Includes bibliographical references (p. [311]-332) and index.
Contents
"Lincoln and liberty": why an antislavery president meant war -- "Richmond is a hard road to travel": gaps between expectations and experience -- "Kingdom coming in the year of Jubilo": revolution and resistance -- "Mine years have seen the glory": the war and the hand of God -- "Many are the hearts that are weary tonight": the war in 1864 -- "Slavery's chain done broke at last": the coming of the end -- Conclusion: what this cruel war was over.
Summary
Chandra Manning uses letters, diaries, and regimental newspapers to take the reader inside the minds of Civil War soldiers-black and white, Northern and Southern-as they fought and marched across a divided country. With stunning poise and narrative verve, Manning explores how the Union and Confederate soldiers came to identify slavery as the central issue of the war and what that meant for a tumultuous nation. [from the publisher]