In Battle Cry Of Freedom; James M. McPherson presented a fascinating; concise general history of the defining American conflict. With What They Fought For; he focuses his considerable talents on what motivated the individual soldier to fight. In an exceptional and highly original Civil War analysis; McPherson draws on the letters and diaries of nearly one thousand Union and Confederate soldiers; giving voice to the very men who risked their lives in the conflict. His conclusion that most of them felt a keen sense of patriotic and ideological commitment counters the prevailing belief that Civil War soldiers had little or no idea of what they were fighting for. In their letters home and their diaries--neither of which were subject to censorship--these men were able to comment; in writing; on a wide variety of issues connected with their war experience. Their insights show how deeply felt and strongly held their convictions were and reveal far more careful thought on the ideological issues of the war than has previously been thought to be true. Living only eighty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence; Civil War soldiers felt the legacy and responsibility entrusted to them by the Founding Fathers to preserve fragile democracy--be it through secession or union--as something worth dying for. In What They Fought For; McPherson takes individual voices and places them in the great and terrible choir of a country divided against itself. The result is both an impressive scholarly tour de force and a lively; highly accessible account of the sentiments of both Northern and Southern soldiers during the national trauma of the Civil War.
#48216 in Books Alibek; Ken/ Handelman; Stephen 2000-04-11 2000-04-11Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x 1.00 x 6.00l; .85 #File Name: 0385334966336 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. the worst thing is that the US tested bioweapons on US ...By Russell DobkinsThis is the story of the Russian Bio weapons program. Wow! Very scary! But the US did it too. Some of the germs created are still circulating in the population; all over the world. Perhaps; the worst thing is that the US tested bioweapons on US citizens; in the US; without their knowledge; and most of us don't know a thing about it.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Biological weapons of the past only?By Leonid HeifetsThe book is very informative; and it is rather a source than an entertaining reading. I did not miss a line;because of my professional interest as a microbiologist and because I knew personally many of the listed in the book individuals. Perhaps; for an ordinary reader it is too many technical things.Unfortunately; there are no summary to be presented in a lay language Also is missing and would be of interest for an ordinary reader a perspective of today on the possibility and danger of biological weapon; and not just from Russia; but rather from other countries where people were trained as a result of collaboration with Russians and beyond. I tried to address this issue in my recent book titled "Murder in the Lab".The book is neeses forthose who are interested in the problem; and congratulat ions tp the authors for this work. Leonid Heifets0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A little dry; but hey; he's a Russian ...By Julian BorrowdaleA little dry; but hey; he's a Russian scientist; not a novelist. Autobiographical stuff to hold the story together; but not too much to detract from the subject. Scary! Marburg; Ebola; Anthrax; Bubonic Plague; Botulism; Smallpox; various other bacteria; viruses; genetically engineered to be resistant to treatment drugs; all weaponized in an aerosol form and tested as payloads on missiles (poor monkeys). Look at the current natural Ebola outbreak in Africa with several countries and hundreds of victims now involved. Imagine an attack on a city where thousands would be infected in the initial attack; then hundreds of thousands dead before containment. The USSR and later Russia had a serious production line going; not just experiments. And the U.S. "experts" keep saying that it was is possible to achieve such a result. Maybe they just didn't want us to be afraid.
