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The Union War

3.65 of 5 stars 3.65 · rating details · 54 ratings · 17 reviews

Even one hundred and fifty years later, we are haunted by the Civil War--by its division, its bloodshed, and perhaps, above all, by its origins. Today, many believe that the war was fought over slavery. This answer satisfies our contemporary sense of justice, but as Gary Gallagher shows in this brilliant revisionist history, it is an anachronistic judgment.

In a searing ana...more

Hardcover, 215 pages

Published April 25th 2011 by Harvard University Press

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Oct 31, 2012 Brian Anton rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Union War, written by Gary Gallagher and published in 2011, provides a self-acclaimed revisionist history of the view of the goals of the Union during the Civil War. He explains that when one thinks about that particular war, we see the Union cause as that of abolition. In this book, Gallagher argues that the Union and President Abraham Lincoln were motivated not by the issue of slavery, but instead by the preservation of the union. In order to show that this was the viewpoint of the time, h...more The Union War, written by Gary Gallagher and published in 2011, provides a self-acclaimed revisionist history of the view of the goals of the Union during the Civil War. He explains that when one thinks about that particular war, we see the Union cause as that of abolition. In this book, Gallagher argues that the Union and President Abraham Lincoln were motivated not by the issue of slavery, but instead by the preservation of the union. In order to show that this was the viewpoint of the time, he has organized the book topically to examine and provide information that shows the emphasis of Union as the basis for fighting against their own countrymen in the Civil War.

The book is organized topically into five chapters. In the first chapter, “The Grand Review,” which discusses that event that took place to celebrate the end of the war and evaluates it in regard to those who participated in the event on May 23-24, 1865. Here, Gallagher exaggerates the view of the ceremony by its participants and spectators as celebration of the defeat of the Confederacy and a unified United States. He also adds, that the Review had many of the same undertones of Antebellum America proving that the war was not about race but of protecting the union. He writes that when historians, “strip away the waving flags and celebratory chest-thumping, and what remained was a soon-to-be-reunited nation that looked much like the racist, exclusionary, oppressive United States of the prewar era.”(8). He explains that no white military regiments participated in the march and that newspaper accounts did not mention that fact, but instead emphasized victory and the resulting salvage of democracy and self-government.

The second chapter, titled “Union,” details the idea that preservation of the union was the foremost goal of the citizens of the North and of President Lincoln. Gallagher argues that the cause for entering the war by the northerners was to maintain self-government and the United States Constitution and points out that many, including the president, supported doing whatever it took in order to meet that goal. Here, he discusses the idea that the Unionists, as many historians have named them, would accept anything that would allow the union to be maintained, including the abolition of slavery. He cites Lincoln’s words pertaining to the issue of abolition, where he discussed the issue in a public letter, writing that his goal was, “to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery.” Gallagher also mentions the main battle hymn for the North, The Battle Cry of Freedom, also declared that the preservation of the union was the primary objective and that the rebellion needed to be put down in order to maintain and protect the Constitution.

Next, Gallagher deals with the idea of emancipation and how the soldiers reacted. Essentially, he writes that, “soldiers manifested no interest in Lincoln’s words,” (85) regarding the Emancipation Proclamation. He points out that most northerners were apathetic to the idea of abolition as a reason for going to war. They instead saw it as a necessity for winning the war that would protect the idea that a Republican government could be successful. Next, the book explains the views of civilians pertaining to those who fought in the war and points out that northerners viewed them as “The National Army” and Ulysses Grant as its leader because it transcended partisan lines. In essence, Gallagher argues that they were seen as such because they saw it as their duty to fight for the Union instead of making political gains. Finally, Gallagher explains what he views as the final purpose for the emancipation of slaves was to remove slavery as a source for conflict in the future. He argues that when the war ended, northerners viewed it with a sense of accomplishment because they had preserved the Union, gotten rid of the slaveholding aristocracy of the South, and removed slavery as a source of future contention. He points out that the Civil War changed how Americans thought of their country by writing that, “during the Antebellum years, most people said, ‘the United States are....’ After the war, however, they said ‘The United States is...’ revealing for the first time an understanding of the whole as greater than the constituent parts.” (161) Finally, the book concludes that Union soldiers saved the one true democratic republic of the time that provided an example of popular self-rule for the rest of the world. (162)

Reviewers of The Union War are for the most part supportive of Gallagher’s conclusion that the war was, for the most part, fought in order to preserve the Union. They applaud him for his differing viewpoint from the consensus and the sources that he used including letters and other primary resources from those fighting in the war. There is also opposition to his thesis though. David Goldfield, in his review, pointed out that Gallagher ignores the idea that the Northern cause was not only about preserving the Union but also the fact that they were fighting for religious reasons, and the idea that they were backed by God. Another weakness that is pointed out, includes the idea that Gallagher ignores the views of northern Democrats, who may have had a different perspective on the reasons for fighting the Civil War. They also point out that he spends a significant amount of time refuting other authors instead of sticking to his topic of providing information to support his thesis, but note that his narrative style is strong

The reviews of this book are spot on. Gallagher is known for his readable prose and narrates the stories that he tells throughout the book extremely well. The supporting information that he provides for his thesis, as well as his sources are all appropriate, and his explanation of each source and how it relates to the thesis of the Union cause is done well. It is refreshing to read a different view of the Civil War, opposed to the typical idea that was an ideological war in order to abolish slavery. Though it was an issue, Gallagher explains the correlation between abolition and union well, by explaining that it was a necessity in order to harm the Confederate military and economic force at their disposal. The book provides a significant addition to the study of the Civil War because of that refreshing viewpoint, opposing the consensus, and bringing to light a different perspective on the reasons for the northern cause—Union.(less)

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Jun 27, 2012 Ron Tenney rated it 2 of 5 stars

Gallagher is a great lecturer (Listen to his lectures on the Teaching Company series)
This book makes a simple point, really. The cause and inspiration of the Civil war, from the loyal Northern perspective was the cause of UNION. Modern interpretations have morphed this into a primary battle for freedom and equality. Other historians insist that in reality, the blacks freed themselves by desertion and aiding the Union cause. Some downplay the role of the military in the outcome of the war.
Galla...more

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Dec 22, 2011 Keith Akers rated it 4 of 5 stars

Gary Gallagher has written an excellent, interesting, and persuasive book. If you think the Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery, well, you need to take a look at this book. Actually, slavery was an integral cause of the war, but that's not why people enlisted and that's not why the war was fought. The war was fought (at least from the point of view of the "North") over the issue of "Union," which was paramount. It's true that without slavery, there would have been no Civil War. But we...more Gary Gallagher has written an excellent, interesting, and persuasive book. If you think the Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery, well, you need to take a look at this book. Actually, slavery was an integral cause of the war, but that's not why people enlisted and that's not why the war was fought. The war was fought (at least from the point of view of the "North") over the issue of "Union," which was paramount. It's true that without slavery, there would have been no Civil War. But we need to distinguish the causes of the war both from the other motive forces as well as from the people's own self-understanding of the war at the time.

This is the first book I've read of Gallagher's -- I'll try to make room for his other book on "The Confederate War" at some later date. It really presupposes that you know the basic outline of the war. So don't look for battle scenes, political maneuvering, or armies marching North and armies marching South. Yes, that is discussed, but Gallagher's focus is on the heart of the war in people's minds at the time. I especially liked his analysis of the words to "Battle Cry of Freedom," and the way he sorts out the evidence by continually coming back to how people actually saw events at the time.

If we think that the war for Union became a war to end slavery, we set ourselves up for historical disappointment. We then are at a loss to explain why, after expending all this blood and money over the war for emancipation, the U. S. then turned its back on blacks for nearly a century -- literally. The truth is that in the minds of most Northerners, the war was not "about" slavery in the first place; the abolitionists were a minority.

Prejudice against blacks was just as great in the North as it was in the South, and there was never any clear plan for what to "do" with the blacks when the war ended. The North was against slavery to a great extent just because the slaves were competition for "free labor," and also for exactly the reasons Lincoln spelled out in the Emancipation Proclamation, because slavery propped up the slave republic that was dividing the country. So slavery was a key issue, no doubt about it; but in the minds of the people, the war was really about whether we were going to be one nation or two, and whether we were or ever had been a nation at all. It was about the Union.

(less)

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Nov 21, 2011 Anthony Pacifico rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this well researched, scholarly book, Gary Gallagher makes a compelling case for the fact that it wasn't the abolition of slavery that gave the North the will to fight, and win, the Civil War, but the desire to maintain the Union. He cites numerous speeches, articles and letters from Northern soldiers all focusing on the need to preserve the Union. He goes on to make the argument that Emancipation was seen as a weapon of war to weaken the South and bring down what Northerners referred to as t...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Karl Rove added it

Shelves: read-in-2011

Gallagher, one of the nation’s preeminent Civil War scholars and a professor at the University of Virginia, deals in his latest book of the question of why did the North fight? His answer is in the volume’s first sentence: “The loyal American citizenry fought a war for Union that also killed slavery.” This fast-paced review of the controversies that civil war historians have been arguing about is opinionated, well-informed, provocative and just the thing any American history buff needs to read t...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Sean Mccarrey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Gallagher makes a convincing point within his book that the Civil War in the minds of most of the Union, was fought over the preservation of the Union rather than emancipation. While I did appreciate Gallagher's argument, the book read like an instructions manual for a piece of IKEA furniture. And like all things IKEA, when I was done with the book, I felt as though there was something major missing. Aside from the generally sleepy tone used by Gallagher throughout the book, he neglects to addre...more

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May 20, 2011 Steven Peterson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Gallagher lays out the purpose of this book early on (Page 3): "This book seeks to recover what Lincoln meant to the generation that fought the war." The author argues that many have lost sight of the importance of the concept of "Union" as a motivator of the North. He uses letters, songs (e.g., "The Battle Cry of Freedom"), and other sources to emphasize the evidence for hsi thesis. I'm not sure that his argument is as unique as he says, but he does do a nice job of presenting the case. A prett...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Don rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

It is so simple to answer these questions today:
Q: What caused the Civil War?
A: Slavery.

Q: Why did the North fight?
A: To end slavery.

Not so fast! That answer is revisionist history, which is the point of this book.

It is much more nuanced and complex than the knee-jerk answer of, "to end slavery." Certainly emancipation became part of the Union cause, but it is important to distinguish that preserving the Union itself was the pressing issue.

A strong account of what motivated Union soldiers to fi...more

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Nov 11, 2011 Janis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Anyone with an interest in the American Civil War would benefit from reading this intelligent analysis of the war aims of the North. What I like so much about this and other works by Gary Gallagher is that he insists on understanding events and motivations by studying how people spoke and wrote about them during the time in which they occurred rather than from our perspective today. He’s a great historian and a great writer!

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Jan 14, 2013 Gene rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: civil-war

Good, quick read about the concept of "Union" as the prime motivation for northerners during the Civil War and how this connected to the military and emancipation. More of a first cut that shows how valuable a topic this is than a deep dive, so I'd be interested to see other work on this topic.

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Nov 06, 2011 Jayw added it

Analysis of letters, diaries, newspapers and other contemporary materials to conclude the North overwhelmingly fought for the preservation of the union and other motivations paled in comparison for the vast majority of northerners.

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Jun 13, 2011 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-civil-war, non-fiction

Interesting antidote to most recent looks at the causes of the American Civil War. I picked up the book to read because I had enjoyed the series of essays he edited on the 3 days at Gettysburg. I did not reget my choice.

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Jun 08, 2011 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: american-history

Let me qualify my rating. This is not a book for those looking for a general overview of the war: McPherson's "Battle Cry of Freedom is still the best for that.

You need a through grounding, not only in the Civil War but in the history of the War. Gallagher spends as much time arguing with other historians, esp. in the notes, as he does making his arguments.

But coupled with his "The Confederate War," "The Union War" is a historian at his finest, causing this reader to rethink his previous ideas a...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gilder-lehrman-2012, history-teachers-unite

The organization of this book gives it the 4 star rating for making my OCD heart swoon. Beyond the perfection that was organization, this book was expertly researched and Gallagher made clear, concise and well-supported arguments. The inclusion of a variety of primary sources was also superb. I am very much looking forward to my week in Virginia where I'll be attending a Gilder Lehrman institute and discussing this book as well as other Civil War related topics with Gary Gallagher himself.

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Oct 24, 2011 ARMY added it

Kingseed

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Jul 23, 2011 Margaret Sankey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think you can imagine how happy I was that Gallagher starts his work with the observation that Americans were influenced by the failures of 1848 in Europe to mistrust the plantation oligarchy. Meanwhile, framing his analysis with the Grand Review of May 1865, he explores the mentalite and material culture of northern people--propaganda envelopes (which I had never seen before), sheet music, rude cartoons, memorials in cemeteries and battlefields, flags and mustering out ceremonies.

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Dec 02, 2011 Sean Chick rated it 4 of 5 stars

More like an extended essay than a fully formed argument, Gallagher has nevertheless pointed out what many of us forget: the union as the central issue for the northern armies.

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Apr 23, 2013 Ben Haley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 09, 2013 Jim marked it as to-read

Mar 07, 2013 Andrew marked it as to-read

Mar 01, 2013 Douglas rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feb 24, 2013 Eli Baker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Feb 24, 2013 Marigail rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feb 15, 2013 Cecily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Feb 10, 2013 Daniel Sauerwein added it

Shelves: civil-war

Feb 06, 2013 Zack rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: civil-war-academic-history, favorites

Jan 28, 2013 Matt Parkins marked it as to-read

Jan 08, 2013 Josh Liller marked it as to-read

Shelves: civil-war

Dec 17, 2012 Namira marked it as to-read

Dec 14, 2012 Rich rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: civil-war, military-history

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About Gary W. Gallagher

Gary W. Gallagher, the John L. Nau III Professor of History at the University of Virginia, is the author or editor of many books in the field of Civil War history, including The Confederate War; Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War; and The Union War.

More about Gary W. Gallagher...

Books by Gary W. Gallagher

The Confederate War: How Popular Will, Nationalism, and Military Strategy Could Not Stave Off Defeat

Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood & Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War

The Myth of the Lost Cause and Civil War History

The First Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership

The American Civil War (Parts 1 through 4)

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