Poetry & Prose of Whitman & McPherson

In his book For Cause and Comrades, McPherson (1998) undertakes an investigation as to what motivated the soldiers in the Civil War to risk their lives in situations as fearsome and life-threatening as ever faced by soldiers in combat. In making this investigation, McPherson uncovers a great deal of information about the horrific reality of combat. War is dirty, grueling, life-risking and filled with mayhem and carnage. Out the outset of the book, McPherson (1998) shares a first-hand account of a Union officerÆs recollection of his time spent in combat, ôI never expect to be fully believed when I tell what I saw of the horrors of Spotsylvania, because I should be loath to believe it myself had [I] not been there.ö

The men who fought in the Civil War often suffered the harshest conditions and severe depredations. Lacking food, clothes and ammunition, many suffered torturous marches without proper nourishment, attire, or the means of adequately protecting themselves. When combat did erupt, the atrocities and carnage were both physically and psychologically damaging. Many soldiers suffered such trauma in battle that by the time the next battle ensued their nerves were shredded. One soldierÆs recount in McPherson (1998) demonstrates

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Approximate Word count = 818
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page)

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