For Cause and Comrades

Why Men Fought in the Civil War

By: James M. McPherson

Narrated by: David Colacci

Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

General John A. Wickham, commander of the famous 101st Airborne Division in the 1970s and subsequently Army Chief of Staff, once visited Antietam battlefield. Gazing at Bloody Lane where, in 1862, several Union assaults were brutally repulsed before they finally broke through, he marveled, "You couldn't get American soldiers today to make an attack like that." Why did those men risk certain death, through countless bloody battles and four long, awful years? Why did the conventional wisdom - that soldiers become increasingly cynical and disillusioned as war progresses - not hold true in the Civil War?

It is to this question - why did they fight - that James McPherson now turns his attention. He shows that, contrary to what many scholars believe, the soldiers of the Civil War remained powerfully convinced of the ideals for which they fought throughout the conflict. Motivated by duty and honor, and often by religious faith, these men wrote frequently of their firm belief in the cause for which they fought: the principles of liberty, freedom, justice, and patriotism.

McPherson draws on more than 25,000 letters and nearly 250 private diaries from men on both sides. For Cause and Comrades lets these soldiers tell their own stories in their own words to create an account that is both deeply moving and far truer than most books on war.

©1997 Oxford University Press, Inc. (P)2020 Tantor

Slavery tied to southern motives

I wish it was done more chronologically. It was interesting that to wards the end the south was arguing over enlistment of blacks and how racism raised its ugly head. I wish I knew why my two great grandfathers fought - one for the union, but only one year - fought at Antietam and Chancellorsville. The other for confederate forces and was mortally wounded at Chancellorsville - his only son married the daughter of the other when he moved to Indiana. Some of the Union soldiers family moved to Alabama as I assume as carpet baggers.

True

The words of our forefathers whether one agrees with their sentiments or not. What was as it was then, rather than what was along with the judgments and biases of today. History as it was. Good, bad, honorable, ugly.

Great POV from Americas greatest epic

Hear the story if the men who fought the war. No punches pulled in this one

A refreshingly educational work !!

A pure joy to read ! It is so refreshing these days to read an impressive work devoid of agenda , political correctness, and virtue signaling!! Thank you 🙏

The Heart of the Soldier

This is an excellent observation of what inspired the men on both sides of the battlefield. While extrapolation can be harmful in some instances when the need for inference is strong, this work does it in a way that's both fair and objective. Grateful that we are able to hear the hearts of the soldier through this treatise.

Great Book!

This is a really great book if you have to write a book review for a U.S. Military class. It's very interesting and I love how James M. McPherson uses letters and diaries from Confederate and Union soldiers. I learned a lot throughout the book.

Ambitious idea but falls short

I caveat this review by saying I am only an amateur historian and ACW buff.

Trying to report what every combatant went to war for is obviously impossible, which leads to generalizations. But I felt the generalizations were a bit to broad, were scant on support save a few quotations from letters home, and tended to paint the northern motivated as nobler. I appreciate that the author described in detail the bias built into his study sample- the letters disproportionately were from officers, upperclass and idealists, rather than the common man, draftees, bounty men, etc. I was hoping for more substance, rather than what felt like a superficial treatment.

I was underwhelmed by the audio performance, which was a bit dull.