Cowards and Heroes: Group Loyalty in the American Civil War / Dora L. Costa, Matthew E. Kahn.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Costa, Dora L.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Kahn, Matthew E.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w8627.

NBER working paper series no. w8627

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Other Title:

Cowards and Heroes

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2001.

Summary:

What motivated men to risk death in the most horrific war in U.S. history when pay was low and irregular and military punishment strategies were weak? In such a situation creating group loyalty by promoting social capital is of paramount importance and in the Civil War was the cement of both armies. We find that individual and company socio-economic and demographic characteristics, ideology, and morale were important predictors of group loyalty in the Union Army. Company characteristics were more important than ideology or morale. Soldiers in companies that were more homogeneous in ethnicity, occupation, and age were less likely to shirk.

Notes:

Print version record

December 2001.