Skip to Main Content

A Republic in the Ranks: Loyalty and Dissent in the Army of the Potomac

Online ISBN:
9781469654478
Print ISBN:
9781469654454
Publisher:
University of North Carolina Press
Book

A Republic in the Ranks: Loyalty and Dissent in the Army of the Potomac

Zachery A. Fry
Zachery A. Fry
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Find on
Published online:
20 May 2021
Published in print:
6 April 2020
Online ISBN:
9781469654478
Print ISBN:
9781469654454
Publisher:
University of North Carolina Press

Abstract

The Union Army of the Potomac was a hotbed of political activity during the Civil War. It proved a source of constant frustration for Abraham Lincoln, and its commander, George B. McClellan, even secured the Democratic nomination for president in 1864. This book uses untapped sources to recast our understanding of soldier ideology and presents the most comprehensive view yet of the army’s political story. It recounts the struggle between Republicans and Democrats for political allegiance among the army’s rank and file, in the process showing that the army’s captains, majors, and colonels spurred a pro-Republican political awakening among the enlisted men that burst onto the public stage through newspaper editorials, unit resolutions, and letters to home front politicians. The book traces the heated campaigning and voting activity on the front lines during critical elections such as the 1864 presidential contest, highlighting how an army that had once revered McClellan renounced him for consorting with the forces of peace activism and treason. Union soldiers asserted themselves as the guardians of civic virtue and used the power of political organization to set the terms in a heated debate over wartime loyalty.

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close