Another aspect of the ACW that compares well to T2K is the treatment of civilians. Although there were notable acts of chivalry by both sides on occasion, looting and pillaging were common. The capture of depots were important but much of the goods armies survived on were taken from civilians. Moreover, the Union recognized the Confederacy's weakness regarding industrial output and specifically targeted civilian production with the Anaconda blockade and Sherman's March. I can't help but think that the 5th ID's drive into Poland was much like Sherman's March, at least until the end.
BTW, if you get the opportunity, I highly recommend getting Foote's work The Stars in Their Courses as an audio book. Foote reads it himself and he reads it with a fantastic voice. It must have been at least fifteen years since I listened to it and I still think of his description of the "butternut gray" uniforms of the Confederate troops.
Last edited by Neal5x5; 12-28-2012 at 09:49 AM.
Reason: adding comment regarding audio version
|