"'Tis Not Our War" Topic

…In his latest book, "'Tis Not Our War: Avoiding Military Service in the Civil War North," author Paul Taylor describes the public view of the Civil War as the war progressed, the cultural mindset of Americans in the 1860s, and why, instead of enlisting, the vast majority chose to avoid fighting the war -- some even by deserting or dodging the draft entirely…

Military: link

It is true. The longer the war lasted the more unpopular it became. The draft was hated in both the South and North. By 1864 desertion from the Confederate armies is one of key factors in the fall of the CSA.

Is that unusual for any war? I don't have data, but it seems to me that in general people don't want to die and after the initial reaction of patriotism, etc. people start thinking about what is worth their life.

I would say that wasn't true for WW2.

The perception, correct as it happens, in the North was that the rich were buying their way out of the service. that perceived inequity was responsible for much of the resistance to the draft, in particular among the Irish and German immigrant communities.

I have no idea how it went in the South except from a shear per capita basis the losses in the war would have hit harder and the perception of risk should have been higher based on community impact.

It was the same in the South. If you owned x amount of slaves you didn't have to serve. The rich can always find away around the law.