Question

document d
source: the civil war letters of john wesley rabb
note: john wesley rabb was one of about 90,000 texans who fought for the south in the civil war. he served with a texas cavalry unit called terry’s texas rangers (see photo on the essay page of this unit) from september 9, 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 lizzy,
tell virge not to leave there upon any consideration to go war. tell him not to enlist 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 suitable place 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 marrying up here, for if i ever marry it will be in texas, i think.
chattanooga, tenn. june 16th / 62
dear ma,
... i want to be home so bad ... i hear that the yanks are in texas. we hear that the yanks are in wharton county. the boys are talking about it now. i think that most of the rangers want to be in texas. ... do the best you can, ma. do not be uneasy about me. good by, ma.
in camp near murfreesborrow, tenn.
nov. 23 / 62
my dear ma ma,
... i am getting very uneasy about you all now. i hear that the yankees are getting in to texas ... if the yanks come, maybe you had better send the negros up in the mountains. ... if they come up to austin they will take whatever they see that they want such as bacon, corn, horses, wagons, beef, & negroes & anything. 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 using start/end dates: Sept 1861 to March 1865 is 3.5 years, rounded to 3 full years plus a partial year, total 4 years when counting the full span of service.
2. Rabb prioritizes Texas: He urges Virgil to enlist only for Texas service, states he would marry only in Texas, and focuses news of Yanks in Texas over broader Southern war updates.
3. Yes: He advises his mother to enslaved people to the mountains to avoid Union forces, directly referencing protecting enslaved people as property.
4. Yes: His focus on Texas (not just his family's enslaved people) suggests regional loyalty; he pushes for Texas-specific enlistment and expresses concern for Texas's safety independent of enslaved people mentions.
5. Rabb's main motivation is loyalty to Texas: His letters center on Texas-specific service, protecting his Texas home/family, and prioritizing Texas over the broader Southern cause, with enslaved people protection as a secondary, property-related concern tied to his Texas home.

Answer:

1. 4 years
2. Rabb is mostly fighting for Texas. Evidence includes his instruction for Virgil to only enlist for Texas service, his statement that he would only marry in Texas, and his focus on Union activity in Texas over general Southern war news.
3. Yes, there is evidence. He tells his mother to send enslaved people to the mountains to keep them from Union forces, treating them as property to be protected during the war.
4. Yes. His emphasis on enlisting specifically for Texas service and his concern for the safety of Texas as a region (separate from his family's enslaved people) shows he would likely fight for Texas regional loyalty even without enslaved people.
5. The main reason Rabb fought was loyalty to his home state of Texas, with a secondary focus on protecting his family and their property (including enslaved people) within Texas.