union and more likely to fight for the Confederacy. Higher ranking graduates were more likely to fight for both sides, as they were better positioned to compete for promotion. I test this argument using a new dataset of more than 1000 West Point graduates’ wartime allegiances and antebellum careers and find strong evidence in support of my expectations.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%