What This Cruel War Was Over

First off let me start by saying I apologize for the lack of posts, I have been in the midst of the last week of school and grading, grading, and more grading has been my sole occupation.

On to the matter at hand. I have already talked about Chandra Manning’s What This Cruel Was Was Over, and, however, as is my way, I have to revisit books that perked my interest. I do this for numerous reasons, which I may disclose at a later time.

Anyway, I find Manning’s book very contemplative. I have been comparing some of her conclusions to my Regiment. The letters I have read by the 11th Wisconsin both support and refute some of her conclusions.

First, let me say that Manning’s book is (for me) so very important. I am not qualified enough to say that “everyone” who teaches U.S. history and Civil War history should get it, but for me personally, it is that book.

I still know respected U.S. history teachers who teach Civil War history from the perspective that the war was NOT fought over slavery, but instead over states rights, evil capitalists, ect. And who also teach that Union soldiers by and large did not acknowledge slavery as an objective of the war until they literally “had” to as means to an end. Or something along these lines.

Manning challenges all this, and frankly does so comprehensively. But make no mistake, this book is a starting point, not an end point.

I do not understand how a rational and intelligent person could argue that without slavery the Civil War would have still happened. You just can’t do it.

However, when it comes to motivations and opinions of the soldiers, here, we have debatable material.

In my own regiment, there are some very convincing letters written by angry soldiers in 1863 stating unequivocally after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, that if they were indeed “fighting” for the “Negro” they would lay down their arms and go home. (It should be noted that none did.)

What I found, at first, seems to contradict Manning, but looking at it again I realize that of course few white soldiers would have stated they were fighting for the Negroes. But that they fought the war to end the un-republican practice of slavery there can be no doubt.

To have said they were fighting for Negroes would have been difficult for many, and for obvious reasons. But to say they were fighting to end slavery, is very reasonable.

Even within the 11th Wisconsin throughout 1863 their attitudes towards Negroes changes, and in some instances it does so in ways that would have been very unexpected to them in say 1861.

Anyway, more on this (I hope) later…

C