# The Civil War was not about states' rights

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-civil-war-was-not-about-states-rights/840085>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [September 12, 2019, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-civil-war-was-not-about-states-rights/840085 "2019-09-12T02:14:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 11

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**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\
**Post date:** [September 18, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-civil-war-was-not-about-states-rights/840085/201 "2019-09-18T18:15:49Z")

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> [@Little\_Nemo](#):
>
> I believe officers had the legal right to resign their commissions at any time. NCO’s and enlisted men were legally obligated to complete their term of service.

It would be interesting to know the historical process for an officer to resign his commission. Nowadays, it takes the better part of a year (9-12 months) to submit one’s resignation, have it be accepted, and then get out of the military. At least for the Navy.

But them I’m sure things weren’t different back then. Regardless, the fact remains that large portions of the US military went over to the confederate cause at the drop of a hat. It’s often said that schools like VMI and the Citadel were the West Point of the Confederacy, but as a graduate of one of those schools I would disagree: West Point was the West Point of the Confederacy.

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