The gentlemen and the roughs : manhood, honor, and violence in the Union Army / Lorien Foote.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Foote, Lorien, 1969-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Army--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.

United States.

United States. Army--Military life--History--19th century.

Honor--United States--History--19th century.

Honor.

Masculinity--United States--History--19th century.

Masculinity.

Social classes--United States--History--19th century.

Social classes.

Social conflict--United States--History--19th century.

Social conflict.

Soldiers--United States--Social conditions--19th century.

Soldiers.

Violence--United States--History--19th century.

Violence.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Social aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (248 p.)

Place of Publication:

New York : New York University Press, c2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

During the Civil War, the Union army—like the society from which it sprang—appeared cohesive enough to withstand four years of grueling war against the Confederates and to claim victory in 1865. But fractiousness bubbled below the surface of the North’s presumably united front. Internal fissures were rife within the Union army: class divisions, regional antagonisms, ideological differences, and conflicting personalities all distracted the army from quelling the Southern rebellion.In this highly original contribution to Civil War and gender history, Lorien Foote reveals that these internal battles were fought against the backdrop of manhood. Clashing ideals of manliness produced myriad conflicts when educated, refined, and wealthy officers (“gentlemen”) found themselves commanding a hard-drinking group of fighters (”roughs”)—a dynamic that often resulted in violence and even death. Challenges, fights, and duels were common. Based on extensive research into heretofore ignored primary sources—courts-martial records and regimental order books—The Gentlemen and the Roughs uncovers holes in our understanding of the men who fought the Civil War and the society that produced them.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. “A Good Moral Regiment”

2. “The Model of the Gentleman”

3. “A Regular Old-Fashioned Free Fight”

4. “If You Will Go with Me outside the Lines”

5. “The Thick-Fingered Clowns”

6. “The Shoulder-Strap Gentry”

Conclusion

Appendix

Notes

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 213-223) and index.

ISBN:

9780814728581

0814728588

9780814727959

0814727956

OCLC:

779828082