Summary Of What This Cruel War Was Over Chandra Manning

The overall cause of the Civil War will most likely remain in a perpetual state of disagreement amongst historians for years to come. The soldiers however, are not often discussed and are usually ignored for prominent military leaders. The experience of an enlisted man sheds light on important social and cultural issues, which surrounded all aspects of the Civil War. Economic and political issues helped fuel the war but race relations were at the heart of the fire. In What This Cruel War Was Over, Chandra Manning seeks to discuss why men from both the North and the South not only joined the war effort, but also why they continued to do so for four grueling years. Manning argues that no matter which side a soldier stood, the other side threatened his stance on slavery.

Despite previous scholarship offering insight into soldiers’ views during the war, Manning looks at the subtle ways these views evolved. Manning claims that Union soldiers called for complete emancipation of the slaves as early as 1861. This was long before civilians and political leaders and civilians began to feel the same. From the perspective of a Union soldier “slavery blighted everything it touched” and needed to be completely dismantled in order to preserve the Union (p. 47). According to Manning, Northerners had little contact with slavery prior to the war. The Northern soldiers’ experiences with slavery ultimately lead the Lincoln administration towards emancipation. In September 1862, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, with Civil War soldiers being at the center of it all. Throughout the war Union soldiers displayed racism and prejudice. By the end however, they were beginning to question themselves and race relations in the United