Veterans North and South: The Transition from Soldier to Civilian after the American Civil War

by Paul A. Cimbala

Overview

Based largely on Civil War veterans' own words, this book documents how many of these men survived the extraordinary horrors and hardships of war with surprising resilience and went on to become productive members of their communities in their post-war lives.

Nothing transforms "dry, boring history" into fascinating and engaging stories like learning about long-ago events through the words of those who lived them. What was it like to witness—and participate in—the horrors of a war that lasted four years and claimed over half a million lives, and then emerge as a survivor into a drastically changed world? Veterans North and South: The Transition from Soldier to Civilian after the American Civil War takes readers back to this unimaginable time through the words of Civil War soldiers who fought on both sides, illuminating their profound, life-changing experiences during the war and in the postbellum period.

The book covers the period from the surrender of the armies of the Confederacy to the returban of the veterans to their homes. It follows them through their readjustment to civilian life and to family life while addressing their ability—and in some cases, inability—to become productive members of society. By surveying Civil War veterans' individual stories, readers will gain an in-depth understanding of these soldiers' sacrifices and comprehend how these discrete experiences coalesced to form America's memory of this war as a nation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275984670
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/14/2015
Series:	Reflections on the Civil War Era
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Paul A. Cimbala, PhD, is professor of history at Fordham University, Bronx, NY.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword ix

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 The End of the War 1

Chapter 2 Going Home 13

Chapter 3 Facing Postwar Adjustment 23

Chapter 4 The Useful Consequences of Service 35

Chapter 5 Sons and Families 47

Chapter 6 Rebuilding and Building Families 59

Chapter 7 Making Ends Meet at Old Homes and New 71

Chapter 8 Overcoming Lost Time and Physical Disabilities 83

Chapter 9 Confederate Veterans Resurgent 95

Chapter 10 Union Veterans in the Era of Reconstruction 107

Chapter 11 Remembering a Meaningful Experience 119

Notes 133

Bibliographical Essay 169

Index 183

What People are Saying About This

Andrew L. Slap

"Skillfully bringing together the growing work on Civil War veterans and making it come alive with powerful stories of individual men, Cimbala provides a broad overview of the veteran experience from the finals days of the conflict through reintegration to civilian society and the end of Reconstruction. More important, he launches a stirring counterattack against the recent trend of Civil War-era historians to focus on the brutality of war and the tragic nature of the period. While acknowledging the hardships soldiers faced and the lingering problems for some veterans, Cimbala emphatically argues that the vast majority of Civil War veterans not only readjusted to civilian life but used their wartime experiences to become vital members of their communities and help shape the future of the nation in positive ways. This provocative book is sure to spark controversy."

Stephen V. Ash

"This thoughtful, revealing, and deeply researched book should be read not only by everyone interested in the Civil War and its aftermath but by everyone concerned with issues involving America's war veterans, past and present."

John C. Inscoe

"With Veterans North and South, Paul Cimbala can lay claim to a prominent place amidst the recent wave of revisionist scholarship on the post-war experiences of Civil War soldiers. Drawing on a vast and varied cast of characters on both sides of the conflict, Cimbala vividly chronicles the emotional and psychological challenges they faced—and more often than not overcame—both in rebuilding their lives as civilians and in coming to terms with what the war meant and why it mattered. A compelling read, full of fresh insights and sophisticated analysis at every turn."

Professor Robert E. May

"This gracefully written, thoroughly researched study is loaded with relevance for modern veterans' issues including PTSD. Cimbala fuses rich anecdotal and statistical evidence in a narrative that is conversant with interdisciplinary scholarship, sensitive to issues of race, class, and gender, and bursting with revealing case histories. He shows that in many ways the Civil War did not end at Appomattox; that in their writings, associations, politics, and paramilitary activities veterans played the instrumental role in keeping it alive. In the end, Cimbala reminds us how important the institution of slavery and the subordination of African Americans were to the identities of Confederates, and how issues of citizenship and emancipation framed the self-awareness of men in blue as they sought new livelihoods during the Reconstruction years. An important contribution."

Editorial Reviews

Highly recommended . . . Cimbala has produced an excellent boook . . . . Students of the New South will find this study an important foundation for their understanding of the subject. Libraries with Southern history collections will find it a must-have addition.” —Choice

“This book is a significant addition to the literature that will prompt much worthwhile debate. . . .[A]n important call for future scholars.” —Jourbanal of Southern History

“A useful introduction to the study of Civil War army veterans. . . . Scholars interested in family history, post-Civil War political history, and the construction of memory by veterans' organizations will also be interested in this volume.” —Jourbanal of the Civil War Era

From the Publisher