Another aspect of the Civil War that I think we over emphasize is the idea of brother versus brother. We give this so much attention that I think many students believe that most families were divided, which is just not true. In fact, there were actually few families that were divided. I prefer the saying brother with brother. Companies and regiments were created geographically, so your town would create a unit made up of people from your town. Your unit would have your brothers, fathers, uncles, sons, and best friends. If one company got hit partially hard in a battle, it could be devastating to a family or town. It was also a good reason not to turn and run, if you did you were running out on your family. So yes, there were a few families, mostly along the border where they divided, but the majority of the War was fought with brothers standing side by side.
Historically Speaking 