Sing Not War: The Lives of Union & Confederate Veterans in Gilded Age America
James Marten; University of North Carolina Press
For veterans of any era, combat memories can last a lifetime. This was certainly true for Civil War soldiers. In Sing Not War, James Marten follows Union and Confederate veterans as they tried to adjust to life back at home.
For many Union men, the afterglow of triumph was relatively brief. Marten says Rebels were venerated for their service more than their Northern counterparts, sometimes with a fervor nearing religious passion. In time, that zeal was reflected in the Lost Cause movement.
Marten analyzes many of the complexities inherent in the return of troops at the end of a conflict, after they have been exposed to the horrors of war. Drawing on former soldiers’ letters, diaries, journals, newspapers and other sources, he has crafted a narrative that provides historical perspective on the era but is also compelling from a human interest standpoint.
The last Civil War veterans survived into the 1950s, living to see the advent of air travel, telephones, TV and the Nuclear Age. After reading Sing Not War, readers may hope to see Marten continue with his storytelling well past the Gilded Age.
Originally published in the February 2012 issue of Civil War Times. To subscribe, click here.
