Book review: This republic of suffering: Death and the American Civil War

Type :

Book review

Pages :

2 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

07/28/2009

Category :

Arts & media

Sub category :

Journalism

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Summary :

Introduction
Distress of Civil War America
The gruesome reality of death in war
Different aspects of death and suffering in Civil War America
Conclusion

Abstract

death is one of the most pervasive images of the american civil war. Although a civil war creates a higher number of deaths due to its internal nature, american civil war deaths far exceeded common expectations. As an example of the sheer magnitude of deaths, Faust writes, "The number of soldiers that died between 1861 and 1865, an estimated 620,000, is approximately equal to the total american fatalities in the Revolution, the war of 1812, the Mexican war, the Spanish-american war, World war I, World war II, and the Korean war combined." However, Faust is more interested in what she calls "the work of death" and how death is dealt with in civil war America than the actual number of deaths.

As a meditation on death and dying in civil war America, Faust's study is a major success. Many cultural, religious, and political historical processes of the era can be gleaned from the study. Through countless examples of first-hand experience with death from soldiers, chaplains, civilians, poets, and preachers, the reader is able to imagine how death totally inhabited everyday life.