* Economic necessity: Many poor southerners were sharecroppers or tenant farmers who relied on the land for their livelihood. If they did not fight, they would likely lose their land and be unable to support their families.
* Social pressure: In many southern communities, there was a strong sense of social pressure to fight. Men who did not fight were often ostracized and labeled as cowards.
* Patriotism: Many poor southerners were genuinely patriotic and believed that they were fighting for a just cause. They saw the war as a fight for their homeland and their way of life.
* Lack of alternatives: For many poor southerners, the war offered a way to escape from poverty and improve their social status. By joining the army, they could earn a steady wage and have the opportunity to rise through the ranks.
* Revenge: For many southerners, the war was a way to get revenge on the Union for its economic and political policies, which many white Southerners believed were unfair and unjust.
Despite the many reasons why poor southerners fought in the Civil War, it is important to note that they did so at great cost. The war took a heavy toll on the South, both in terms of human life and economic destruction.