why didn't the Southerners keep fighting the Yankees after Lee surrendered?

Question

why didnt the Southern people kill the occupations milatary who occupied the South for twenty years
Thank You

Answer 1

First off, some Southern troops (primarily in the West) continued to fight after the official surrender http://www.batteryb.com/palmito_ranch.html The same thing happened with the Battle of New Orleans which occured after the official end of the War of 1812. Secondly, the Southern leaders were honorable men--to continue fighting after the surrender would have been against everything they stood for as a culture. Third, much of the South had been devastated by the war--people were in no position to fight, as they didn't have weapons, food, supplies, housing, etc. Fourth, the same question could be asked of any peoples with an occupying force. Why didn't the average US citizen kill the British invading forces during the War of 1812 (the Brits beat the US, after all)? Why didn't the Belgians, French, Dutch, etc. kill all the German soldiers who invaded them during WWII? Only in the movies do you have a small band of meagerly-armed citizens rise up and conquer and invading military.

Answer 2

There were a few who did indeed keep fighting in a kind of underground warfare, especially in Missouri. The roots of the Youngers and Jesse James comes out of this specifically.

However (there always has to be some of those in history), when Robert E. Lee and shortly thereafter Joe Johnston surrendered, it was clear to them and everyone else that the South had lost the war and to continue fighting was to not only defeat the South but to totally destroy it as well. Nothing good could have come out of the continued fight and Lee understood this. Some of this subordinates and the soldiers under his command suggested that they could disappear into the hills and continue to fight. Lee however knew that this was hopeless and all it would do would be to cost more lives and more destruction. In the end, Lee loved his state and loved his country. He knew when surrender was the right thing to do.

Answer 3

Robert E. Lee and Robert L. Dabney (Stonewall Jackson's Chief of Staff) both stated that Providence had decided the issue. Therefore, continuing to fight would mean opposing the will of God.

Answer 4

They did. The KKK and other terror groups were fronts for former confederate soliders to group and seek revenge aginst the Government troops and African American populace that had taken control of local governments after the War.

Answer 5

My impression is that they are still fighting, and NASCAR is one of the battlegrounds :))