The Union and Confederate armies were dismissed as being amateur and unprofessional armies by the, at the time, extremely powerful European nations. Both sides attempted to get a European nation to fight with them, especially the south, however in the end it never happened. What are your guys opinions on this?
I think it is invidious to expect Volunteer or conscript troops to act with anything like military precision for many months if not years into a war. The Learning curve of the Union Army from First Bull Run continued even up to the trench warfare in Petersburg; just as the British army in 1915 hand to learn until by 1918 it was a much more formidable and effective force. Wars are fought by professional General Staffs and civilians in uniform. The problems of training men and men learning about how to fight a war takes time.
