1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910822195003321

Autore

Foote Lorien <1969->

Titolo

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

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, : New York University Press, c2010

ISBN

0-8147-2858-8

0-8147-2795-6

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (248 p.)

Disciplina

973.71

Soggetti

Honor - United States - History - 19th century

Masculinity - United States - History - 19th century

Social classes - United States - History - 19th century

Social conflict - United States - History - 19th century

Soldiers - United States - Social conditions - 19th century

Violence - United States - History - 19th century

United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 Social aspects

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

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

Nota di contenuto

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

Sommario/riassunto

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.