For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War

Rating:
Summary: Making us feel what those felt 138 years ago
Review: James McPherson uses eloquent prose and thorough research to bring the letters of so many Civil War soldiers to life. He also, like any respectable historian, acknowledges the limits of his position and research, citing the lack of letters from the large number of soldiers that were unable to document their experiences due to illiteracy or other constraints. Above all, McPherson is helping to finally bring the analysis of the American Civil War to a human level, incorporating an examination of the battles and politics of the era in an overall look at how life was effected and why men fought against their countrymen.

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Summary: Not too bad for a Yankee author
Review: McPherson hits all the right notes in this "song" about the motives of soldiers, North and South. As an unreconstructed Southerner I found it belied a slightly Northern bias but not so much as to diminish the overall work. If anything, McPherson gives a redeeming account of why I believe many of my own ancestors fought for a free and independent South. I found myself alternately flying through the pages then slowing to pause, reflect and absorb. Despite the flaw of Union bias McPherson has still turned out a work for all to enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Why Some Men Fight
Review: McPherson takes on an interesting subject and largely succeeds. While survey work is largely a debateable way to determine anything besides what you want to interpret, it is an interesting jumping off point that, at very least, grounds McPherson's arguments. I would have prefered more integration of what the underlaying psychologies of the sides were in making up the reasons men fought. Ultimately it seems to me they fought for many the same reasons (duty, love of country, and slavery -- be it for or against). But sometimes I was left questioning whether the letters told the whole story. In order to take a portion of letters as representative we have to assume that letters will be representative of the masses who fought in the first place. I know personally my ancestor fought for the North because he was paid to.

Rating:
Summary: Answers the question
Review: No answer can be definitive, but McPherson offers plenty of insight into "why men fought" in a relatively short and highly readable volume. But it actually goes some way beyond the question "why men fought in the Civil War," and sheds light on why men fought, period. If you watch things like Saving Private Ryan and wonder where men can find the courage to go into battle again and again, this will be a fascinating read.

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Summary: Interesting study of why men fought for blue and gray
Review: On the surface, McPherson seems to cover the same ground Bell I. Wiley did in his two books on Billy Yank and Johnny Reb. Except, where Wiley concluded that by the end of the war, the soldiers were fighting more to end the conflict rather than for ideological grounds, McPherson found evidence from the letters that the soldiers maintained their high ideals -- to preserve the United States on the Union side, and to preserve individual freedoms (even the freedom to enslave others) on the Confederate side -- through the end of the war. He also noted that it was a time when the words patriotism, honor and courage had value, and that it motivated soldiers into being willing to fight and die for their causes. Reading "For Cause & Comrades" leaves one wondering just how we lost those ideals, and what will replace them in the battles of tomorrow.

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Summary: Love of Country and Patriotism: Why Men Don't Fight Today
Review: One hundred and thirty-nine years ago, men, and many women believed in this country vastly different than we do today. Patriotism and Love of Country is not enough today to spurr fighting men on. In James M. McPhearson's book, For Cause and Comarades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War, he points out that the ideals of our Revolution were fresh in the hearts and minds of Americans. Many were sons and grandsons of Revolutionary Veterans who felt it their duty to protect and defend what their fathers fought for. Manhood and manliness were intertwined with citizenship and community. Today, we send military men on diplomatic and political missions with no sense of personal responsbility in the cause or outcome. He/she are instruments to be used rather than personally involved that affect home down to community and family. Readers will enjoy McPhearson's book if for no other reason that it teaches and explains a past American culture and society that is sadly gone forever.

Rating:
Summary: The minds of the men who fought
Review: Professor McPherson is a luminary in the world of Civil War scholars, and is rightly known not only for his knowledge, but also for his clear prose style. For Cause & Comrades extends his reach into the psychological analysis of motivation and beliefs held by soldiers who are all now long dead. In this area he steps into the unknown, as a reading of the journals and letters he quotes will illustrate. The men who wrote about their experiences in that war were not modern men in the sense of modern values and ideas. Their beliefs and feelings were generated in an atmosphere and culture foreign to us now. McPherson is careful not to draw conclusions to easily or to extrapolate beyond judicious caution. He is still able to paint a portrait of fighting men in desperate conditions and the ideals and ideas that put them there. This is not a book for any reader. The Civil War enthusiast will be pleased, and the student of human nature will be thrilled. If these are interests of yours, this book is for you.

Rating:
Summary: The minds of the men who fought
Review: Professor McPherson is a luminary in the world of Civil War scholars, and is rightly known not only for his knowledge, but also for his clear prose style. For Cause & Comrades extends his reach into the psychological analysis of motivation and beliefs held by soldiers who are all now long dead. In this area he steps into the unknown, as a reading of the journals and letters he quotes will illustrate. The men who wrote about their experiences in that war were not modern men in the sense of modern values and ideas. Their beliefs and feelings were generated in an atmosphere and culture foreign to us now. McPherson is careful not to draw conclusions to easily or to extrapolate beyond judicious caution. He is still able to paint a portrait of fighting men in desperate conditions and the ideals and ideas that put them there. This is not a book for any reader. The Civil War enthusiast will be pleased, and the student of human nature will be thrilled. If these are interests of yours, this book is for you.

Rating:
Summary: Superfluous material lowers point value
Review: The Chapter in the book entitled "Vengance Will Be Out Motto" seemed, to me, to be obvious material. It took McPherson an entire chapter to tell the reader that the armies fought each other because they were angry. This chapter and the fact that every now and then McPherson repeats points he already covered are the only negative aspects to the book. The repetition, by the way, did not seem to be for emphasis on that particular point. However, the excerpts from soldiers diaries and letters would make this book worth purchasing if it had nothing else in besides that. McPherson also raises interesting questions, like how much of a part did the Confederates Christian faith keep them fighting after Gettysburg and even after gruesome battles like Cold Harbor and the Wilderness. McPherson suggests that the only reason the Confederacy still had any gas left in them to keep going another two years after Gettysburg was because of their strong religious belief. It is a wonderful what if question for the Civil War buff. If you are a Civil War enthusiasts I would recommend (if you don't already know) Shelby Footes amazing writings on the war. For the general reader, nothing beats Michael and Jeff Shaara's beautiful works about the Civil War.

Rating:
Summary: Superfluous material lowers point value
Review: The Chapter in the book entitled "Vengance Will Be Out Motto" seemed, to me, to be obvious material. It took McPherson an entire chapter to tell the reader that the armies fought each other because they were angry. This chapter and the fact that every now and then McPherson repeats points he already covered are the only negative aspects to the book. The repetition, by the way, did not seem to be for emphasis on that particular point. However, the excerpts from soldiers diaries and letters would make this book worth purchasing if it had nothing else in besides that. McPherson also raises interesting questions, like how much of a part did the Confederates Christian faith keep them fighting after Gettysburg and even after gruesome battles like Cold Harbor and the Wilderness. McPherson suggests that the only reason the Confederacy still had any gas left in them to keep going another two years after Gettysburg was because of their strong religious belief. It is a wonderful what if question for the Civil War buff. If you are a Civil War enthusiasts I would recommend (if you don't already know) Shelby Footes amazing writings on the war. For the general reader, nothing beats Michael and Jeff Shaara's beautiful works about the Civil War.