Book: Why Men Fought in the Civil War

I finished listening to the audiobook For Cause & Comrades: Why Men Fought In The Civil War by James McPherson. This is an unabridged book on eight cassettes but it moves along quickly because it is interesting.

When I visit a Civil War battlefield (and there are many here in Virginia), I often marvel at the dedication of Civil War soldiers on both sides. I have wondered why they left their homes to fight an enemy that had been their countrymen, their relatives and neighbors. McPherson examined 25,000 letters and 249 diaries and quotes from them extensively, letting them explain their motivations and concerns in their own words. The result is engrossing and enlightening. It is also frequently sad, for in many cases after a soldier's letter is shared, we are told that he was later killed in a battle or in a prison.

McPherson also draws upon studies of later wars to compare attitudes then to those in the American Civil War. But the actual words of the Civil War soldiers provide the strongest material in this fascinating work.