Ms. Reed,

First, go to the various libraries in your area then read some history books. You have just quotes two non-historians as source material. Remember, like politics, Hollywood and the entertainment industry does not/should not dictate policy or history, although they would like too. The day they are allowed to is when our society will crumble and fall. Go to your county court house and look at the rosters of men registered in the Home Guard and do a little research on them to paint a picture of who they were.

Second, the task and purpose of the Home Guard was to protect the Home County from roving bands of theives, mutanious slaves, or Unionist activity. They helped provide local security to such strategic locations as mines, bridges, ferries, water sources, etc. Most everybody can do limited service but when it comes to sustained living in the field, marching 20-30 miles a day, dealing with the elements older men can not maintain for very long. During different periods in the war the age limits varied for service.

Last, the Home Guard often did their duty with dignity and respect but like the movie portrayed, they occasionally did not. The areas of Eastern Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Northern Georgia were particularly bad for the attacks on Unionist families and this vengeance back and forth carried over to the post war years.

The Home Guard only fought in the immediate protection of their counties. The militias and other state troops in Georgia were the bodies of men called upon to fight in and around Atlanta.

Respectfully,

Gerald D. Hodge, Jr.
War Between the States Historian
Historian: 39th Georgia Volunteer Infantry Regiment
http://39thgavolinfrgt.homestead.com/39thHomepage.html