Reluctant Witnesses : Children 's Voices From The Civil War Essay

Life during the Civil War was not a pleasant time. There was basically utter chaos

The name Civil War is misleading because the war was not a class struggle, but a sectional combat, having its roots in political, economic, social, and psychological elements. It has been characterized, in the words of William H. Seward, as the “irrepressible conflict.” In another judgment the Civil War was viewed as criminally stupid, an unnecessary bloodletting brought on by arrogant extremists and blundering politicians. Both views accept the fact that in 1861 there existed a situation that, rightly or wrongly, had come to be regarded as insoluble by peaceful means.

Lincoln would have been able to maintain control the Radical Republicans, at least that is what is thought to be true. Lincoln 's death, however, left a blank space in

James M. McPherson sets out to discover what motivated the Confederate and Union soldiers to continue fighting in the Civil War in his book What They Fought For. McPherson analyses nearly a thousand letters, journals, and diary of Union and Confederate soldiers to determine what urged them to fight is this defining American Conflict. McPherson reads and groups together the common thoughts of the everyday soldier, from their letters and journals that none of which had been subjected to any sort of censorship, in that time period. He then generalizes the motivations that they used to fight for their country. Whether it be for slavery or for the Union, the author views both sides of the fighting to analysis their ideological issues, how deep their belief coursed through their veins to continue fighting, and how the soldiers held their convictions close to heart in the time of war.

The Civil War devastated families all across the United States. Hundreds of thousands of people died and for many years after, the nation was still divided and trying to figure out how to move forward. Irene Hunt learned of stories of the Civil War from her grandfather who served in the Civil War. Hunt’s book, Across Five Aprils, relates to her childhood because this novel is nothing but a story of the war from one family. This book hit home hard and revealed concepts of realism by examining the effects the war had on everyday life.

The tragedies and hardships of the Civil War touch the lives of every citizen, including children. With many of the men away at war, women and children were left to fend for themselves through these hardships on the home front. Children of all races and circumstances experienced their share of struggles. Fear was a dominant emotion among Southern children, particularly the fear of invasions by the Union army. There was a constant threat of physical violence, death, and separation of family. Conscription and evacuations threatened to separate families. Raids resulted in physical violence, destruction of property, and theft. Even if there was no threat of physical harm, the war could interrupted day-to-day life through acts such as

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

White families in Virginia first confronted the war’s impact with the enlistments of their male kin. To provide food and protect families, men were pulled away from their loved ones to serve in the confederate army. As one Virginia solider put his duty in the war encompassed “the defense of our country, our liberty and the protection of our parent, wives, children, and all that is dear to a man” (encylopediavirginia.org). 50 percent of the male enlisted from Virginia tried to help both families and the confederacy. But it was of no use.

This book was a good analysis of Civil War soldiers' diaries, and letters to their loved ones. Which explains what they were going through in their lives and what they fought for and risked their lives for in this conflict. In the book the author James M. McPherson uses information from l00's of diaries and letters from the soldiers to learn why they fought in this war. The Union soldiers fought to preserve the Nation that was created in 1776, to save it from destruction. The Confederate soldiers fought for their independence, liberty, self government, and for revenge.

Through journals and diaries, Mary Chesnut, Warren Goss, and Randolph Mckim provide diverse views of the civil war and no military and that time period. Because of the perspectives of the authors, their views vary in both subject matter and opinion, Chesnut was not affected by the war, only would be if the south loses, Warren goss told us about the military, through his experience in the military. Mckim illustrates what life is like is like on the battlefield. Based on these differences, Mckim provides the most compelling and accurate account of life during this time period.

Throughout one’s lifetime growth occurs, and the trials and tribulations they face shape their opinions and beliefs of the world. The Death of a Confederate Colonel, written by Pat Carr, shows the hardships Saranell Birdsong, a young girl, experiences and how she conquered her struggles during the Civil War period. Though Saranell’s pain was enough to ruin her emotionally, she was able to overcome and change into a more mature young girl. It is only through tragedy that true growth can take place.

When hearing a story for the first time, a person will take different things away from it, depending on their own experiences and the frame set by the storyteller. The same can be said of the American Civil War. Through historical sources, such as Tony Horwitz’s book Confederates in the Attic and the film CSA: Confederates in the Attic, today’s generation can see different sides of the Civil War including why people fought and how they recovered after.

The Civil War started in 1861, and though it was more than a century ago, there is still controversy and many questions arising about the subject. What were they really fighting over? Should the South have been able to succeed? What were the South’s true reasons for succeeding? Was the North’s only reason to go to war to free the slaves? Were Slaves truly treated as cruelly as we are to believe they were? Did the Abolitionists have other motives hidden behind tightly shut doors, which were not made public? These are only a few questions people want to know the answers to regarding the American’s War against themselves. Some of these questions are hard to give a definite answer to, and say what is exactly is

The American Civil War took many people from a variety of different backgrounds and bring them all together to be affected by the same sets of ideas. This began to shape the children of the Civil War from all walks of life. Children who lived through the war made it a pivotal moment in their memories which caused them to attribute many of the social, and political characteristics to experiences gained during the war. It also affected the children differently depending on where they lived. The northern children

The story “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien is an enormously detailed fictional account of a wartime scenario in which jimmy Cross (the story’s main character) grows as a person, and the emotional and physical baggage of wartime are brought to light. The most obvious and prominent feature of O’Brien’s writing is a repetition of detail. O’brien also passively analyzes the effects of wartime on the underdeveloped psyche by giving the reader close up insight into common tribulations of war, but not in a necessarily expositorial sense.. He takes us into the minds of mere kids as they cope with the unbelievable and under-talked-about effects or rationalizing