Analysis Of James Mcpherson s What They Fought For...

James McPherson the author of What They Fought For 1861-1865, thesis states that the soldiers from both the North and South fought for a large extent for ideology, and not exclusively as brothers in war with other soldiers, for principles of strength or courage, and for the nations of honor and duty. McPherson uses hundreds of letters and diaries from soldiers from both the Union and Confederate troops to show their experience. He tries to focus on a variety of attitudes and motives from the volunteer soldiers. These young men coped with fear, stress, exhaustion, pain, and death everyday while out there fighting. â€Å"A final theme that will receive attention is ideology,† (McPherson 1) this is what the soldiers supposed they were fighting for during the Civil War. In the first chapter it shows the side of the southern Confederate armies. They start to compare the Civil War to the Revolutionary War. Their enemies, known as Northern Yankees, were nothing more than just dictators trying to destroy the south. It’s the same technique the British did to the colonists almost a century ago. This is what gave them their southern freedom, by walking in the shoes of their forefathers and fight for their liberties and constitutional rights. He then starts to talk about the Confederates lives by the letters and journals that they wrote during the Civil War. Each letter talks about different things; how the Southern soldiers felt about the war, talks about their enemies the Yanks, slaves,Show MoreRelatedEssay on What They Fought for708 Words   |  3 PagesWhat They Fought For 1861 - 1865 This book was a good analysis of Civil War soldiers diaries, and letters to their loved ones. Which explains what they were going through in their lives and what they fought for and risked their lives for in this conflict. In the book the author James M. McPherson uses information from l00s of diaries and letters from the soldiers to learn why they fought in this war. The Union soldiers fought to preserve the Nation that was created in 1776, to save itRead More`` For Cause And Comrades `` By Kathryn Shively Meir Of Nature s Civil War1840 Words   |  8 Pagesused by two authors to use these firsthand accounts for differing outcomes. Author James McPherson provides a comprehensive analysis of the Civil War using over 25,000 letters and 250 private diaries in his book, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War. McPherson in his book answers to age-old questions; who was the common soldier and why did soldiers fight – what was their motivation? 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