Why Confederates Fought - (Civil War America) by Aaron Sheehan-Dean (Paperback)

About the Book

Why Confederates Fought: Family and Nation in Civil War Virginia

Book Synopsis

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. Utilizing new statistical evidence and first-person narratives, Sheehan-Dean explores how Virginia soldiers -- even those who were nonslaveholders -- adapted their vision of the war's purpose to remain committed Confederates.

Sheehan-Dean 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. The experience of fighting, explains Sheehan-Dean, redefined southern manhood and family relations, established the basis for postwar race and class relations, and transformed the shape of Virginia itself. He concludes that Virginians' experience of the Civil War offers important lessons about the reasons we fight wars and the ways that those reasons can change over time.

Review Quotes

"[A] persuasive demonstration that white Virginians did in fact support the Confederacy, and that they did so because they saw its army as the principal means by which to protect their families." -- Virginia Magazine

"A careful analysis [that] should . . . supersede previous works." -- American Historical Review

"A fresh and forceful contribution to our understanding of why these Virginians fought and how the very course of the war served to create new rationales for their resolve in doing so for so much of the Confederate nation's four-year lifespan." -- Civil War Book Review

"A major contribution to the growing body of literature on Civil War soldiers." -- North Carolina Historical Review

"A singular contribution to the debate. . . . Sensible and engaging." -- Journal of Military History

"A thought-compelling, quality monograph. . . . Highly recommended." -- CHOICE

"A thought-provoking analysis of the rise of the Confederate nation. . . . Should serve as a model for meticulous historical research. . . . An engaging text, which challenges scholars to look more carefully at the motivation that caused Virginians to fight for the Confederacy." -- Southern Historian

"Paying refreshingly close attention to change over time, Sheehan-Dean convincingly shows that, far from fracturing the Confederacy, Union hard-war policies condensed it." -- Journal of Southern History

"Sheehan-Dean's road may be the heavily traveled highway of Confederate nationalism, but his vehicle is distinctive." -- Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"This well-researched, well written book is a very welcome addition to the literature on nationalism in the Confederacy." -- The Journal of American History