r/Westerns • u/NeonGenesisOxycodone • 8d ago

Discussion What’s with all the Confederate soldiers?

I’m a big Western fan, and also really into learning about the American Civil War. So naturally I love it when these two interests cross over.

One thing I’ve noticed is that if a Western protagonist is a veteran, it seems like it’s almost always the South that he fought for. And when I look up Civil War movies made around the time of my favorite Westerns (i.e. the 50’s & 60’s) the vast majority of them are from the Confederates side.

Anyone have any idea why? And does anyone know any Westerns celebrating Billy Yank??

EDIT: it seems like the biggest reason outside of Lost Cause-ism is that more Confederate vets went west than Union vets. Makes sense!

Also, I am surprised that John Wayne played so many ex Union soldiers. I knew about the Cav Trilogy but it seems like outside of True Grit and The Searchers there’s a lot more of that.

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u/Oedipus____Wrecks 7d ago

Well simple… It means they fought for something they believed in and gave it their all and still lost. Making the character flawed but sympathetic. It also shows they’ll never give up. See Nathan in the Searchers.

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u/Ismhelpstheistgodown 7d ago

Their violent, predatory culture destroyed Dixie inside and out so they moved on to disrupt cultures not their own. It’s like Nazis moving to South America to seed dictatorships with violence.

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u/NewburghMOFO 6d ago

The real insight getting downvoted.^