Apprehensiveness In Military

James McPherson was born on October 11th 1936, he is an American Civil War historian. He received the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Battle Cry of Freedom, his most famous book. McPherson was the president of the American Historical Association in 2003, and is a member of the editorial board of Encyclopedia Britannica. In his early career McPherson wanted to leave a legacy as being known for the historian who focusses on more than one point. Through skillful narrative in a broad-ranging oeuvre of essays and books, McPherson has succeeded in telling both stories, combining social, political, and military history to reach a broad scholarly and popular audience, emphasizing all the while that the Civil War constituted a “second American Revolution.” Examining thousands of letters and diaries written by soldiers to gather a better insight and understanding, McPherson argued that deep political and ideological convictions about liberty, slavery, religion, and nation were the fundamental reasons that men on both sides enlisted and fought. McPherson’s views on the Civil War are broad in comparison to many other writers, he believes there are multiple causes to the war but that the underlying cause was slavery and that Southern states used the saying “States’ Rights” to justify their actions of slavery and secession. It became a psychological necessity for the South to deny that the war was about slavery that they were fighting for the preservation, defense and

Another incorrect explanation is the excessive believe in the Holy Spirit. Since the colonies were founded on Christian ideas there was obviously many prayers going out from the men, but they never thought that they were invincible to bullets or other weaponry. Robert Middlekauff even suggests that some believed the soldiers plundered the British corpses. Although it is not unheard of in combat, men must have fought for more than the chance to plunder the enemy. Why would anyone put so much at risk just to obtain trinkets? Some would suggest that the officers had to provide great amounts of alcohol to get the soldiers drunk. They argued that the soldiers had to be drunk in order to suppress their fear of the British Army. This is of course a ridiculous accusation. The American Militia did not fight for such trivial, fabricated reasons.

In 1994, McPherson wrote the book, What They Fought For: 1861-1865, about his exploration on the motivations of the soldiers that fought in the Civil War (“James M. McPherson” par. 6). He analyzed the letters and diaries of twenty-five thousand soldiers, ultimately determining the reasons for the soldier’s continuance to fight during the Civil War.

Thomas Searles made major progresses during the first battle when he stabbed an enemy to save Tripp. In that battle, he was also shot, but refused the chance to go back home where he fits in (Fields & Zwick, 1989). He received much deserved respect from Colonel Shaw and his fellow soldiers. Thomas himself felt the honor and it was evident in his decision to stay with the 54th even though his injury allowed him a ticket home. He insisted and pleaded with Robert that no matter what happened that he remain here with the soldiers and troops (Fields & Zwick, 1989). Not only did he fight valiantly, he found bravery and courage in that battle even after a gun wound. He had a fighting spirit that would not die, even though at first it seemed as though he would be the one begging to go back to Boston. He showed courage and loyalty to his regiment, his country, and his people by not backing away from the fight. Bravery like that doesn’t happen overnight. It happens through hard work and experience. He even went on to kill a number of people on the battle of Fort Wagner. By the end of the movie, the perception of Thomas by his men changed from a weak rich boy from Boston to an honorable

1) “They carried the soldier’s greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. They died so as not to die of embarrassment” (O’Brien 20).

“Now begins to grow sickly from the continued fatigues”(Dr.Waldo,151). Because soldiers are sick, then who is going to fight against Britain. “Cold weather - fatigue - nasty cloaths-nasty cookery-”(Dr.Waldo,151). If this is the reason people are getting sick stay and fight Britain, so you can get better food and clothing.“These are the times that try men’s souls”(Paine,153). When things try you, you should want to pass the test. “Summer soldier and sunshine patriot”(Paine,153). If they want everything to be perfect and do not want to die then they shouldn’t have signed.I am healthy and my cause for enlisting has not changed.You can’t just leave when things get

For Cause and Comrades is a book written by James McPherson, with the help of diaries and letters written by soldiers from the Confederate and Union forces, he is able to formally detail accounts on why men fought in the civil war. Consequently, McPherson is able to shed light on the mentality and motives that soldiers possessed that made them fight in the war. Although we will never truly know why soldiers fought in the civil war, this book most definitely gives readers evidence that soldiers had certain values and morals that gave them reason to fight.

What they fought for is an analysis of a collection of nearly a thousand personal letters and journals entries written by the soldiers who fought America’s famous Civil War. This book seeks to define the ideology of what the soldiers understood they were fighting for, and their comprehension of the outcome of their service .Although counter arguments agree that most soldiers could not give a solid explanation of why they fought for, nor the real Constitutional issues that were at stake; the thoughts the soldiers recorded show that they fought for more than just masculine identity; they highly valued being at home safe with their loved ones, at any cost. This book gives an inside perception of the Civil War, and a

James M. McPherson, author of For Cause and Comrades, uses more than 25,000 unaltered letters and closely 250 private journals from Civil War soldiers—both Union and Confederate—in his attempt to explain what possessed these men to endure the roaring, gruesome chaos of war. What better way to express the motivation behind fighting than words straight from the pens of the men who were physically there and experienced the Civil War to its fullest? I personally feel as though McPherson succeeded in his explanation of the different driving forces that kept each man going during these difficult years of battle. The Wall Street Journal describes McPherson’s work as “an extraordinary book, full of fascinating details and moving self-portraits.”

“Just as Narcissus gazed at his reflection while he wasted away, Confederates admired their supreme nation while it faded into oblivion” (pg. 188). Phillips states that by revealing the psychological foundations of Confederate hope, the ability to comprehend how passions informed reality is achievable, as well as the ability to avoid seeing their faith as irrational. He states that you cannot come to an explanation without looking at how the diehards viewed themselves, as well as their enemies. Phillips states that by linking the soldiers’ context, culture, and dreams, it is possible to see how the diehards expected victory, and how the end of the Civil War shaped their

The Battle of Gettysburg was amongst one the most important turning points during the Civil War. It was a three-day bloody battle between the Union and Confederate forces which would ultimately lead up to the victory of the Union. In The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara shows a depiction of the battle through the eyes of the officers and tries to give the reader a first-hand look into the daily struggles that they had to deal with when it came to distinguishing between what’s best for their men and chances of success in the battle. In the book, we are introduced with two important officers: Colonel Chamberlain of the Union force, and General Lee of the Confederate force. Throughout the book, we witness different leadership strategies and philosophies between both officers which ultimately serve as their road to success or failure in the battle. Focusing on General Lee’s philosophy on leadership, “To be a good soldier, you must love the army. But to be a good officer you must be willing to order the death of the thing you love.”, it reinforces the idea that in order to fully succeed at battle, you must set aside and sacrifice your sense of sympathy towards your soldiers as a way to avoid making emotional decisions.

They carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die. Grief, terror, love, longing…They carried the soldier’s greatest fear which was the fear of blushing…It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor. (O’Brien 333)

In 1865, President Lincoln issued reassurance to those skeptical about the Civil War: "With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in." President Lincoln’s statement illustrates how the former Commander in Chief indisputably believed in the war and that the Union was doing what was ethically right. At that time, not all Union citizens and soldiers were fully committed to the Civil War. For the Union to coagulate, and commit towards doing what is morally right, they first needed a morally courageous leader to guide them. Similar to President Lincoln during the Civil War, Army leaders are expected make ethical decisions, even when those decisions are unpopular with their soldiers.

In the short story Chickamauga the writer, Ambrose Bierce, uses his words to depict the gruesome reality of war and to put at rest the false dreams of heroism and glory that so often come packaged with war. Ambrose describes war as a “heritage” and that ordinarily one could not “curb the lust for war”. Describing the lust for war as being not able to be curbed makes it seem like an illness, unable to be stopped. The soldiers here are depicted as “desperate, stricken men” and are shown to be incapable of doing anything “naturally”. The soldiers being “desperate” and “stricken” are a direct result of their time at war. Similarly, Ambrose uses his words to discourage thoughts that battle is a glorious thing to partake in. The protagonist is “as

Once Dartemont joined the war, he realized the sense of nationalism and bravery were gone. In the first couple months of Dartemont joining the fighting unit and being put on a squad, he and the other soldiers thought of it as an adventure. They didn’t know what war would be like, but soon realized what a serious matter it was. When Dartemont was a bomber, he went over the trenches with his group and just ran in a disorganized fashion. He didn’t want to use the grenades so he handed his off to another soldier who threw the entire group’s grenades for them. Dartemont was near an explosion at one point and got hit with shrapnel. He thought he got shot and he was actually relieved because he got to go back to safety. The majority of the troops