Before You Start A War

Introduction

"I'd rather die fighting for my life than live cowering in fear."

(Or the one where Harry goes to fight for the Union, and Niall chooses to take the place of his uncle's young slave in the Confederate Army.)

Inspired by: Harry's role in Dunkirk and a random dream I had on 21 June 2017.

I obviously don't know how they used to talk back in the 1860's and I'm too lazy to actually try and decipher that shit written back then, so let's just go with it, okay? Don't judge me too harshly, please.

DISCLAIMER: This story is not meant to offend anybody. I know the topic of slavery and the American Civil War is still touchy to some people, and trust me, I went back and forth several times on whether I should even write this. I was also trying to figure out if I wanted to write about the American Civil War, World War II, or a made-up war. The American Civil War seemed to fit best in terms of some character's driving forces, and the overall mood toward homosexuality back then. HOWEVER, most of the events in this story are completely false. The small regiments, the battles, even the way the troops are housed, are not true to real life. This is just to keep things the least confusing that I can make it, especially for those that didn't have to take U.S. History four times over the course of their school careers.