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The choices made by potential Irish soldiers were motivated by devout beliefs. The irony of Irish countrymen fighting on opposite sides during the Civil War is that both were fighting for the cause of their beloved Ireland. This was done; however, by the use of different methods so as to accommodate the stance of either the Union or Confederacy. Southern Irishmen saw the Confederate struggle against the Union as that of Ireland against England; to gain independence from an oppressive central government. The Irish who remained loyal to the Union did so to display gratitude to their adopted country, forge an alliance between Ireland and America, and to train Irish troops for a future rebellion against England. Upon examination of these motives, it is evident that, though both sides were fighting for the love of Erin, Confederate Irishmen were doing so symbolically in support of an ideology while the Irish in the Union were fighting with a pragmatic purpose.