Courage in the Civil War (Referencing for Cause and Comrades by James M. Mcpherson

Kathie Kaidan 4/14/10 HST 202 Paper 2 There is much controversy and uncertainty about the reasons of why the Civil struggle started, and why it went on for so capacious. The Civil War is unusual not further in American History, but in world history as well because of the intensity and butchering of it. Men were taking up arms against their neighbors, fathers, sons, br some others, and friends to meet on the field of troth with just matchless mission to kill one another.James McPherson wondered this, so he researched over 25,000 uncensored letters to friends and family, and virtually 250 private diaries from soldiers fighting for the Confederacy and soldiers fighting for the Union. He then took what he learned and wrote the book For make up and Comrades, and found certain ideals that, he believes, are key reasons as to why these men fought each other over this conflict. McPherson argues that the initial impulse of the soldiers to fight the war was the simple military rage tha t follows after the solving of any war.In most cases military rage is short lived, and mostly just talk, and then mess back overcome when asked to rise up and fight. But in the Civil War, men were tearing down doors in order to enlist, and they continued to do so after the initial excitement had died down. McPherson also follows French Revolution Historian John Lynn in dividing soldiers motivating to fight into three sections throughout the war. I encounter borrowed part of my conceptual framework from John A. Lynn, an historian of the armies of the French Revolution.Lynn posited three categories initial motivation sustaining motivation and besiege motivation. The premier consists of the reasons why men enlisted the second concerns the factors that kept them in the array and kept the army in existence over time and the third focuses on what nerved them to face extreme danger in battle. These categories are separate but interrelated (McPherson, 12). One important aspect was t hat men fought because of the desire to brook this sense of manliness and doing things to prove it. Two versions of manhood competed in the Victorian era the hard-drinking, gambling, whoring two-fisted man among men, and the sober, responsible, obedient son or husband. Some soldiers found that the army transformed them from one kind of man to the other, fall in kind (McPherson, 26). Courage played a huge role in determining ones level of manliness. The more fearlessness you showed, the manlier you were. And with every man trying to prove himself better than the others, it played a key role in why Civil War soldiers continued to fight for as long as they did.The war started out with the soldiers having a sense of false courage. Most of them hadnt seen battle yet, and they were often unsure if they war would end to begin with they had the chance to make their mark. But this behavior of being pump up and excited for battle was just pre-battle adrenalin. They were not truly being gallant until after they had undergo the horror of the bloodshed, and decided to continue to endure it all over again. When it had been experienced, the emotional impact of it was overwhelming.Many wrote in their letters to loved ones saying I hope I will never be in anotherno man can tell me anything about war I have got a plenty (McPherson, 33), and I am satisfied with fighting. I wish the War was over(McPherson, 33). McPherson compared these feelings to those men who fought in World War II, mostly the 101st Airborne Division who took part in the D-Day Invasion. Before their magnetic dip behind German lines on D-Day, men in the elite 101st Airborne Division were gung-ho.When the survivors returned to England to turn out for their next mission, the boys arent as enthusiastic or anxious to get it over with as they were before Normandy. Nobody wants to fight anymore. (McPherson, 35) This is when the courage began to show. Even after seeing the elephant, a metaphor used by McPherso n in place of battle, the men remained determined to fight. They came to realize that courage meant to stand up against and conquer their fear, not just feeling fear itself. It was at its worse before the battle had even begun.Once it began unless their courage and adrenaline could keep them going. They also began of noticing ways to relieve their tension. One way was yelling at the top of their lungs, and this it to be thought as the origin of the famous Rebel Yell. The men didnt register the changing in their body chemistry, so they were dumbfounded when they could overcome illness, disabilities, and sometimes-even wounds in order to fight. After the battle had ended, most men were overcome with exhaustion. When they finally could rest, thoughts and nightmares of the battle would fill their heads.They experienced breakdowns, little sleep, appetite loss, and warming flashes quickly followed by the chills. But, nonetheless, they pursued on. The last thing they wanted was to give up or be taken over by their dreams. To them, retreating or going home was a loss of courage. Civil War soldiers had never heard of the terms shell shock or battle fatigue or combat stress reaction or psychiatric casualties. But many of them experienced the symptoms these terms attempt to describe. A word that was familiar to them, however, was courage.And they understood that combat stress reaction was a loss of courage, a loss of the will to go on fighting(McPherson, 163). It soon was known that courage wasnt only shown and proven on the field of battle, but to have the determination and desire to endure all else that comes on with warfare scarcity of food, changes in weather, not having proper shelter, little sleep, having to march for hours every day, and not cunning if you were going to see your friends and family ever again. These were the things that took up most of the soldiers lives fighting in battle was only a small percentage.McPherson quoted a major in the 11th Georgi a on his definition of what courage was in 1863 not as merely bravery in battle, but also the nerve to endure rain, and snow, and sleet, and the privations of Winter, and the scorch sun of Summerto undergo extreme fatigue, to subdue the pains of hunger to do battle with malady and despondency and gloom as with the Countrys enemies. And above all to hold ones self patiently and cheerfully ready to meet the shocks of battle (McPherson, 163-164). Although many other factors were involved as to why the men stuck it out, I believe courage is the root to them all.It takes courage to defend your family and land, which is what made your honorable. It takes courage to believe in God, and know that he is watching over you, and guiding you. It takes courage to stand up for your country and fight for what you believe in. Its amazing how these men continued to fight, and continued to be courageous when they had so many things going against them. Its better understood as to why they volunteered in the first place, but it is amazing how so many stayed until they died or the war was declared over. Courage is a fortified factor for anyone, but the way it is displayed through these men is miraculous.