what was the importance of volunteers in the civil war?

Answer 1

The standing army at the start of the war was too small to actually wage war, and the Confederacy had absolutely no standing army. Both sides actually needed volunteers to be able to fight the war. Had the Union actually tried fighting with just the regulars while the Confederacy raised an army, then the Confederacy would have surely won. Had the Confederacy not raised a volunteer army, and the Union used just the regulars, then the Union could have easily won without fighting a major battle.

Answer 2

they killed Yankees when they illegally invaded Virginia