Why Confederates Fought

Family and Nation in Civil War Virginia

By: Aaron Sheehan-Dean

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Paperback | 1 September 2009

At a Glance

Paperback
312 Pages

Edition Type
New edition

Dimensions(cm)
23.5 x 15.6 x 1.91

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In the first comprehensive study of the experience of Virginia soldiers and their families in the Civil War, Aaron Sheehan-Dean captures the inner world of the rank-and-file. Utilizing new statistical evidence and first-person narratives, Sheehan-Dean explores how Virginia soldiers--even those who were nonslaveholders--adapted their vision of the war's purpose to remain committed Confederates.

Sheehan-Dean challenges earlier arguments that middle- and lower-class southerners gradually withdrew their support for the Confederacy because their class interests were not being met. Instead he argues that Virginia soldiers continued to be motivated by the profound emotional connection between military service and the protection of home and family, even as the war dragged on. The experience of fighting, explains Sheehan-Dean, redefined southern manhood and family relations, established the basis for postwar race and class relations, and transformed the shape of Virginia itself. He concludes that Virginians' experience of the Civil War offers important lessons about the reasons we fight wars and the ways that those reasons can change over time.

Industry Reviews

[A] persuasive demonstration that white Virginians did in fact support the Confederacy, and that they did so because they saw its army as the principal means by which to protect their families.--Virginia Magazine

A careful analysis [that] should . . . supersede previous works.--American Historical Review

A fresh and forceful contribution to our understanding of why these Virginians fought and how the very course of the war served to create new rationales for their resolve in doing so for so much of the Confederate nation's four-year lifespan.--Civil War Book Review

A major contribution to the growing body of literature on Civil War soldiers.--North Carolina Historical Review

A singular contribution to the debate. . . . Sensible and engaging.--Journal of Military History

A thought-compelling, quality monograph. . . . Highly recommended.--CHOICE

A thought-provoking analysis of the rise of the Confederate nation. . . . Should serve as a model for meticulous historical research. . . . An engaging text, which challenges scholars to look more carefully at the motivation that caused Virginians to fight for the Confederacy.--Southern Historian

Paying refreshingly close attention to change over time, Sheehan-Dean convincingly shows that, far from fracturing the Confederacy, Union hard-war policies condensed it.--Journal of Southern History

Sheehan-Dean's road may be the heavily traveled highway of Confederate nationalism, but his vehicle is distinctive.--Journal of Interdisciplinary History

This well-researched, well written book is a very welcome addition to the literature on nationalism in the Confederacy.--The Journal of American History

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Acknowledgments
Introduction: Choosing War
Conflict and Collaboration
Building the Plain People's Confederacy: January-June 1861
A Nation of Their Own: July 1861-March 1862
The Crucible of War
The Ardor of Patriotism: April-July 1862
War in Earnest: August-December 1862
The Family War: January-December 1863
War without End
The Cost of Independence: January-June 1864
The Fall of the Confederacy: July 1864-March 1865
Epilogue: Swallowing the Elephant: Toward the New South
Appendix: Methodology
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Why Confederates Fought

Family and Nation in Civil War Virginia

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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