Civil War Soldiers

Civil War Soldiers

Author: Reid Mitchell

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 1997-07-01

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0140263330

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The soldiers on both sides of the Civil War were united by a common history, and yet the legacy of this past was ambiguous, upholding both rebellion and union. Union and Confederate men went to war as Americans, convinced they fought an un-American, savage enemy. The war they fought was as emotional and catastrophic as any in history, a violent crucible that forged a new national identity. Civil War Soldiers is a fresh and compelling attempt to fathom the war's significance—then and now—and makes immediate the charged issues and bitter ironies of a nation torn by a conflict over the common ideals of liberty and justice. Drawing on diaries and letters, the focus of this pioneering study is on the men who fought, caught up in a conflict whose causes and consequences seemed as complex and contradictory to the soldiers themselves as they do to us. Reid Mitchell re-creates their experience and discusses the questions one would have most wanted to ask them: Why did you fight? How did you feel about slavery and race? What did you take home from the war? What legacy have you left us? "Fresh insights, startling descriptions, and poignant human detail about the war from the men who fought it."—Chicago Tribune


Book Synopsis Civil War Soldiers by : Reid Mitchell

Download or read book Civil War Soldiers written by Reid Mitchell and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1997-07-01 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The soldiers on both sides of the Civil War were united by a common history, and yet the legacy of this past was ambiguous, upholding both rebellion and union. Union and Confederate men went to war as Americans, convinced they fought an un-American, savage enemy. The war they fought was as emotional and catastrophic as any in history, a violent crucible that forged a new national identity. Civil War Soldiers is a fresh and compelling attempt to fathom the war's significance—then and now—and makes immediate the charged issues and bitter ironies of a nation torn by a conflict over the common ideals of liberty and justice. Drawing on diaries and letters, the focus of this pioneering study is on the men who fought, caught up in a conflict whose causes and consequences seemed as complex and contradictory to the soldiers themselves as they do to us. Reid Mitchell re-creates their experience and discusses the questions one would have most wanted to ask them: Why did you fight? How did you feel about slavery and race? What did you take home from the war? What legacy have you left us? "Fresh insights, startling descriptions, and poignant human detail about the war from the men who fought it."—Chicago Tribune


Union Soldier of the American Civil War

Union Soldier of the American Civil War

Author: Denis Hambucken

Publisher: The Countryman Press

Published: 2012-03-27

Total Pages: 73

ISBN-13: 088150971X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Through photographs and historical documents, profiles the lives of Union soldiers during the American Civil War, discussing their day-to-day activities, weapons, and equipment.


Book Synopsis Union Soldier of the American Civil War by : Denis Hambucken

Download or read book Union Soldier of the American Civil War written by Denis Hambucken and published by The Countryman Press. This book was released on 2012-03-27 with total page 73 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through photographs and historical documents, profiles the lives of Union soldiers during the American Civil War, discussing their day-to-day activities, weapons, and equipment.


The War for the Common Soldier

The War for the Common Soldier

Author: Peter S. Carmichael

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2018-11-02

Total Pages: 405

ISBN-13: 1469643103

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

How did Civil War soldiers endure the brutal and unpredictable existence of army life during the conflict? This question is at the heart of Peter S. Carmichael's sweeping new study of men at war. Based on close examination of the letters and records left behind by individual soldiers from both the North and the South, Carmichael explores the totality of the Civil War experience--the marching, the fighting, the boredom, the idealism, the exhaustion, the punishments, and the frustrations of being away from families who often faced their own dire circumstances. Carmichael focuses not on what soldiers thought but rather how they thought. In doing so, he reveals how, to the shock of most men, well-established notions of duty or disobedience, morality or immorality, loyalty or disloyalty, and bravery or cowardice were blurred by war. Digging deeply into his soldiers' writing, Carmichael resists the idea that there was "a common soldier" but looks into their own words to find common threads in soldiers' experiences and ways of understanding what was happening around them. In the end, he argues that a pragmatic philosophy of soldiering emerged, guiding members of the rank and file as they struggled to live with the contradictory elements of their violent and volatile world. Soldiering in the Civil War, as Carmichael argues, was never a state of being but a process of becoming.


Book Synopsis The War for the Common Soldier by : Peter S. Carmichael

Download or read book The War for the Common Soldier written by Peter S. Carmichael and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2018-11-02 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How did Civil War soldiers endure the brutal and unpredictable existence of army life during the conflict? This question is at the heart of Peter S. Carmichael's sweeping new study of men at war. Based on close examination of the letters and records left behind by individual soldiers from both the North and the South, Carmichael explores the totality of the Civil War experience--the marching, the fighting, the boredom, the idealism, the exhaustion, the punishments, and the frustrations of being away from families who often faced their own dire circumstances. Carmichael focuses not on what soldiers thought but rather how they thought. In doing so, he reveals how, to the shock of most men, well-established notions of duty or disobedience, morality or immorality, loyalty or disloyalty, and bravery or cowardice were blurred by war. Digging deeply into his soldiers' writing, Carmichael resists the idea that there was "a common soldier" but looks into their own words to find common threads in soldiers' experiences and ways of understanding what was happening around them. In the end, he argues that a pragmatic philosophy of soldiering emerged, guiding members of the rank and file as they struggled to live with the contradictory elements of their violent and volatile world. Soldiering in the Civil War, as Carmichael argues, was never a state of being but a process of becoming.


For Cause and Comrades

For Cause and Comrades

Author: James M. McPherson

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1997-04-03

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 9780199741052

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

General John A. Wickham, commander of the famous 101st Airborne Division in the 1970s and subsequently Army Chief of Staff, once visited Antietam battlefield. Gazing at Bloody Lane where, in 1862, several Union assaults were brutally repulsed before they finally broke through, he marveled, "You couldn't get American soldiers today to make an attack like that." Why did those men risk certain death, over and over again, through countless bloody battles and four long, awful years ? Why did the conventional wisdom -- that soldiers become increasingly cynical and disillusioned as war progresses -- not hold true in the Civil War? It is to this question--why did they fight--that James McPherson, America's preeminent Civil War historian, now turns his attention. He shows that, contrary to what many scholars believe, the soldiers of the Civil War remained powerfully convinced of the ideals for which they fought throughout the conflict. Motivated by duty and honor, and often by religious faith, these men wrote frequently of their firm belief in the cause for which they fought: the principles of liberty, freedom, justice, and patriotism. Soldiers on both sides harkened back to the Founding Fathers, and the ideals of the American Revolution. They fought to defend their country, either the Union--"the best Government ever made"--or the Confederate states, where their very homes and families were under siege. And they fought to defend their honor and manhood. "I should not lik to go home with the name of a couhard," one Massachusetts private wrote, and another private from Ohio said, "My wife would sooner hear of my death than my disgrace." Even after three years of bloody battles, more than half of the Union soldiers reenlisted voluntarily. "While duty calls me here and my country demands my services I should be willing to make the sacrifice," one man wrote to his protesting parents. And another soldier said simply, "I still love my country." McPherson draws on more than 25,000 letters and nearly 250 private diaries from men on both sides. Civil War soldiers were among the most literate soldiers in history, and most of them wrote home frequently, as it was the only way for them to keep in touch with homes that many of them had left for the first time in their lives. Significantly, their letters were also uncensored by military authorities, and are uniquely frank in their criticism and detailed in their reports of marches and battles, relations between officers and men, political debates, and morale. For Cause and Comrades lets these soldiers tell their own stories in their own words to create an account that is both deeply moving and far truer than most books on war. Battle Cry of Freedom, McPherson's Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the Civil War, was a national bestseller that Hugh Brogan, in The New York Times, called "history writing of the highest order." For Cause and Comrades deserves similar accolades, as McPherson's masterful prose and the soldiers' own words combine to create both an important book on an often-overlooked aspect of our bloody Civil War, and a powerfully moving account of the men who fought it.


Book Synopsis For Cause and Comrades by : James M. McPherson

Download or read book For Cause and Comrades written by James M. McPherson and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1997-04-03 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: General John A. Wickham, commander of the famous 101st Airborne Division in the 1970s and subsequently Army Chief of Staff, once visited Antietam battlefield. Gazing at Bloody Lane where, in 1862, several Union assaults were brutally repulsed before they finally broke through, he marveled, "You couldn't get American soldiers today to make an attack like that." Why did those men risk certain death, over and over again, through countless bloody battles and four long, awful years ? Why did the conventional wisdom -- that soldiers become increasingly cynical and disillusioned as war progresses -- not hold true in the Civil War? It is to this question--why did they fight--that James McPherson, America's preeminent Civil War historian, now turns his attention. He shows that, contrary to what many scholars believe, the soldiers of the Civil War remained powerfully convinced of the ideals for which they fought throughout the conflict. Motivated by duty and honor, and often by religious faith, these men wrote frequently of their firm belief in the cause for which they fought: the principles of liberty, freedom, justice, and patriotism. Soldiers on both sides harkened back to the Founding Fathers, and the ideals of the American Revolution. They fought to defend their country, either the Union--"the best Government ever made"--or the Confederate states, where their very homes and families were under siege. And they fought to defend their honor and manhood. "I should not lik to go home with the name of a couhard," one Massachusetts private wrote, and another private from Ohio said, "My wife would sooner hear of my death than my disgrace." Even after three years of bloody battles, more than half of the Union soldiers reenlisted voluntarily. "While duty calls me here and my country demands my services I should be willing to make the sacrifice," one man wrote to his protesting parents. And another soldier said simply, "I still love my country." McPherson draws on more than 25,000 letters and nearly 250 private diaries from men on both sides. Civil War soldiers were among the most literate soldiers in history, and most of them wrote home frequently, as it was the only way for them to keep in touch with homes that many of them had left for the first time in their lives. Significantly, their letters were also uncensored by military authorities, and are uniquely frank in their criticism and detailed in their reports of marches and battles, relations between officers and men, political debates, and morale. For Cause and Comrades lets these soldiers tell their own stories in their own words to create an account that is both deeply moving and far truer than most books on war. Battle Cry of Freedom, McPherson's Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the Civil War, was a national bestseller that Hugh Brogan, in The New York Times, called "history writing of the highest order." For Cause and Comrades deserves similar accolades, as McPherson's masterful prose and the soldiers' own words combine to create both an important book on an often-overlooked aspect of our bloody Civil War, and a powerfully moving account of the men who fought it.


Confederate Soldier of the American Civil War: A Visual Reference

Confederate Soldier of the American Civil War: A Visual Reference

Author: Denis Hambucken

Publisher: The Countryman Press

Published: 2012-03-27

Total Pages: 74

ISBN-13: 0881509779

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An in-depth look at Confederate soldiers' day-to-day lives, equipment, weapons and more, with full-color photos of reenactments and artifacts, historical documents and more.


Book Synopsis Confederate Soldier of the American Civil War: A Visual Reference by : Denis Hambucken

Download or read book Confederate Soldier of the American Civil War: A Visual Reference written by Denis Hambucken and published by The Countryman Press. This book was released on 2012-03-27 with total page 74 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at Confederate soldiers' day-to-day lives, equipment, weapons and more, with full-color photos of reenactments and artifacts, historical documents and more.


Testament

Testament

Author: Benson Bobrick

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2004-08-02

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 074325113X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Bobrick tells the story of Benjamin "Webb" Baker, his great-grandfather. Webb enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 and thereafter suffered through horrid conditions in camp and absolute hell in combat. Bobrick's fascinating look at the Civil War also contains a heretofore unreleased collection of Webb's letters.


Book Synopsis Testament by : Benson Bobrick

Download or read book Testament written by Benson Bobrick and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2004-08-02 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bobrick tells the story of Benjamin "Webb" Baker, his great-grandfather. Webb enlisted in the Union Army in 1861 and thereafter suffered through horrid conditions in camp and absolute hell in combat. Bobrick's fascinating look at the Civil War also contains a heretofore unreleased collection of Webb's letters.


The Civil War Soldier

The Civil War Soldier

Author: Angus Konstam

Publisher: Rizzoli Publications

Published: 2015-11-03

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 0789329395

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Specially commissioned photographs of more than 700 key artifacts and military equipment bring to life the experiences of Union and Confederate soldiers of all ranks, by exploring the uniforms, weapons, and objects carried by soldiers on both sides. There is an abiding fascination with the Civil War. What personal items did soldiers carry in their haversacks? How did the weaponry differ between ranks? What did the design of each unit’s flag symbolize? This is the ultimate quartermaster’s locker room—a full-scale armory of detailed information. This is an essential work for those who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of military life during one of the greatest conflicts in history—especially anyone interested in the widely popular Civil War reenactments. This book offers unique and detailed information about the personal items that a typical soldier carried along with weapons and other military necessities. Selected for their importance to the outcome, the artifacts include Union and Confederate guns, swords, artillery, uniforms, medals, equipment, and much more. Each item is described, photographed, and discussed in detail, making this a superb reference that brings the war to life.


Book Synopsis The Civil War Soldier by : Angus Konstam

Download or read book The Civil War Soldier written by Angus Konstam and published by Rizzoli Publications. This book was released on 2015-11-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Specially commissioned photographs of more than 700 key artifacts and military equipment bring to life the experiences of Union and Confederate soldiers of all ranks, by exploring the uniforms, weapons, and objects carried by soldiers on both sides. There is an abiding fascination with the Civil War. What personal items did soldiers carry in their haversacks? How did the weaponry differ between ranks? What did the design of each unit’s flag symbolize? This is the ultimate quartermaster’s locker room—a full-scale armory of detailed information. This is an essential work for those who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of military life during one of the greatest conflicts in history—especially anyone interested in the widely popular Civil War reenactments. This book offers unique and detailed information about the personal items that a typical soldier carried along with weapons and other military necessities. Selected for their importance to the outcome, the artifacts include Union and Confederate guns, swords, artillery, uniforms, medals, equipment, and much more. Each item is described, photographed, and discussed in detail, making this a superb reference that brings the war to life.


Civil War Paper Soldiers in Full Color

Civil War Paper Soldiers in Full Color

Author: A. G. Smith

Publisher: Courier Corporation

Published: 1985

Total Pages: 18

ISBN-13: 0486249875

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Meticulously rendered toy soldier collection in paper form includes easy-to-assemble, free-standing Union and Confederate soldiers, cannons, tents, flags, more — all in full color. 16 color plates. Introduction.


Book Synopsis Civil War Paper Soldiers in Full Color by : A. G. Smith

Download or read book Civil War Paper Soldiers in Full Color written by A. G. Smith and published by Courier Corporation. This book was released on 1985 with total page 18 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meticulously rendered toy soldier collection in paper form includes easy-to-assemble, free-standing Union and Confederate soldiers, cannons, tents, flags, more — all in full color. 16 color plates. Introduction.


Alonzo's War

Alonzo's War

Author: Mary Searing O'Shaughnessy

Publisher: Fairleigh Dickinson

Published: 2012-09-14

Total Pages: 269

ISBN-13: 1611475554

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Alonzo Bryant Searing, a high school graduate aged 18, enlisted in the 11th New Jersey Volunteer Regiment in Dover, New Jersey in 1862 and served two years and ten months as a Private in the Union Army. His unit served in 27 engagements and he was slightly wounded twice. During that time he wrote 110 letters home to his sister. Twenty-five years later he edited these letters, adding information from his well-kept journals and his memory and had them published in The Morris County Journal newspaper from 1890-1893. The book is this collection of letters, written with a dry humor, which includes graphic descriptions of engagements, including some listings of death, wounding and sickness, opinions of the war, politics, religion, race, alcohol, deserters, camp conditions, hospital life, his own poetry and accounts of meetings with friends and relatives in nearby Army units.


Book Synopsis Alonzo's War by : Mary Searing O'Shaughnessy

Download or read book Alonzo's War written by Mary Searing O'Shaughnessy and published by Fairleigh Dickinson. This book was released on 2012-09-14 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alonzo Bryant Searing, a high school graduate aged 18, enlisted in the 11th New Jersey Volunteer Regiment in Dover, New Jersey in 1862 and served two years and ten months as a Private in the Union Army. His unit served in 27 engagements and he was slightly wounded twice. During that time he wrote 110 letters home to his sister. Twenty-five years later he edited these letters, adding information from his well-kept journals and his memory and had them published in The Morris County Journal newspaper from 1890-1893. The book is this collection of letters, written with a dry humor, which includes graphic descriptions of engagements, including some listings of death, wounding and sickness, opinions of the war, politics, religion, race, alcohol, deserters, camp conditions, hospital life, his own poetry and accounts of meetings with friends and relatives in nearby Army units.


Ends of War

Ends of War

Author: Caroline E. Janney

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2021-09-13

Total Pages: 345

ISBN-13: 1469663384

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Army of Northern Virginia's chaotic dispersal began even before Lee and Grant met at Appomattox Court House. As the Confederates had pushed west at a relentless pace for nearly a week, thousands of wounded and exhausted men fell out of the ranks. When word spread that Lee planned to surrender, most remaining troops stacked their arms and accepted paroles allowing them to return home, even as they lamented the loss of their country and cause. But others broke south and west, hoping to continue the fight. Fearing a guerrilla war, Grant extended the generous Appomattox terms to every rebel who would surrender himself. Provost marshals fanned out across Virginia and beyond, seeking nearly 18,000 of Lee's men who had yet to surrender. But the shock of Lincoln's assassination led Northern authorities to see threats of new rebellion in every rail depot and harbor where Confederates gathered for transport, even among those already paroled. While Federal troops struggled to keep order and sustain a fragile peace, their newly surrendered adversaries seethed with anger and confusion at the sight of Union troops occupying their towns and former slaves celebrating freedom. In this dramatic new history of the weeks and months after Appomattox, Caroline E. Janney reveals that Lee's surrender was less an ending than the start of an interregnum marked by military and political uncertainty, legal and logistical confusion, and continued outbursts of violence. Janney takes readers from the deliberations of government and military authorities to the ground-level experiences of common soldiers. Ultimately, what unfolds is the messy birth narrative of the Lost Cause, laying the groundwork for the defiant resilience of rebellion in the years that followed.


Book Synopsis Ends of War by : Caroline E. Janney

Download or read book Ends of War written by Caroline E. Janney and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2021-09-13 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Army of Northern Virginia's chaotic dispersal began even before Lee and Grant met at Appomattox Court House. As the Confederates had pushed west at a relentless pace for nearly a week, thousands of wounded and exhausted men fell out of the ranks. When word spread that Lee planned to surrender, most remaining troops stacked their arms and accepted paroles allowing them to return home, even as they lamented the loss of their country and cause. But others broke south and west, hoping to continue the fight. Fearing a guerrilla war, Grant extended the generous Appomattox terms to every rebel who would surrender himself. Provost marshals fanned out across Virginia and beyond, seeking nearly 18,000 of Lee's men who had yet to surrender. But the shock of Lincoln's assassination led Northern authorities to see threats of new rebellion in every rail depot and harbor where Confederates gathered for transport, even among those already paroled. While Federal troops struggled to keep order and sustain a fragile peace, their newly surrendered adversaries seethed with anger and confusion at the sight of Union troops occupying their towns and former slaves celebrating freedom. In this dramatic new history of the weeks and months after Appomattox, Caroline E. Janney reveals that Lee's surrender was less an ending than the start of an interregnum marked by military and political uncertainty, legal and logistical confusion, and continued outbursts of violence. Janney takes readers from the deliberations of government and military authorities to the ground-level experiences of common soldiers. Ultimately, what unfolds is the messy birth narrative of the Lost Cause, laying the groundwork for the defiant resilience of rebellion in the years that followed.