Biographical memoir that focuses on the Lancaster, PA native General John Reynolds' military life: At West Point, in the war with Mexico, fighting renegade Native Americans inOregon, Commandant of the Cadet Corps at West Point, and during the Civil War.
Reprint. Published by arrangement with Houghton Mifflin.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 103-106) and index.
Summary
Includes diary entries, personal letters, and archival photographs to describe the experiences of boys, sixteen years old or younger, who fought in the Civil War.
Mr Druckemiller was a Captain in Company B of the 79th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The diary details his military duties and movements. His references to the weather and daily activities remind the reader of the hardships endured by armies at that time. His writing is clear and succinct.
Prologue: America's Crisis -- 1. Slavery and States' Rights in the Early Republic -- 2. The Political Economy of Slavery and Secession -- 3. The Slave Power Seeks Foreign Conquest -- 4. Emergence of the Republican Party -- 5. The Confederate States of America -- 6. Mobilizing for Conflict -- 7. The Military Struggle -- 8. The War to Abolish Slavery? -- 9. Republican Neo-Mercantilism Versus Confederate War Socialism -- 10. Dissent and Disaffection - North and South -- 11. The Ravages of Total War -- 12. The Politics of Reconstruction -- 13. American Society Transformed -- Epilogue: America's Turning Point.
Summary
This book combines a sweeping narrative history of the Civil War with a bold new look at the war's significance for American society. Professor Hummel sees the Civil War as America's turning point: simultaneously the culmination and repudiation of the American revolution. A unique feature of the book is the bibliographical essays which follow every chapter. Here the author surveys the literature and points out where his own interpretation fits into the continuing clash of viewpoints which informs historical debate on the Civil War.
