In all fairness, Vonnegut writes from the perspective of his times - times which included the draft, an institution comparable in its immorality to slavery, perhaps even worse. The death of anyone conscripted is truly an act of murder and Vonnegut is right to condemn it in the harshest terms.

Times have changed for the better.

Also in fairness to the occasion, the American Revolution was fought primarily between professional soldiers on the British side and popular militias on the American side. Some colonies employed conscription, but most of the soldiers on either side were volunteers. National conscription in America didn't become widely used until the Civil War.