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.
Read More
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.
Read Less
Add this copy of Upon the Altar of the Nation: a Moral History of the to cart. $9.33, fair condition, Sold by Once Upon A Time Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tontitown, AR, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Adult.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
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.
Add this copy of Upon the Altar of the Nation: a Moral History of the to cart. $9.54, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Books.
Add this copy of Upon the Altar of the Nation: a Moral History of the to cart. $9.54, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Books.
Add this copy of Upon the Altar of the Nation: a Moral History of the to cart. $9.54, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Books.
Add this copy of Upon the Altar of the Nation: a Moral History of the to cart. $9.54, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Books.
Add this copy of Upon the Altar of the Nation: a Moral History of the to cart. $9.54, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Books.
Add this copy of Upon the Altar of the Nation: a Moral History of the to cart. $9.62, good condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by Viking Books.
Add this copy of Upon the Altar of the Nation: a Moral History of the to cart. $10.39, very good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Penguin Publishing Group.
Add this copy of Upon the Altar of the Nation: a Moral History of the to cart. $10.39, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Penguin Publishing Group.
Add this copy of Upon the Altar of the Nation: a Moral History of the to cart. $10.39, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2007 by Penguin Publishing Group.
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.
