Marching home : union veterans and their unending Civil War /
Jordan, Brian Matthew,1986-
For well over a century, traditional Civil War histories have concluded in 1865, with a bitterly won peace and Union soldiers returning triumphantly home. In a landmark work that challenges sterilized portraits accepted for generations, Civil War historian Brian Matthew Jordan creates an entirely new narrative. These veterans--tending rotting wounds, battling alcoholism, campaigning for paltry pensions--tragically realized that they stood as unwelcome reminders to a new America eager to heal, forget, and embrace the freewheeling bounty of the Gilded Age. Mining previously untapped archives, Jordan uncovers anguished letters and diaries, essays by amputees, and gruesome medical reports, all deeply revealing of the American psyche.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-354) and index.
Introduction: When this cruel war was "over" -- A day for songs and contests -- Stranger at the gates -- Ithaca at last -- Living monuments -- Captive memories -- A debt of honor -- This degradation of souls -- Epilogue: parade rest.
For well over a century, traditional Civil War histories have concluded in 1865, with a bitterly won peace and Union soldiers returning triumphantly home. In a landmark work that challenges sterilized portraits accepted for generations, Civil War historian Brian Matthew Jordan creates an entirely new narrative. These veterans--tending rotting wounds, battling alcoholism, campaigning for paltry pensions--tragically realized that they stood as unwelcome reminders to a new America eager to heal, forget, and embrace the freewheeling bounty of the Gilded Age. Mining previously untapped archives, Jordan uncovers anguished letters and diaries, essays by amputees, and gruesome medical reports, all deeply revealing of the American psyche.
Veterans
Veterans