Themes of the American Civil War
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| the South lost the Civil War, Confederate morale was closely tied to their military success throughout the war, so when success no longer seemed remotely possible the motivation that had sustained Confederate soldiers through four years of conflict was outweighed by the prospect of sacrificing their lives fora cause already lost. 56 The Civil War thus came to an abrupt end in April and May, 1865, in part because of the reluctance of so many southerners to continue the fight. “The Civil War wrote Peter Parish, like any other war, reflected the society in which it took place.” 57 Civil War soldiers shared many of the same experiences as the troops of other conflicts, ancient and modern they were motivated by their cause, religion, loyalty to comrades and community, by duty, honor, courage, good leadership, and by the hope of victory. Yet their experience of war—their attitudes to it and their endurance of it—was permeated by a unique mixture of ideology, morality and motives that Men at Arms • 95 determined not only why men fought, but also had a significant influence over how they fought. The historiography of the common soldier of the Civil War has, over the past twenty years or so, come to reflect the complex and often incongruous nature of its subject, bringing greater depth to our understanding of the war as a whole, and the influence of the private soldier on its great events—and, of course, on the decision-making process which brought them about. Ultimately, the Face of Battle for the Civil War is reflected as much in its historiography as in the writings of the men who fought. They were, in many cases, no more certain of the juxtaposition of one factor or another in sustaining their will to fight. Future academic interpretations might have to move into this gray area rather than be colored black and white. Notes 1. Marvin R. Cain, A Face of Battle Needed An Assessment of Motives and Men in Civil War Historiography,” Civil War History 28 (1982), pp. Anonymous, A Month with the Rebels in Henry S. Commager, ed, The Blue and the Gray: The Story of the Civil War as told by Participants (New York, 1950), p. 64. The Union army was perhaps even more diverse than that of the Confederacy due to the greater number of immigrants in its ranks see William L. Burton, Melting Pot Soldiers The Union’s Ethnic Regiments (Ames, IA, Earl J. Hess, The Union Soldier in Battle Enduring the Ordeal of Combat (Lawrence, KS, p. John S. Jackman Journal, January [nd], 1863, Manuscripts Reading Room, Library of Congress, Washington, DC. 5. John F. Lucy, There’s a Devil in the Drum (London, 1938), quoted in Trevor Wilson, The Myriad Faces of War Britain and the Great War, 1914–1918 (Cambridge, 1988), p. In his construction of the model of combat effectiveness Lynn divides motivation into “initial,” “combat,” and sustaining motivation John A. Lynn, The Bayonets of the Republic Motivation and Tactics in the Army of Revolutionary France, 1791–1994 (Oxford, 1996, Westview Press edn.), p. James M. McPherson, For Cause and Comrades Why Men fought in the Civil War (New York, pp. Michael Barton, Goodmen: The Character of Civil War Soldiers (University Park, PA, pp. John D. Billings, Hardtack and Coffee in Philip Van Doren Stern, ed, Soldier Life in the Union and Confederate Armies (Bloomington, IN, 1961), p. Wilbur J. Cash, The Mind of the South (New York, 1941, repr. Pelican, 1973), pp. James M. McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom The American Civil War (New York, 1988, repr. Penguin, 1990), pp. 6–275; Brian Holden Reid, The Origins of the American Civil War (London, 1996), pp. 154–7, William Garrett Piston, The st Iowa Volunteers Honor and Community in a Ninety-day Regiment,” Civil War History 44 (1998), p. Reid Mitchell, The Vacant Chair The Northern Soldier leaves Home (New York, 1993), p. McPherson, For Cause and Comrades, pp. Thomas Hopkin Deavenport Diary/memoir, p. 1, Civil War Collection, Tennessee State Archives and Library, Nashville, TN (hereafter referred to as TSLA). 16. Reid Mitchell, Civil War Soldiers Their Expectations and Experiences (New York, highlights the importance of patriotism, duty, and community in the motivations of Civil war soldiers Gerald Linderman, Embattled Courage The Experience of Combat in the Download 2.25 Mb. Share with your friends:
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