GONE FOR A SOLDIER

In which we look at why Northern & Southern men signed up to fight at the beginning of the Civil War.


Our book recommendations for this episode are…

* For Cause & Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War by James M. McPherson.

“For Cause and Comrades adds to Professor James McPherson’s luster as one of our foremost Civil War historians… He takes issue with other scholars who downplay or dismiss the ideological commitments of Civil War soldiers, and argues persuasively that courage, honor, love of liberty and country had powerful meanings in North and South.” ~ William J. Cooper, Jr.

* The Union War by Gary W. Gallagher

“Gallagher recaptures the meaning of Union to the generation that fought for it. He rescues the ‘Cause’ for which they fought from modern historians who maintain that the abolition of slavery was the only achievement of the Civil War that justified all that death and destruction… He makes this point with force and clarity.” ~ James McPherson

* The Confederate War by Gary W. Gallagher

“Starting with meticulous research and proceeding with careful analysis, Gallagher presents a convincing argument that Confederate fortunes collapsed primarily from military defeats rather than from an internal loss of will. This is a must read for anyone seeking a basic explanation of the causes and outcome of the Civil War.” ~ James I. Robertson, Jr.

Listen to Episode 51: GoneForAsoldier