For Cause And Comrades By James M. Mcpherson - 1705 Words

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 â€Å"an extraordinary book, full of fascinating details and moving self-portraits.† â€Å"Duty and honor were indeed powerful motivating forces.† (p. 5) Honor is defined as â€Å"respect that is given to someone who is admired† by Merriam Webster’s Dictionary. Many of the men who enlisted during the Civil War were driven by the desire to uphold their honor and/or their family honor. Because honor was essentially a masculine concept, the wives and mothers of soldiers did not understand how this desire for bringing honor to one’s name was more important than a man’s duty to his family. A South Carolina planter and thirty-nine year old father of several daughters chose to enlist after the Union capture of the South Carolina sea islands in 1861. He attempted to explain the driving force behind his decision to enlist: â€Å"The honor of ourShow MoreRelatedHow A Soldier Can Fight And Kill People From His Own Country1562 Words   |  7 Pagesdocuments and the book â€Å"For Cause Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War† by Jam es McPherson many factors of their decision arose. Nationalism, duty, honor, and moral obligation were only some of the reasons people joined the war effort. The overarching theme in the letters I read was the inspiration they had due to a feeling of nationalism. Both Union and Confederate soldiers used talk and images of nation, freedom, government in explaining why the decided to fight (McPherson, 21). However, the SouthRead MoreFor Cause and Comrades Essay757 Words   |  4 PagesFor Cause and Comrades For Cause and Comrades by James M. McPherson consists of mostly of soldiers’ diaries and letters home as to why the men were fighting the Civil War. The initial motivation the union and confederacy sustain throughout the story proves that personal honor is valued more than their lives. The opening chapter of the book is mostly a plot overview of the events that had yet to come. Fratricide, Meaning one that murders or kills an individual (as a countryman) havingRead MoreFor Cause and Comrades: an Analysis1538 Words   |  7 PagesFor Cause and Comrades: An Analysis As long as man has had the ability to think for himself, there has been conflict and war. Wars are waged by the rich and powerful, but fought by the poor masses who march, inexorably into the meat grinder. The question of â€Å"why do soldiers fight?† arises when looking at the study of warfare. What compelled the hoplite from Sparta, the foot soldier in Napoleon’s Grand Army, the American Infantryman on Omaha Beach, or the Army Ranger in Baghdad to willingly enlistRead MoreDifferences Between Union And Confederate Motives Within The Civil War Essay1705 Words   |  7 Pagesto themselves or to their home life. Commander Charles Steedman, who confessed his support of the union expresses this passion â€Å" I am as I have always been, a Union man-I know no North or South...all that I know is my duty to flag and country† (McPherson, 15). Duty to serve was imperative within the culture of the north. Union ideals were grounded in the ideals that the Founding Fath ers had laid out. Ideals of federal power and love of their country were paramount. Some soldiers often so passionateRead MoreEssay on Cause of the American Civil War1732 Words   |  7 Pages The cause of the American Civil War has been a politicized subject for the past 152 years. There are many different theories for what the main cause is, however the best answer is an all of the above approach. The cause of the war that divided the nation cannot be narrowly defined into a single issue but each cause is affected and tied together. The main causes that resulted in the Civil War were the issue of nullification, tariffs, but most importantly just an overall difference in their ways