Citation

Phillips J. History Compass 2008; 6(6): 1407-1425.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1478-0542.2008.00554.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article explores how American historians have stereotyped Civil War soldiers as heroes, victims and villains, race warriors, and citizens at war to explain how these archetypes formed and propose methods that transcend them. The wealth of primary evidence from Civil War soldiers supports virtually any portrayal of them. Scholars influenced by current events and invested in academic debates have marshaled sources to honor courage, condemn war, remember the forgotten, or recreate society. While each camp has expanded our knowledge of soldiers, because Civil War history favors historiography over theory, the field perpetuates stereotypes that rob soldiers of their complexity. Three approaches could help scholars avoid stereotypes and the pitfalls of presentism: historians could emphasize soldiers’ individuality and not just their agency; they could study influential soldiers instead of searching for typical ones; and they could write narratives instead of monographs.