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| For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War | 
 enlarge | Author: James M. Mcpherson
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $18.95
Buy New: $7.95
You Save: $11.00 (58%)
Buy New/Used from $7.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  (37 reviews)
Sales Rank: 12670
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.5
ISBN: 0195124995
Dewey Decimal Number: 973
EAN: 9780195124996
ASIN: 0195124995
Publication Date: November 5, 1998
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 More Excellent Work by Professor McPherson June 2, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I don't know if anyone will ever read this review for a 10-year old book, but I'm reading it right now and I really wanted to share about it.
I truly appreciate the scholarship of McPherson on the Civil War and all the research he has done on the subject. For this book alone, he read hundreds of soldiers letters and diaries to understand what motivated them to put their lives on the line. A great many of them understood the issues of the day, volunteered for the war, and did not need a whole lot of incentive to enlist. A 1982 movie, "The Blue & the Gray," contains a scene where Union soldiers in 1861 are inspired to enlist with the help of a beautiful young lady singing a patriotic song. In actuality, most of these soldiers would not have needed such encouragement.
Anyway, a book like this is highly important. It has become very popular to say things like "the war was not fought over slavery" or "the Civil war had nothing to do with slavery." This book goes straight to the sources and finds out why the men who were there did what they did.
Clearly, for some of them, North and South, slavery was THE issue. In fact, I have long believed slavery was just an institution, but the real issue for many Confederates was the preservation of white supremacy. Many soldier's letters cited declare that they saw it as an abomination- even laughable to some- that anyone would want to free "inferior savages" they thought could not be educated or assimilated into American society. In fact, on page 109, a private of the 25th Wisconsin Infantry wrote home that some captured Confederates told them they were fighting because "You Yanks want us to marry our daughters to the n----rs." But this book does show that while slavery was a huge issue, certainly the source of political and territorial strife for so many years leading up to the war, it was not the only issue. The book shares the letters of immigrant Union soldiers who fought to secure democracy, something denied to them in their oppressive native countries. And many Confederate soldiers clearly say they are fighting in defense of their homes and families and because their states have been "invaded."
I tend to think some people who want to minimize or dismiss altogether the impact of slavery- or really, the place that black people would have in America, North AND South- unfortunately miss the understanding of the Civil War and American History. Personally, the older I get, the less I'm concerned about why the war started and why it was fought than I am with what happened when it ended. All I know is, the Union was saved and slavery was dead. Unless all people in "the land of the free" have access to liberty, that "land" is a hypocrisy.
Audio version is engrossing and thorough April 2, 2007
I listened to the unabridged Books on Tape version which consists of 8 cassette tapes in a case. I found it very interesting. The tapes seemed to go by quickly.
My only suggestion would be to shorten some of the lengthy introductory material (dedication and credits) so as to get into the actual book more quickly. Also, a portion of the last cassette is devoted to a preview of another book, so the set could fit onto 7 tapes if edited just a bit.
McPherson quotes extensively from letters and diaries written during the war, so most of the accounts are first-hand. He groups them into categories and draws conclusions from their similar opinions, although he sprinkles in disclaimers because the sample is not totally balanced as it is only from literate English-speaking soldiers whose letters were saved by their descendants. Men who could not write (including most of the large number of ex-slaves who served in the Union army) did not leave a record of their experiences. Also, families of men who died in battle were often more likely to save their letters than those who survived the war.
As a female who has never served in the military, I have often wondered why so many men left their homes and families to fight in the Civil War, especially puzzling since their enemies had recently been their countrymen and were often even their relatives. McPherson has done a good job of using the soldiers' own words to explain why they risked their lives again and again. He also points out how the war changed men's viewpoints on slavery. Union soldiers who did not care much about it were exposed to it's hardships as they marched through the South and became anti-slavery, while some Confederates expressed doubts about it as the futility of their struggle became apparent. By 1865 some Southern soldiers said they would rather see the slaves freed then to lose the war. But of course it was too late.
The narrator does an excellent job of reading the book. Recommended.
 A very differnt civil war novel December 14, 2006
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
James McPherson does it again with a great analysis of why men fought in the civil war and what made them continue fighting after that first battle. Whether it was brotherhood, pride, or religion each side brought with it various and compelling reasons for going to war. The war was a travesty that brought devastation to both sides but if you want to see inside the soldiers minds this is the only book that does it. There are few out there like it and I McPhereson is among the best. This is an essential book for any civil war library.
a good reason June 26, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Very well researched and easy to read. McPherson tries to be fair to both sides of the war, giving the good and the bad, but it is rather obvious that he favors the North.
Well written account April 24, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
McPherson has weaved together a very well written study of what motivated soldiers, both North and South, to fight in the Civil War. McPherson does an excellent job of breaking up the chapters to keep the text flowing. He also describes what would motivate men to continue to fight after seeing the horrors of battle, why men joined up, why married men continued to serve despite pleas from family members to go AWOL or take a medical leave, etc. All the while, McPherson uses dozens of quotes from diaries and letters to back up his claims. McPherson should be applauded for letting the soldiers tell most of this story rather than the author conjecture why he thought they fought. He also seems to have let the story come to him rather than set out with an agenda. A must have for any Civil War or military history student.
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