Question

document d
source: the civil war letters of john wesley rabb
note: john wesley rabb was one of about 60,000 texans who fought for the south in the civil war. he served with a famous cavalry unit called terry’s texas rangers (see photo on the cover page of this unit) from september 2, 1861 through march 1865. at the time of his enlistment, rabb was 28 years old. despite gunshot wounds in the stomach and chest, he survived the war. these are short excerpts from his many letters home. the spelling is his.
nashville, tenn. dec 5th 1861
dear sister lissy,
... tell virge not to leave there upon any con - sideration to go war. tell him not to inlist till just before they go to draft him and only enlist for texas service.
huntsville, ala. march 11th / 62
my dear ma,
... our army is still going on. we will retreat till we find a sutable plase in ala. to make a stand and then there will be a big fight.... the last letter i got from lissy was dated january 30th.... tell lissy not to talk to me about marring up here, for if i ever marry it will be in texas, i think.
chattanooga, tenn. june 16th / 62
dear ma,
... i wanto be home so bad... i here that the yanks are in texas. we here that the yanks are in wharton county. the boys are talking about it now. i think that most of the rangers wanto be in texas.... do the best you can, ma. do not be oneasy about me. good by, ma.
in camp near murfreesbarrow, tenn.
nov. 23 / 62
my dear ma ma,
... i am getting very oneasy about you all now i hear that the yankeys are getting in to texas.... if the yanks come, maybe you had better send the negroes up in the mountains.... if they come up to austin they will take what ever they see that they want such as bacon, corn, horses, wagons, beef, & negroes & any thing. you must do the best you can.
document analysis

1. how many years did rabb serve with his cavalry unit?
2. do you think rabb is mostly fighting for texas or for the south as a whole? what evidence supports your position?
3. is there any evidence that rabb was fighting to preserve slavery?
4. it is quite clear that the rabb family owned slaves. is there evidence in rabb’s letters that he would have fought even if his family didn’t own slaves?
5. in your mind, what is the main reason rabb fought?

Explanation:

1. Calculate service duration from enlistment to discharge dates.
2. Evaluate Rabb's statements about Texas service and desire to be home in Texas.
3. Look for references to enslaved people and protecting the institution.
4. Check for statements about fighting for Texas independent of enslaved people.
5. Synthesize evidence from letters about his priorities.

Answer:

1. John Wesley Rabb served 3 years and 6 months (from September 3, 1861, through March 1865).
2. Rabb is mostly fighting for Texas. Evidence includes his instruction to his brother to only enlist for Texas service, his strong desire to return home to Texas, and his focus on the Yanks' presence in Texas in his letters.
3. Yes. In his November 23, 1862 letter, he advises his mother to send enslaved people to the mountains to avoid capture by Union forces, showing concern for retaining enslaved people, which ties to preserving slavery.
4. Yes. He emphasizes loyalty to Texas (telling his brother to enlist only for Texas service, his focus on Texas' safety) which is a separate motivation from his family's enslaved people, suggesting he would fight for Texas regardless of slave ownership.[LLM SSE On Failure]