RAISING THE WHITE FLAG

Erscheinungsjahr 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4696-4972-6
Verlag: UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA PR

Buch, Englisch, 376 Seiten, Hardback, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm

Reihe: Civil War America

The American Civil War began with a laying down of arms by Union troops at Fort Sumter, and it ended with a series of surrenders, most famously at Appomattox Courthouse. But in the intervening four years, both Union and Confederate forces surrendered en masse on scores of other occasions. Indeed, roughly one out of every four soldiers surrendered at some point during the conflict. In no other American war did surrender happen so frequently.

David Silkenat here provides the first comprehensive study of Civil War surrender, focusing on the conflicting social, political, and cultural meanings of the action. Looking at the conflict from the perspective of men who surrendered, Silkenat creates new avenues to understand prisoners of war, fighting by Confederate guerrillas, the role of southern Unionists, and the experiences of African American soldiers. The experience of surrender also sheds valuable light on the culture of honor, the experience of combat, and the laws of war.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Über Autor(innen)

David Silkenat is senior lecturer of American history at the University of Edinburgh.