The Civil War was not only a war of armies but also a war of ideas, in which Union and Confederacy alike identified itself as a moral nation with God on its side. In this watershed book, Harry S. Stout measures the gap between those claims and the war's actual conduct. Ranging from the home front to the trenches and drawing on a wealth of contemporary documents, Stout explores the lethal mix of propaganda and ideology that came to justify slaughter on and off the battlefield.
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The Civil War was not only a war of armies but also a war of ideas, in which Union and Confederacy alike identified itself as a moral nation with God on its side. In this watershed book, Harry S. Stout measures the gap between those claims and the war's actual conduct. Ranging from the home front to the trenches and drawing on a wealth of contemporary documents, Stout explores the lethal mix of propaganda and ideology that came to justify slaughter on and off the battlefield.
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Seller's Description:
Fair. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket. This is a used book. It may contain highlighting/underlining and/or the book may show heavier signs of wear. It may also be ex-library or without dustjacket.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
This is an outstanding book. It wrestles with the question of why the war was fought, and how attitudes on both sides evolved during the war. Its thesis, that the war was about the Union and not slavery, is not original, but it is well argued. My criticisms would be that it goes a bit too far in trying to be fair to Southern slaveholders and those who fought and died for their "right" to own, torture and rape slaves; perhaps understandable in an author from deep in Yankee territory (Yale). A lesser criticism would be numerous details that most civil war buffs would catch immediately: during the battle of Shiloh, the Southerners threatened but never closely approached Pittsburgh Landing (which was distant from the famed "Peach Orchard"). Stout also makes an uncited judgment against Lincoln's "micromanagement" of the war in the East. One might conclude that he is defending McClellan's generalship, but elsewhere in the book the future Presidential candidate's inadequacies, as well as his political opinions are explored in depth.