Poll: U.S. residents say they would have sided with Union in Civil War

WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Just over half of U.S. residents say they would have been on the Union side during the Civil War, a new poll indicates.

Another 17 percent say they would have tried to avoid taking sides, 20 percent are not sure, and 10 percent would side with the Confederacy, international polling company YouGov reported Monday. Republicans were most sympathetic to the South, with 20 percent saying they would side with the Confederacy.

The poll, carried out Wednesday and Thursday and tied to the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address, asked a number of questions about the Civil War and President Abraham Lincoln.

Members of both major parties were eager to claim Lincoln, the first Republican president. Only 23 percent of those surveyed said Lincoln would be a member of the present-day Republican Party, but that included 55 percent of the Republicans surveyed, while only 7 percent of Democrats said he would be in the GOP.

Just under one-third of the total group said Lincoln would be a Democrat, while many said either he would be an independent or were unsure.

Forty percent of respondents said slavery was the reason for the Civil War, while 42 percent said it was states rights. More than half, 54 percent, of Democrats said slavery was the cause of the war, compared with 34 percent of Republicans.