This title discusses the motivations for continuing the fight. 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. He 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.

About the Author
Aaron Sheehan-Dean is assistant professor of history at the University of North Florida. He is editor of Struggle for a Vast Future: The American Civil War and The View from the Ground: The Experience of Civil War Soldiers.


Book Information
ISBN 9780807861844
Author Aaron Sheehan-Dean
Format Paperback
Page Count 312
Imprint The University of North Carolina Press
Publisher The University of North Carolina Press
Weight(grams) 431g