S13 E1 Blue and Gray: Why They Fought cover art

S13 E1 Blue and Gray: Why They Fought

S13 E1 Blue and Gray: Why They Fought

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In this episode of Your History Your Story, we are very happy to welcome back a truly distinguished guest: Pulitzer Prize winning author, renowned historian and the George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History, Emeritus at Princeton University, James M. McPherson.


Jim previously joined us to discuss the military, political and international significance of the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single day in American history. Today, he returns to take us even deeper into the human experience of the Civil War, drawing from his landmark 1997 book, “For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War”.


In this episode, Jim explores the powerful and often deeply personal motivations that compelled both Union and Confederate soldiers to continue fighting, even in the face of death, devastating wounds and unimaginable hardship. Drawing from numerous letters and diaries of Civil War soldiers, he helps us understand not just how the war was fought, but why it was endured.

Music: "With Loved Ones" Jay Man

Photo(s): Courtesy of YHYS and James McPherson


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