Why Did Judson Enlist?

Judson Cheney
Born: May 11, 1838, Hopkinton, St. Lawrence County, New York
Died: September 29, 1864, Chaffin Farm, Virginia
Relation to Author: 2nd Great Grand Uncle

When discussing the Civil War, the conversation often comes to why the war was fought - why did the South secede and why did the North fight? I have strong opinions about this and I think the evidence is clear, but I won't address that here and now. Instead, I think it more interesting to think on why individual soldiers fought. In this case, why did Judson enlist?

For soldiers in the North, it usually comes down to whether they fought to save the union or to abolish slavery (or both). James McPhearson in Battle Cry of Freedom tells us that most soldiers in the North were fighting to preserve the union:

Scholars who have examined thousands of letters  and diaries written by Union soldiers found them  expressing similar motives; "fighting to maintain the best government on earth" was a common phrase. It was a "grate strugle for the Union, Constitution, and  law," wrote a New Jersey soldier.

So if we had no other evidence, we might say our best guess is that Judson fought to preserve the union. But fortune smiles on us in the internet age; there is evidence that Judson was actually an abolitionist (something I discovered only recently). A Judson Cheney from Hopkinton is listed in the St. Lawrence County Historical Association's Abolitionist Database. Assuming this is the same Judson Cheney, than his strong anti-slavery feelings were at least part of the reason he enlisted.

I had also wondered whether pay had any impact, considering Judson was a laborer and might need more money. But the information I have right now is limited. This entry is thorough but from a local Civil War historical association (which means I would trust it a little less than a scholarly or published article). The article explains that the federal incentives for voluntarily enlisting were not great (a federal bounty of $100, paid at discharge) but states often provided extra financial incentives in order to get enlistments.

Other than that, the pay was $13 per month. Judson was a farm laborer, and the sense I get is that this was competitive (though not always paid on time) but probably wasn't high enough to make it the only reason someone would enlist.