The Union Soldier in Battle: Enduring the Ordeal of Combat (Modern War Studies) - Hardcover

Hess, Earl J.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0700608370 ISBN 13: 9780700608379

Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas, 1997

Synopsis

Describes the agony and horrific nature of the Civil War from the perspective of the soldiers who fought in it. Draws upon the letters, diaries, and memoirs of Northern soldiers to reveal their deepest fears and traumas, and their sources of inner strength. By identifying recurrent themes found in those accounts, Hess (history, U. of Tennessee), constructs a multilayered view of the ways in which these men coped with the challenges of battle. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

"The most telling examination of the experience of battle we have. It must be taken into account by all who would write or understand Civil War military history."--William C. Davis, author of The Cause Lost: Myths and Realities of the Confederacy and former editor of Civil War Times Illustrated

"This book stands out as the best yet written within the genre. While it is a truism often repeated by the veterans that no one could grasp the shock and horror of battle unless he had been there, Hess takes us as close as we're likely to get without actually experiencing that dangerous event."--Steven E. Woodworth, author of Davis and Lee at War

"An important contribution to our understanding of the Union soldier's experiences on the battlefield. Hess describes the horrors of combat graphically and demonstrates clearly how the common soldier learned to cope, both during the war and afterwards. His analysis is on target, and so is his prose. This is a book that deserves a wide reading."--John F. Marszalek, author of Sherman: A Soldier's Passion for Order

"This is a fine book. Particularly valid is Hess's analysis of the nature of battle, with a graphic and very convincing presentation of the chaos occasioned by thick vegetation, blinding gunsmoke, and linear tactical formations."--Wiley Sword, author of The Confederacy's Last Hurrah

"A strong contribution to current debates about the place of ideology in the range of motivating factors. Anyone interested in why and how Northern men fought will want to read this book."--Gary W. Gallagher, editor of The Third Day at Gettysburg and Beyond

About the Author:

Earl J. Hess is professor of history at Lincoln Memorial University in Tennessee.

About this edition

• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0700608370
• ISBN 13: 9780700608379
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240