From Mark Grisham: I never was what you might call a model student in high school. My focus was not where it should have been, as is the case with most teenage boys. History was the only subject that came close to appealing to me. I have always had a passion for the Civil War especially. Not so much the politics or the causes, but the armies and soldiers that fought bravely for those four horrible years.

When I settled down, after thoroughly enjoying my college years, I began reading more and more about the war. Not just about the armies though, but about the civilians that endured the hardships back home coupled with the loss of so many loved ones. The horrors of a battle and its aftermath really hit home when I began to read the soldiers’ diaries and letters sent back home to their families. I tried to imagine what it would be like to live in that era. To have to leave a wife and children alone on a farm, while I marched off, not sure if I would ever see them again.

I tried to understand why so many southern boys, most of whom never owned a slave, would fight to protect the institution of slavery. Were they brainwashed by unscrupulous southern politicians who convinced them that the Federal government wanted to free the slaves so they could live as equals with the white folks? Were they really so racist that they thought the black race to be inferior to them? It seems hard to comprehend that so many young men would leave everything they had and risk their lives to protect slavery. What was it then? What made these men give the ultimate sacrifice for the Confederacy?

Not being alive in that time frame makes this question difficult to answer. I can only speculate from what I have read. My opinion is that many of these young men were convinced that they were fighting in the second American Revolutionary War. To them, the Federal government in Washington had assumed the role that King George of England did in the first Revolutionary War. That they were defending their homeland from the dreaded Yankee invaders, who were coming to take over the southland. When Abraham Lincoln called for seventy five thousand volunteers to put down the rebellion, after Fort Sumter was bombed, this belief became more prevalent. Maybe that is where the answer lies.

Many believed that the Constitution was worded with the phrase “sovereign states” for a reason. That each state had its own legislative, judicial and executive branches as a way to govern themselves. Whatever their reason to fight was, they fought and died with the belief that they were protecting their families and possessions. The odd reality was, that even if they were fighting for “state’s rights,” they were fighting to preserve slavery. Many southerners will tell you that the war was fought over “state’s rights,” but these rights meant slavery would have continued if the south had won the war. Who knows how long it would have lasted? One would hope that the Confederacy would have eventually freed the slaves, but no one will ever know what would have happened. Just my opinion, that’s all.

Mark Grisham, an aspiring author, and David Donaldson, CEO/President of Impact Missions, co-wrote Bedlam South. A portion of all book sales will be donated to Impact Missions, a faith-based ministry dedicated to providing care to abused children, hurting families and impoverished people. To learn more about the book and the charity, visit Bedlam South.