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westernmail t1_j5cuu2c wrote

Was there any difference between a federal soldier and a Union soldier during this time? I can see why federal might be the technically correct term, but I rarely see it used.

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WillQTheGreat t1_j5deoyi wrote

Both are used to refer to the same thing. Basically, anyone who fought for the United States during the war.

The closest thing you'll find in terms of a difference is "volunteers" and "regular Army". As time went on though, the regular army played a smaller and smaller role. I read somewhere that during the Mexican-American war, volunteers made up roughly 66% of US forces. During the civil war, it was 97%.

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WillQTheGreat t1_j5dfq3i wrote

Comparing these two wars, however, may be comparing apples to oranges. I do think it gives an interesting perspective though.

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