A republic in the ranks : loyalty and dissent in the Army of the Potomac / Zachery A. Fry.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Fry, Zachery A., author.

Series:

Civil War America (Series)

Civil War America

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Army of the Potomac.

United States.

Soldiers--Political activity--United States.

Soldiers.

Soldiers--Political activity.

United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Regimental histories.

History.

Regimental histories.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xiii, 319 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Chapel Hill : The University of North Carolina Press, [2020]

Summary:

"The Union Army of the Potomac was a hotbed of political activity during the Civil War. It proved a source of constant frustration for Abraham Lincoln, and its commander, George B. McClellan, even secured the Democratic nomination for president in 1864. In this innovative book, Zachery A. Fry uses untapped sources to recast our understanding of soldier ideology and presents the most comprehensive view yet of the army's political story. His work recounts the struggle between Republicans and Democrats for political allegiance among the army's rank and file, showing how captains, majors, and colonels spurred a pro-Republican political awakening among the enlisted men that burst onto the public stage through newspaper editorials, unit resolutions, and letters to home front politicians. Fry traces the heated campaigning and voting activity on the front lines during critical elections such as the 1864 presidential contest, in the process showing how an army that had once revered McClellan renounced him for consorting with the forces of peace activism and treason. Union soldiers asserted themselves as the guardians of civic virtue and used the power of political organization to set the terms in a heated debate over wartime loyalty"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The hope of the nation

A devotion almost idolatry

We can no longer keep silent

Erase every devil of them

Copperheads and half-loyal regular officers

What the sentiment of the army really is

Epilogue

Appendix A. Bibliography of 1863 unit political resolutions

Appendix B. 1864 reenlistment analysis methodology

Appendix C. Participation by regiment in the Philadelphia Free Military School

Appendix D. Unit voting returns for 1863 elections

Appendix E. Unit voting returns for 1864 Pennsylvania congressional elections

Appendix F. Unit voting returns for 1864 presidential election.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 267-299) and index.

ISBN:

9781469654454

1469654458

OCLC:

1110126002