Books in Brief

What They Fought For, 1861-1865, by James M. McPherson (Louisiana State, 88 pp., $16.95)

IN THE image popularized by Ernest Hemingway and other modern writers, combat infantrymen are inevitably cynical about notions such as glory, honor, courage, sacrifice, valor, and sacred causes. Apparently confirming this view, at least in part, a major study conducted during World War II found that most soldiers had little or no understanding of the cause they fought for, being motivated principally by devotion to comrades in their own platoon. This modern hermeneutic has sometimes been read back into earlier conflicts, including the Civil War. Contra Hemingway et al., Professor James M. McPherson (Battle Cry of Freedom) argues that a surprisingly large percentage of Civil War soldiers on each side of the Mason—Dixon line felt high levels of patriotism and ideological commitment to their respective causes throughout the war. “Our cynicism about the genuineness of such sentiments is more our problem than theirs,” says Mr. McPherson, who arrived at this conclusion somewhat reluctantly, after analyzing thousands of letters and diaries written by frontline soldiers. Excerpts from these sources are employed, to bracing effect, in the text. This little book will undoubtedly stir controversy not only among historians but also in the larger intellectual culture, where thinking about war has been shaped to a great extent by A Farewell to Arms and MASH.

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Matthew Berke

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What They Fought For, 1861-1865, by James M. McPherson (Louisiana State, 88 pp., $16.95)

IN THE image popularized by Ernest Hemingway and other modern writers, combat infantrymen are inevitably cynical about notions such as glory, honor, courage, sacrifice, valor, and sacred causes. Apparently confirming this view, at least in part, a major study conducted during World War II found that most soldiers had little or no understanding of the cause they fought for, being motivated principally by devotion to comrades in their own platoon. This modern hermeneutic has sometimes been read back into earlier conflicts, including the Civil War. Contra Hemingway et al., Professor James M. McPherson (Battle Cry of Freedom) argues that a surprisingly large percentage of Civil War soldiers on each side of the Mason—Dixon line felt high levels of patriotism and ideological commitment to their respective causes throughout the war. “Our cynicism about the genuineness of such sentiments is more our problem than theirs,” says Mr. McPherson, who arrived at this conclusion somewhat reluctantly, after analyzing thousands of letters and diaries written by frontline soldiers. Excerpts from these sources are employed, to bracing effect, in the text. This little book will undoubtedly stir controversy not only among historians but also in the larger intellectual culture, where thinking about war has been shaped to a great extent by A Farewell to Arms and MASH.