Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The place and purpose of military history occupies a prominent position in recent debates among historians of the American Civil War. Critics of traditional military history see it as too technical, too old-fashioned, too popular, or irrelevant to the most important aspects of the war. Advocates of traditional Civil War military history view these criticisms as a misreading of its nature and potential to illuminate the war. The collected essays in Upon the Fields of Battle seek to bridge this intellectual divide by highlighting how historians are enriching the field of Civil War studies by using military history. The essays approach the period through the expansive lens of military history, grounded in both traditional and pioneering methodologies. By offering fresh areas of inquiry and demonstrating the potential of military history to provide invaluable insights, the collection seeks to realign military scholarship on the American Civil War with other scholarly avenues of inquiry.
Contributors to the volume integrate a deep analysis of military ideas and practices into social, cultural, and other contexts of Civil War studies in new and innovative ways. By reconceiving traditional approaches to subjects like battles and battlefields, practice and policy, command and culture, the environment, the home front, civilians and combatants, atrocity and memory, these essays reveal a more balanced understanding of the military aspects of the Civil War's evolving history.
Synopsis
New developments in Civil War scholarship owe much to removal of artificial divides by historians seeking to explore the connections between the home front and the battlefield. Indeed, scholars taking a holistic view of the war have contributed to our understanding of the social complexities of emancipation--of freedom in a white republic--and the multifaceted experiences of both civilians and soldiers. Given these accomplishments, research focusing on military history prompts prominent and recurring debates among Civil War historians. Critics of traditional military history see it as old-fashioned, too technical, or irrelevant to the most important aspects of the war. Proponents of this area of study view these criticisms as a misreading of its nature and potential to illuminate the war. The collected essays in Upon the Fields of Battle bridge this intellectual divide, demonstrating how historians enrich Civil War studies by approaching the period through the specific but nonetheless expansive lens of military history.
Drawing together contributions from Keith Altavilla, Robert L. Glaze, John J. Hennessy, Earl J. Hess, Brian Matthew Jordan, Kevin M. Levin, Brian D. McKnight, Jennifer M. Murray, and Kenneth W. Noe, editors Andrew S. Bledsoe and Andrew F. Lang present an innovative volume that deeply integrates and analyzes the ideas and practices of the military during the Civil War. Furthermore, by grounding this collection in both traditional and pioneering methodologies, the authors assess the impact of this field within the social, political, and cultural contexts of Civil War studies.
Upon the Fields of Battle reconceives traditional approaches to subjects like battles and battlefields, practice and policy, command and culture, the environment, the home front, civilians and combatants, atrocity and memory, revealing a more balanced understanding of the military aspects of the Civil War's evolving history.