Civil War Soldiers [Mass Market Paperback]

Reid Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1997

Drawing on diaries and letters, the focus of this pioneering study of the Civil War is on the men who fought it, caught up in a conflict whose causes and consequences seemed as complex and contradictory to the soldiers themselves as they do to us. "Fresh insights, startling descriptions and poignant human detail."--Chicago Tribune.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This noteworthy addition to the literature of the Civil War presents a starkly realistic picture, mostly from the lower ranks, that is reminiscent of the outlook of GIs in more recent wars. The prevailing image of the enemy: an uncivilized fanatic. Civilians of the opposing side were regarded as primitive, ignorant and generally contemptible. Based on unpublished letters and diaries, Mitchell's study follows Union troops into the South (Sherman in Georgia, for instance) and the Confederate army in the North (Lee's invasion of Pennsylvania), showing that the men of both armies were offended by the behavior of noncombatant civilians, that medical support was abominable, that blacks suffered brutality from soldiers of both armies and that the temptation to desert was strong. Among the themes explored by Mitchell are the individual's reasons for volunteering, his reaction to combat, his perception of the similarity between soldiering and slavery, the morale-sustaining comfort of Christian faith, and the bravery and endurance of the Confederate soldier in particular. Mitchell teaches American history at Princeton.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

With a "post-Vietnam" sensitivity to how combat and military discipline transform common folk into soldiers, Mitchell (American history, Princeton) offers the most original reading of Civil War soldiers since Bell Wiley's classics The Life of Johnny Reb (Bobbs, 1943) and The Life of Billy Yank (Bobbs, 1952). Mitchell finds a higher degree of ideological commitment by both Rebs and Yanks than have other scholars, but his main contribution is showing how soldiers' reactions to such aspects as drill and death and land revealed a common American heritage and values shared by both sides, even as the war continued. This book makes all those statues in town squares come alive. Randall M. Miller, St. Joseph's Univ., Philadelphia
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140263330
• ISBN-13: 978-0140263336
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 7.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #559,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars From those who were there, April 3, 2000

By 

Matt Wenzel "Matt1861" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Civil War Soldiers (Mass Market Paperback)

This book uses primary sources as its main resource. Mitchell draws the reader in by using the writings of the actual soldiers themselves; diaries, letters, ect. This is one of the rare Civil War works that allows us, the reader, to gain an understanding of what these gallant young men might have been thinking and feeling. We are given a glimpse of the answers to the questions; "Why are you fighting?," "What does it feel like to be in battle?," "Are you fighting for slavery/the slaves?," and many others. Truely, a must read for students of the United Staes Civil War.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A personal look at both sides of the Civil War, July 21, 2002

By 

R. Tiedemann "Sunnye" (Bellevue, NE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Civil War Soldiers (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is unusual among Civil War publications. It's a stark and realistic portrait of the enlisted man's view of war, similar to those published about VietNam. Based on previously unpublished letters and diaries, CIVIL WAR SOLDIERS follows the troops of both North and South. It describes not only their feelings about what they were doing and the reasons they did it, it shows the offense that men of both armies took from the behaviour of their fellow citizens. and claims that medical help was either lacking or incompetent. Mitchell claims that blacks suffered brutality from both armies and offers proof.

This is a book that reaches across the centuries to bring a distant war close to the reader. It should be required reading in every American history classroom.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Civil War Soldiers - personally!, July 14, 2010

By 

Tanya Floyd (beautiful northwest Arkansas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Civil War Soldiers (Mass Market Paperback)

In researching the family genealogy, I discovered many soldiers in the Civil, 1812,WWI and WWII wars. This book is a great way to share what they personally felt and believed in what they were doing. Invaluable!