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About this book
James McPherson’s classic book For Cause & Comrades explained “why men fought in the Civil War”—and spurred countless other historians to ask and attempt to answer the same question. But few have explored why men did not fight. That’s the question Paul Taylor answers in this groundbreaking Civil War history that examines the reasons why at least 60 percent of service-eligible men in the North chose not to serve and why, to some extent, their communities allowed them to do so. Did these other men not feel the same patriotic impulses as their fellow citizens who rushed to the enlistment office? Did they not believe in the sanctity of the Union? Was freeing men held in chains under chattel slavery not a righteous moral crusade? And why did some soldiers come to regret their enlistment and try to leave the military?
’Tis Not Our War answers these questions by focusing on the thoughts, opinions, and beliefs of average civilians and soldiers. Taylor digs deep into primary sources—newspapers, diaries, letters, archival manuscripts, military reports, and published memoirs—to paint a vivid and richly complex portrait of men who questioned military service in the Civil War and to show that the North was never as unified in support of the war as portrayed in much of America’s collective memory. This book adds to our understanding of the Civil War and the men who fought—and did not fight—in it.
’Tis Not Our War answers these questions by focusing on the thoughts, opinions, and beliefs of average civilians and soldiers. Taylor digs deep into primary sources—newspapers, diaries, letters, archival manuscripts, military reports, and published memoirs—to paint a vivid and richly complex portrait of men who questioned military service in the Civil War and to show that the North was never as unified in support of the war as portrayed in much of America’s collective memory. This book adds to our understanding of the Civil War and the men who fought—and did not fight—in it.
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access 'Tis Not Our War by Paul Taylor in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in History & 19th Century History. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Half Title
- Series Page
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Chapter 1: âSomebody Must Go; and Who Can Go Better Than Young Men Like Myselfâ: Patriotism Was Hardly the Sole Reason Why They Initially VolunteeredâAn Overview
- Chapter 2: âIt Is Only Greenhorns Who Enlistâ: A Philosophical Reluctance to Volunteer
- Chapter 3: âTis Not Our Warâ: A Plethora of Specific Reasons to Stay Home
- Chapter 4: âPatriotism Is Well-Nigh âPlayed Outâ in the Armyâ: Changing Perspectives, the Militia Act of 1862, and the Rise of the Mercenary
- Chapter 5: âEvery Man That Is between 18 and 45 Years of Age Is Sick or Going to Be . . . Anything for an Excuseâ: The North Reacts to a Changing War
- Chapter 6: âWe Broke with Many Friends on Account of Politicsâ: Fall 1862âs Emancipation Proclamation, Racial Animosity, and Home Front Ostracism
- Chapter 7: âThe People Here Are All of One Mindâ That Is to Resist the Draftâ: The 1863 Conscription Act, the Provost Marshal Generalâs Bureau, and the Invalid Corps
- Chapter 8: âThe Fear of Being Drafted Makes One Almost Sickâ: Resenting and Evading the Draft
- Chapter 9: âCome Home if You Have to Desert, You Will Be Protectedâ: Deserting the Army to Get Home, Good Jobs and Inflation as Reasons to Stay Home
- Chapter 10: âThe Apathy of Our People Is Our Stumbling Blockâ: Avoiding the War Intensifies for Civilian and Soldier Alike
- Chapter 11: âThere Is No Patriotism Left. Tis All for Money Nowâ: One More Draft to Avoid
- Conclusion: âWhatâs Past Is Prologueâ
- Notes
- Bibliography
- About the Author