Wars have been started by the rich and fought by the poor sine time out of mind. The title refers to the War Between the States. Rich Southern plantation owners who owned 20 slaves or more were exempt from the draft. Poor white Southerners had the saying "Rich Man's War, Poor Man's Fight."
The situation was similar in the Union states. A rich man could pay a substitute to take his place in the army. Many Union soldiers were either working class men or new immigrants, especially Irish or German.
Wars have been started by the rich and fought by the poor sine time out of mind. The title refers to the War Between the States. Rich Southern plantation owners who owned 20 slaves or more were exempt from the draft. Poor white Southerners had the saying "Rich Man's War, Poor Man's Fight." The situation was similar in the Union states. A rich man could pay a substitute to take his place in the army. Many Union soldiers were either working class men or new immigrants, especially Irish or German.